St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1918-10-19

BODY placed on tQlS set VI WAeo1S'
The top has been newly covered go
that the children will be thoroughly
protected from the rain.
At Pilgrim Rest where We had such
poor attendance last year we have
about 80 pupils, or enough for the
three teachers we now have there.
In the Covington school We are
over-run with pupils and the sixth
and seventh grades need new
teacher to take the overflow, while
the first grade simply must have an
other teacher with the seventy pupils
for the one primary teacher.
The school transfer from Lewis
burg to Vaudeville school is being
very successfully run this year for
the first time and l trust that the
pupils will gain by this change.
The schools of the fifth ward are
going nicely and / hive no complaint
yet. The school transfer to the Sun
school has not been permanently
awarded yet and will discuss that
with you today. In the sixth ward
all schools are now in full swing and
believe have SOON good teachers.
In the seventh ward We sent two
teachers at the opening of the term
but after three weeks l moved the
assistant to the Savannah Branch
school for reasons mentioned above.
Should the attendance come up to
the required average and we can find
the necessary teacher would be
glad to have them receive the SER
vices of two teachers. l only re-
greet that they did not send all of
the pupils during the first month SO
that they could have kept the extra
teacher when they had it.
Mr.. Woodruff and l have awarded
the contract for the new school at
Pearl River and think that We have
a scheme by which this new enter
prise may be financed. The bank
will lend us part of the strength Of
the District No. 8 special tax fund
and a number Of public spirited citi-
zens have agreed to sign a note to
borrow the balance il you will in
struct me to take the note up out
of the first available money In the
District No. 8 special tax funds.
This L~trust you will do today.
The repairs to the Sltdell high
school are completed and you must
see 1t to appreciate the good work
Mr.. Woodruff and the architects have
done.
l am pleased to report that the
special tax election called by you on
the second Of this month in the
tenth district was carried as will be
shown by the PRONUNCIATION of the
election today. This fund is to be
kept by itself at interest until such
time as the board is in q position to
build a house for Abita Springs.
The question Of labor on the farm
is to be more and more troublesome
NIT the following letter from Supt.
Harris for your consideration:
To Parish Superintendent and Mem
bers of Parish School Boards:
Indications at this time point to q
very acute labor shortage next year,
and it is unquestionably true that
the services Of many thousand child
rem, especially boys under twenty
years of age, will be required for
planting, cultivating and harvesting
various farm crops.
The question as to whether or not
children should be employed on the
farms is not de5atable-the necessl-
ties of the case are such that they
will have to be employed.
The problem for solution by the
school officials is to SO organize and
conduct the schools as to interfere
as little as possible with the child
ren's Quotations; and to make avail
able so far as possible student labor
at the periods of the year when this
Dor is most needed.
Many thousands of boys will be
needed next spring to plant and cul-
tivate food crops, and next fall to
harvest the crops. In meeting this
situation we should avoid, il pos
sible, the shortening of the school
session, and with this in mind the
following Suggestions are submitted
for your consideration:
/. Have the schools, both city
and country, taught SKIS days each
week. The result of this arrange
ment will be to reduce a session of
nine months to seven and one-half
months without loss of time to the
children.
Your teachers have been employed
on the basis of a school month of
twenty days, and the six-day week
arrangement would require that they
be paid extra for the additional time.
This would give no trouble and
would entail no additional expendi-
lures. The session, whatever its
length, would cost the same under
the five-day week plan, To illus!
trate: A teacher employed for mine
months at $40 per month would re-
ceive for the session $500. Her sal
airy is $3.50 per day, or $84 month,
under the six-dy week plan, or $500
for seven and one-half months.
believe that this suggestion mer-
its serious consideration. Even when
times are normal, there is no valid
reason for operating the public
schools for only five days each week:
in these times of stress, when labor
is scarce, and becoming scarcer,
there seems to be every reason for
operating the schools six days each
week.
l am thinking seriously of asking
the State Board of Education to re-
quire all public schools to adopt the
plan suggested above; for the pres
ent, however, the matter will be left
to the discretion of the parish Of
ficials.
2. 1 have frequently called your
attention to the question Of the d.
vided session, especially for country
ooh nolo oftomnfinV tn mako tho VA.