The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-07-28
PRESS COMMENT
Wasting The Peoples Money.


The state board of teachers exam
iners-the flying squadron"-com
posed of three members, had the leg
islature of 1921 to refund sum APP
proximately in the neighborhood of
two thousand dollars which it had
spent in excess of the appropriation,
for travelling expenses. Outside of the
fact The Tribune believed the appro-
priation shpuld have even stayed with
in, this paper made no comment un-
favorable to the reimbursement.
Friday, there came out from ITALIA
hassee, the itinerary of the board for
the 1921 and 1922 examinations; and
looking over it The Tribune is not sur
prised at the board having exceeded
it's appropriation last year for trav-
cling expenses. The Tribune declares
that for extravagant spending and ut
ter disregard of the peoples money,
this itinerary as announced, cannot be
beaten. Tt calls for jumps of the most
extraordinary and uncalled for lengths
from one part of the state to another,
and then back again, and repeating
the thing a number of times. It act
ually demands three times as much
money for travelling expenses as could
be made sufficient with common
sense arranged itinerary.
Here is the itinerary as sent out
from Tallahassee;
Starting at GAINESVILLE on Aug. 10,
the first jump is to Tallahassee. Then
back to st. Augustine for a couple of
days, when they hop down to Fort
Lauderda1e From Fort Lauderdale 20
Orlando is pleasant jump, and then
over to Brooksville, from which place
they go to Mayo. Mayo is left for
Crestview, almost at Pensacola, then
double back to Blountstown, just be-
low Mariana, after which they go
back through Crestview to Pensacola.
Leaving Pensacola, the board goes to
Jacksonville, which they have already
passed through several times, and
near which they were when in ST. Au-
gustine. Finishing at Jaeksontille,
they have probably become enervated
with the warm climate so they hop
over to Lake City, and from there
they make their third trip west and
land at Marianne, around which they
have already played some four times.
But they don't like 1t in Mariana, so
they leave it for Titusville, way down
on the east coast, having to come
through Jacksonville again, and from
Titusville they go to Fort Myers,
which was not far from them when
they were at Tampa. Again it IS, pre-
sumably, too warm for them, so they
hop off from Fort Myers and land IN
Carabelle, a short distance from Pen
sacola on the northern rim of the Gulf
of Mexicoi After recuperating few
days at Carabelle, they come on back
through Jacksonville to Starke, and
then back through Jacksonville for
third trip down the east coast this
time to Palm Beach. While at Palm
Beach they suddenly recall that they
have not been down on the west coast
but twice, so they jump from Palm
Beach to Lakeland, after which they
wind UP the year at Orlando, where
the State Teachers Association is TO
meet.
Ye Gods, is IT any wonder we call it
the flying squadronl" What that
bunch needs is for someone to draw
them such an itinerary as the travel
ing representative of any great house
or firm would be required to furnish
and follow if he expected the house
to pay his bills.
And here is the rest of it, beginning
in January, 1922.
Milton, Jan. 10; Perry. Jan. IT;
ocala, Jan. "a; Sebring. Jan. 81: Quin-
cy, Feb. 4 Williston, Feb. Ia; Palatka,
Feb. 81; Clearwater, Feb. %; Chipley.
March z; Callahan, March IA; Miami
March 81; Leesburg, March %. Pan
anna City, April A; Jasper, April II;
Green Grove Springs, April IS; Dade
City, April 25; Bombay, May 2; Live
Oak, May 9: Fort Pierce. May 16, Bra
dentown, May %; Madison, May 80:
st. Augustine. June 6 Wauchula, June
10; Key West, June 20; Fort Laud-
erdale, June 81; Macclenny, July 5;
DeFuniak Springs, July IL; Sanford,
July IS; Arcadia, July 25."
OF course, we are going to hear that
it was necessary to jump about to
give the teachers in all parts of the
state an equal chance. Perhaps 1t is,
under this scheme; but is not the
very fact that this tremendous mileage
is forced { p on the board, the strong
est kind of an argument for abolish
ing the system, getting rid of the
board. and examining our teachers like
they are examined in practically every
other state in the Union-in county
examinations held by the county SUI
perintendents Of education, based on
questions sent out from the state SUI
perintendent's office. and graded and
marked by board of examiners who