Evening star., 1932-02-25
ARLINGTON SEEKS
LOAN FOR SCHOOLS
Members of Education Board
Confer With Delegate Reid
) in Richmond.
By a stan Correspondent Of The Star.

By Stan Correspondent of The Star.
RICHMOND, Va, February 25.-
Fletcher Kemp, superintendent Of
schools, and Thomas N. DeLashmutt,
chairman of the Arlington County
School Board, arrived here today to
attempt a loan of sufficient size to
prevent the premature closing of the
Arlington County schools.
Following a conference with Dele
gate Reid, during which they informed
him that the Arlington County School
Board was in session all Of last night
in an attempt to solve their financial
problem. Kemp and DeLashmutt went
to the Office of Attorney General Saun-
ders to ask for an opinion on the legal
ity of loan from the State Literary
Fund.
Reid had previously informed them
that he believed the school board, With
the consent of the county board, could
negotiate a general loan under the
present law but that he thought an
opinion from the attorney general de-
sEable before suchNsteps are taken.
Loan Is Necessary.
fThere are two questions to be settled
One is as to the legality of a general
lpan and the other as to whether 1t
will be possible to borrow a sufficient
amount of money from the State Liter
ary Fund
In case of a general loan it would be
necessary to pay rate of interest of
not less than o per cent, while the in
terest rate on the State Literary Fund
is but per cent.
: Officials Of the State Board Of Educa-
ton have indicated sympathetic atti-
tude, Reid said, and it is believed that
they will approve a loan il the at
torney general rules that it would be
Rgal under existing circumstances.
= Reid stated this morning that it was
obvious that the Arlington County
schools could not continue unless an
Immediate loan is made, but is of the
epinion that this will be Immediately
tional special legislation.
Reforms introduced.
{ Reforms in the present system OF
county government to prevent such oc-
eurrences as that of the alleged short
age in the Office Of the Arlington
County treasurer are sought in num-
Der of bills which are before both
branches of the General Assembly, the
most important Of which were under
consideration yesterday.
: Among these were the bills providing
for optional forms of county govern
ment, which were recommended by the
County Government Commission and
have the approval of the Governor
: Most of these bills were reported out
Of the Senate Committee on Counties,
Cities and Towns last night.
Among the. provisions Of the bills re-
ported out are the following:
= That county boards of supervisors
may require monthly statements Of
county officers when deemed necessary;
that the Governor may withhold funds
due by the State to the counties when
the counties have defaulted on their
honded Indebtedness; that the omis-
sion of delinquents from the delinquent
tax list Of q treasurer shall be termed
%nalfeasance in ofice"; that boards
Of supervisors shall be required to pub
Hsh annual budgets and to limit their
expenditures to matters set out in the
Budgets; that two or more counties
may consolidate after q referendum
called onfa petition Of 10 per cent OF
The voters; that two or more counties
may jointly employ officers, provided
there has been q referendum called on
a petition of 5 per cent Of the voters,
and that counties be given the option,
without additional legislation, Of adopt
ministrative forms Of government.
Under the bill as originally intro
duced all county officers except Com
monwealth attorney and clerk would be
appointed. This was amended. how
ever. by Senator Robert o. Norris, Jr.,
to include election Of the sheriff.
May Aid Arlington.
The Arlington County School Board
may find a way out of its present fnan-
cial difficulty by bill which was passed
Yesterday by the Senate. The bill,
which is an administration measure,
will permit counties to temporarily di-
vert sufficient amount Of their gaso-
line tax revenues to prevent the pre-
mature closing Of the schools. The
funds so diverted would eventually have
to be returned to the county road fund.
/ Chairman Wilbur C.. Hall OF the
House Finance Committee announced
last night that he is preparing a bill
to place all county treasurers and COM
miSsioners of revenue on a fiat salary
In lieu of fees.
: Under the Byrd plan for taking over
the roads, he said, the commissions Of
these officers will be considerably re-
road levies and also through reclama-
ton by the State of the gasoline tax
now going to the counties. In view OF
these proposed changes he believes that
the treasurers and commissioners of
revenue will fare better under the
straight salary plan.
Hall also announced that bill would
be reported out of his committee today
specifically providing holding out of
tax tickets" by county treasurers as
grounds for removal from office.
The House yesterday took up and
passed out of order the Neff bill re-
lieving county treaSurers from RESPONSE
bility under their bonds for money de-
posted in banks. The patron r-.plained
that there had been defaults during the
past year, as a result Of bank failures,
of over a half million dollars, and that
unless the bill was passed the bonding
companies would not continue the
bonds Of treasurers The measure, he
said, was approved by the State
Bankers Association and the treasurers
themselves