The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-01
Important Action for
 Betterment of Schools

Important Action TOT
 Betterment of Schools lGN HE city commission and board
 0 of education, alive to the inn operative need of replacing the Central High school, recently destroyed by Hire, by larger and more modern building, and of improving the school Isystem as whole, took steps yester- |day to that end.
 By unanimous vote it was decided Ito float million-dollar school bond tissue and also to submit to vote of the people proposition for. three lmill school tax, authorized by the educational amendment law.
 1 It is the purpose of the commission to expend $750,O00 out of the pro- leeds of the bonds in the construction Iof a central school and the re- tmainder on the high school about to be erected in the eastern section of the lefty. When the city built the Central High it was thought adequate in size to serve even striding city for many lyears to come; but it was soon over crowded and additional quarters had Ito be found to accommodate the in- creasing enrolment. It was cheap building, costing less than $150,000, but was as good as Birmingham was able to provide at that time. Il A million-dollar building would be not at all too pretentious for Birming- ham today; but three-fourths of that amount will give the city something Iof which the people can be proud. To lbegin with, it will be fireproof. It Twill be spacious enough to accommo- date 25O0 pupils and it should be architecturally beautiful.
 l The three-mill tax will yield some thing like S315,0OO per annum, and with this increased revenue to be used lin the operation of the schools, Bir- lmingham, from an educational view lpoint, will take rank among the fore most cities of the country.
 Jefferson county voted the three mill tax by an overwhelming ma- ljority, and while Birmingham derives substantial benefit from the revenue lthus obtained, the city must be satis- flied with nothing less than the reve- lnue that an additional three-mill tax will yield.
 I With an active campaign such as Twas organized for the county, Bir- mingham should make the proposed tax practically unanimous.
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 Rural Postoffices
 As Labor Agencies
 l1D OYS between the ages of sixteen
 0 and twenty-one, and women auxiliaries, saved millions of dollars worth of crops, notably in the west ern states, last year, and the govern ment expects far larger results this year in the employment of boys and women in farm work.
 The United States employment service is now being thoroughly or Fganized. It will insure practical training and direction of such un- skilled agricultural labor as may be ready to lend helping hand. The ap- Ipointment of 98,O0O third and fourth. class postmasters and rural carriers
 as Tabor agents" is being made witt lall possible dispatch in order that az
 ricultural sections of the country may
 be served with farm labor recruiting and distributing machinery in ad
 vance of spring planting and summer
 land fall harvesting.
 Blank forms for making applica
 tion for farm jobs are being pre-
 pared and within the next few days will be obtainable by every farmer at the window of his local postoffic, or the carrier passing along his de livery route.
 The employment service admins ltrator emphasizes the point that thu success of this farm labor-supplyint a lsystem depends almost entirely upol the cooperation which the farme1 i, himself gives" No postmaster cal
 be of service unless the farmer ex plains his requirements. Each farme i, lmust be definite as to wages, charac tier of work to be performed, lengtl iof employment and living condition