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Show SUPERINTENDENT CAUGHT IN HIS OWN STEEL TRAP Supt. J. M. Mills' Statement on Salary Raise Found to Be Lacking in the Essential Elements That Arc Necessary to Make a Truthful Statement. Superintendent J. M. Mills, in this morning's Examiner, referring to the Standard editorial that he tried to boost the teacher's salaries when he knew the school fund was exhausted, answers as follows: "Such a statement, coupled with the inference given, that I sought to raise salaries without reason, is in line with the misrepresentation of facts and juggling of Tlgures with which the public is familiar. "Those who are informed know thp facts. All I care to say is that I may remind the public that the proposed increases in salaries were to have been merely additional pay for additional addi-tional night school and summer work which wa at that time contemplated by the school board. I suggested economizing by using teachers from tho regular school staff and paying them a small sum for their additional service, rather than employ additional teachers at full salary." We are pleased Mr. Mills sent his answer 'first to the Examiner because he can not deny his own statement A majority of the members of the school board state that Mr. Mills dodger dod-ger the issue; that he does not tell the truth. Tho facts are just the reverse to what Mr. Mills above states. Supt. Mills told the school board that the night school would not cost the Ogden Og-den school board one, dollar. When asked how he could get tho teachers to work for nothing, he said it was a matter of love and pride in the work and that the state of Utah would pay whatever expenditures were made for tho night school. ' (This statement was also made to the Standard Editor when he was a judge at a night school contest. Wo doubted the power of the school board to teach men from 21 to 40 years ofd free of charge.) The Standard has the complete report re-port of Mr Mills in which ho asks for an increase of salaries not only for the names printed last night, but for 196 teachers, and the increases ere all the way from ?50 to $600 per year for each teacher, totaling over $7,000 for the year. When Mr. Mills recommended this increase, he knew the school board was borrowing money from the banks to pay the teachers salnries and that it was even rimihtfni if tho school board had a lawful right to borrow such money. If Mr Mills only wanted an increase for the few teachers engaged in night-school night-school work, why did he recommend a raise for 196 teachers? The Standard believes the statement state-ment that Mills made the reauest for the increase knowing the same could not be granted, hoping to make himself him-self popular with the teachers so the latter might help boost Mills and knock the board. If Mr Mills will talk a little more, he will be condemned out of his own mouth, and then the numerous parents' par-ents' classes now endorsing Mills will turn on him and help oppose him Even when Mr. Mills knew the school fund was exhausted he accepted accept-ed an increase of $500 in his own salary. sal-ary. Mr. Mills may deny that too, so we add here-to the following which explains itself' "Extracts from minutes of Board of Education meeting held June 5th, 1014. "The Board of Education met om this day in regular session at eight o'clock d. m. "Members present: Messrs. Pingree, Johnson, Levedahl and Glen. "Mr. Levedahl moved that Mr. Mills bo re-elected superintendent of schools for a term of two years, beginning be-ginning July 1st, 1914, and ending July 1st. 1916. at an increase In salary sal-ary of $500 per annum, making the salary for tho term at the rate of ?3,S00 per annum. Seconded by Mr. Glen, the motion was carried, Mr. Johnson voting "NO " Now. Mr. Mills, who Is the juggler of figures and nnsrepresenter of facts? |