The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1918-11-01
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY.

;lty Tor 1t but nave honestly felt that
{ was not time to bring forward a
for increased taxation.
This is essentially an after-war
measure in going into effect. for the
levy is made for the present tax year,
that has been standing by
left with the boards of public in
struction.
Right here at home in Marion coun-
ty with the finances of the board run
ming nearly one year behind / want to
ask what are you going to say to
Fantville when she comes up and
says she must have a new school
building and furniture to take the
place of the old, worn out, dilapidated
the road side for these many years
and is now a disgrace to community
and the county?
What are you going to say to Nc
Intosh who has waited patiently to
have her school building re-painted
and repaired which is sorely needed ?
What are you going to say to Red
dick when she asks for new build
ing to take the place of the dilapidat-
ed old barn that has been standing by
the side of one of the most public
roads in the county for many years
and is a standing disgrace to the
community and to the county? This
in the community of "Old Fax and
Figures" too. He had better be fgur-
ing on some plan to get a decent
school house and adequate equipment
for the education of the children of
his community.
What are you going to say to Elec-
ira who has for all these years been
using an old lodge building for a
school house when she can no longer
do so and calls for a new building?
What are you going to say to Ken
drick when IN asks. as she has al
ready done, for a new building to
take the place of the old worn out,
Imprinted. inadequate house that she
has been using for many many
years?
Probably worst of all, what are you
going to say to Anthony when she
asks for good new building some
what in keeping with the place to
take the place of the old shell of
house that years ago became made
quate to house the school comfortably
and which is thought possibly to be
unsafe?
What are you going to say to Ora
hamville when she asks for a build
ing t. take the place of the old house
that has served more than a genera
ton ard which is rotting down and is
almost absolutely uninhabita5le and
past being repaired?
What are you going to say to the
Goolsby school when they can no
longer use the private house in the
middle Of an old field that has been
generously furnished by one with no
children in school?
What are you going to say to the
Paisley school when they want their
old shack of a house either replaced
by a neat one or the preset one fixed
up and painted so as to make it re-
spectacle by the side of the road?
l have mentioned only those that
seemed most urgently in need of at
tention at once There are many
others that need painting and repair
ing and replacing or changing.
1t IS true that we have some good
buildings in the county built generally
by bonding and liberal donations
from the county general school funds.
Surely these places are not now GO
ing to assume the role of the dog in
the manger and say that we are fixed
all right and you can take care OF
yourselves or continue to do without
even respectable accommodations.
You should know that small dis
tricts or those of low valuation of
taxable property cannot sell bonds to
any advantage even in normal times.
A number of these places are in
territory that is not in special tax
school districts and if they were there
would be no valuable property to tax.
These are helpless and dependent
upon direct aid of the county general
school funds
You notice that l have mentioned
only the school buildings and have
not touched on outbuildings, pumps,
furniture, equipment nor incidentaIs.
We are today in need Of from TWEEN
ty to twenty-five more white teachers
than we have to fill actual vacancies
that exist now. Everything has Teen
done that could be done to get them.
/ am now running advertisements in
the two big state dailies for teachers
but the trouble is that the other
parts Of the state are in the same fix
in a greater or less degree.
What are you going to do about it:
You people who have children to edu-
cate and who know that a country
without good schools is not fit to live
ii and Will soon be deserted, what are
you going to do about it?