The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1915-04-29

THE alleged shortage is in fact
non-existent and is made up almost
entirely of blank stubs against
which no certificates we're issued.
Not Officer of Company.
THE insinuation that | might pos
sibly have been in some way assoclat
ed with some company which sold
school supplies is without foundation,
e:thr in fact or appearance. The
Games l. Waterbury Land Company
sells no school supplies and is as for
eipn to the Waterbury
Company as two concerns can posi-
| bly, be. Mr.. Waterbury severed his
man Waterbury Stove Company before
he organized the land company
was offered the vice presidency in the
land company, but upon careful con
sideration did not accept this place
and rendered my resignation without
| ever having actually served as an of
ficcr of this land company, although
there exists no legal or ethical rea-
| son why | should not do so. 1t was
purely a business proposition and
business considerations governed my
decision.
81 have persistently endeavored to
have this department represented be
| fore the committee and had confident
| II expected that hearing would be
given this office before the committee
published its report This reasonable
| courtesy was denied this department,
although il had been granted to the
other offices in which the inyestiga-
tons were conducted. The members
of the committee refused to visit this
oGce or in any way to discuss its
allegations. l feel that this office
should in simple justice have been in
terrogated and the committee have at
least heard our side of the case. In
this way, they would have been set
right - several misstatements con-
tanned in their published report"
Mr.. ellis Statement.
Ray Gill. deputy, superintendent of
public instruction. gave out lengthy
ElstL1iiitIL dA6pdliie Nll6hi 9Os llleidS W
the committee and scoring the COM
mittee for not allowing members of
the department to appear before the
committee to explain matters in the
Office on which charges have been
brought. Mr.. Gill emphatically de-
MED that his daughter, who has been
grading teachers licenss, is student
of the high school.
"She was graduated from the high
school in 1912 and is well qualified to
do the work." said Mr.. Gill
The alleged shortage is due to the
committee charging at full value stubs
or licenses marked void" error" or
duplicate" according to Mr.. Gill. Mr.
Gill's statement is as follows:
The report of the investigating COM
mittee in reference to the State De-
partment of Public Instruction is the
most amazingly deceptive tirafe | ever
read. misleading in every essential de-
tail. In the first place, no member of
this department has been permitted to
appear before the committee. This
reasonable privilege having been spe
officially denied our first information
was their published report.
superintendent Cook instructed me
to turn over to the committee and its
auditor all available information and
render them every aid possible. This
was done. Personally l felt very CRATE
full to Mr.. Thomas, the auditor, for his
advice and suggestions in the matter
of keeping the records of the office.
and acting upon his advice we have
instituted a perfect system of cross
checking records which will continue
of much value to the State.
III a.,1,.- 1t.
age OF $1.050, whereas the actual facts
show a considerable amount paid into
the State treasury in excess of the fees
for certificates issued. This money
came from fees for which no license
were issued the applicants having
failed to qualify.
Although the committee would neith-
er permit any member of this depart
ment to appear before them. and al
though members OF the committee re-
anyone of this office, Mr.. Thomas
their accountant. did have the grace to
show me his tabulation. I was amazed
to note that in his statement he
charged up at full value OF the fees
all licenses duplicate" No additional
licenses were issued against any of
these stubs and no fees collected. yet
these constitute the startling short
age"
1t is only fair to explain that the
system of certificate blanks with stubs
in a bound book and serial number
was instituted by Superintendent Cook
after he had entered into the duties of
this office and found the certificate
records incomplete and unsatisfactory.
However, the matter of State licenses
was very negligible quantity until
after the passage of the law creating
the State Board of Education and pro-
viding for the issuance of certificates
upon credentials.
1t has required some time to work
out a plan for handling properly the
! applications, credentials, fees several
grades of license blanks, correspond
ence, etc, in connection with this work.
with no additional help provided to do
| the greatly increased work. the entire
office force of this department con-
| SiSting of a deputy, assistant and clerk
The committee checked up our re-
| ports for four years only. 1t was ex-
| planned to the auditor that the records
of old licenses, those issued previous to
| Superintendent Cooks administration,
were incomplete. For instance. a short
| time ago Prof. Sidney Pickens sent his
State life license to this office for rec
ord. there being no record of this IL
| cense. which was issued before Super
| intendent Cook came into office. A du-
| pleate license was issued him, so that
bound stub record of his certificate
| would be permanently on file. This du-
| plicate license constitutes $40 of the
| technical Shortage charged against
| the office.
The professional license of Prof. c.
c. Barnett was issued by former Super
! intendent Doyne and is recorded
/ Again, this office has no record of any
! Of the l.. l. degrees and normal dipIo-
mas issued by the State University and
State Normal. yet these are within
themselves State licenses to teach pub
/ lie school.
The fees paid for grading examina-
tion papers We're paid out. according tC
law for service rendered tSeetion 1880
/ Kirbys DigesO. Miss Gill, who re-
ceived just and legal pay for grading
| nanars is not. as stated In the rennrt