Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-07
JUDGE COBB SHOWS
HOW COUNTY AGENTS
MAY Be SUPPORTED
Athens Jurist Points Out
Several Ways of Legally
Continuing Demonstration
Work in Georgia

Several means by which county
agents may continue to be employ
ed and legally paid from county
funds are suggested in d letter which
has been written to DR.. Andrew NJ.
Soule, president of the State College
Of Agriculture, by Judge Andrew j.
Cobb, Of Athens, in response to a
query from DR.. Soule.
This letter was given out for pub
LEGATION Saturday by DR.. Soule, to-
gether with a statement in which
he urges the necessity Of providing
some means for retaining the coun-
ty agents, and declares that a spe-
cial effort should be made to ade-
quately provide for the maintenance
of the agents through the county
boards of education and health.
The Georgia supreme court re-
Gently held in the case of Bowers
VS.. Hanks that the Floyd county
board of commissioners was with
out authority to employ a county
demonstration agent and pay his
salary out of the county funds, de-
claring there was no statute in
Georgia authorizing such eXpendi-
ture. III
Inc supreme court held, however,
that under the constitution the legis.
lature can authorize the county au-
thor1tes to levy a tax for the Dur-
pose of paying county demonstration
agents. =
In his statement, DR.. Soule points
out that the passage by the Iegis-
lature of a simple act authorizing
the county boards of education to
employ agents at first hand would
solve the county agent problem.
Judge Cobb suggests that the
county boards of education make the
agents instructors in the schools and
that If they are so employed, they
may be lawfully paid out of funds
under the boards control to be ex-
pended for educational purposes.
County Farm Employment
He points out that Judge H. A.
Mathews of the Macon circuit, has
already held that such practice is
permissible.
liz LII IllCI suggests that III
counties where pauper or convict
farms are maintained, the county
agent may be compensated by aid
ing in practical demonstrations on
such farms. Such a move would be
legal, he declares, provided the
county authorities in good faith en-
ploy the county agent to serve so
as to improve the character of work
on such FARMS"
He further declares that if a
county has resources coming into its
treasury from sources other than
county taxation, such resources may
be employed to pay county agents.
The following excerpt from the
supreme court decision outlines the
work of the county agents:
1.-The farm demonstration agent is
appointed to carry out a very am
bilious scheme of education. He is a
peripatetic/ teacher, going from
home to home, from farm to farm,
to impart information on various
subjects. He is employed to impart
agricultural Information TO adult
farmers. He does this by university
or college extension work in con-
lege of this state and the United
States department of agriculture.
The educational purpose to be
achieved by him is a very important
one to the agriculture of this state.
He carries on an important branch
of education.
$50 we are of the opinion that
under the present constitution Of
this state, the legislature can auth
orize the county authorities to levy
a tax for this educational purpose. )"