or the whole of the 25-year period, must submit to the board of trustees an affidavit containing a schedule of service, made by himself, together with corroborative affidavit, or affidavits, made by another party or parties.

The corroborative affidavits may be made by any one of the following persons:

(a) The present clerk of school board in the district where the service was rendered.

(b) The present township treasurer in the township where the service was rendered.

(c) The present county superintendent in the county where the service was rendered.

NOTE. In case all of the above mentioned officials are unable, from the records in their possession, to make such affidavit, each of them should supply a sworn statement to that effect.

Thereupon the affidavits made by:

(d) Two reputable citizens of the district, preferably members of the school board when the service was rendered, will be accepted.

3. No credit will be given for teaching except in public schools in this or other states. The term "public school" shall have the same meaning as defined by the State Department of Public Instruction, which is as follows: (1) It must be supported, in the main, by public revenues, organized and controlled by public officials; (2) it must be open to all persons on the same conditions; (3) it must be instructed by teachers who hold certificates legally authorizing them to teach that particular grade of work and to draw public funds.

When teaching was actually done and payment made for such service by the local governing body, the teacher shall be credited in the affidavits of service as provided in rule 2.

4. The expression, "legal school year at the time and place where said service was rendered" (section 25d), shall be understood to mean the number of months constituting a school year during which school was in session in any district, as legalized by the School Law of Illinois.

The minimum length of a school year in Illinois, prior to July 1, 1899, was five months; from July 1, 1899, to July 1, 1915, six months; since July 1, 1915, seven months.

When the length of the school year in any district did not meet the State requirements, the number of months required by the State law at that time will be taken as the number of months constituting a full school year. Credit will be apportioned accordingly.

No more than one year's credit shall be given for service rendered between July 1 of any year and July 1 of the following year.

No credit shall be given for fractional years until the sum of such fractions is equal to unity.

5. No credit shall be given for a leave of absence unless it is officially granted by the school board and a signed statement by the clerk of said board is supplied to the board of trustees of the pension fund. A record of attendance, signed by the proper officials of institutions where professional preparation was obtained, must also be submitted to the pension board.

No credit shall be granted for a leave of absence prior to July 1, 1915. 6. Minor absences from duty on account of illness will be counted as time taught providing regular assessments are paid.

7. No teacher may elect to become a contributor under the law unless such teacher was employed in the public schools of this State when the law went into effect, or has resumed teaching in the State since that time. Every teacher must be under employment at the time of such election.

8. If, after teaching 25 years, a teacher is not 50 years of age, he may cease teaching and upon reaching the age of 50, be officially retired and receive the annuity, providing he has complied with all the provisions of the pension act. Any teacher may retire, whether he is teaching at the time of his retirement or not, providing he has met all the other requirements of the law.

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9. Any person retiring under the provisions of this act shall receive the first payment of the annuity at the beginning of the next quarter succeeding. Such first payment, however, will be scaled down to cover the actual time intervening between the date of retirement and the date of payment: vided, that the board of trustees will not retire any teacher in actual service unless the board of education of the district approves his resignation.

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10. Whenever an annuitant reenters upon the work of teaching, his annuity shall cease while he is so engaged. However, if school work was not resumed at the beginning of a quarter, his annuity will be paid up to the time he begins teaching, provided that no annuitant may retire at the end of any school year and reenter upon the work of teaching at the beginning of the next year in order to obtain annuity during vacation.

11. Any person who retires under the disability clause shall furnish the board of trustees of the pension fund at least once a year, a certificate by a reputable physician attesting continued disability.

12. Any teacher applying for a refund as provided in section 27, shall furnish with such application receipts given by school boards for the amounts deducted from his salary, and the receipt for any payment made directly to the treasurer of the pension fund, or file proofs establishing his identity.

DEATH OF FIRST PENSIONER.

Mr. George Cyrus Locke, of Kinderhook, Pike County, Illinois, who was the first teacher to qualify for a pension under the new Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund Act, died on May 21. His death was due to injuries received in an automobile accident. Mr. Locke was the first pensioner in the State to answer the final summons.

He had paid in $703.40 and had received $201.11. It will be seen from this that his estate will lose $502.29. The pension law's in some of the states provide for the return of this balance in case of the death of the annuitant. The Illinois law makes no such provision.

NEW LEGISLATION—THE SCHOOL LAW OF ILLINOIS. (Enacted by the Forty-ninth General Assembly.)

FOR THE STATE SCHOOL FUND.

AN ACT to provide for the ordinary and contingent expenses of the State Government until the expiration of the fiscal quarter after the adjournment of the next regular session of the General Assembly.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That the following named sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, respectively, for the purposes herein. after named, be, and are hereby, appropriated to meet the ordinary and contingent expenses of the State Government, until the expiration of the first fiscal quarter after the adjournment of the next General Assembly:

Nineteenth-To the Auditor of Public Accounts, the sum of $4,000,000 annually, out of the State School Fund, to pay the amount of the Auditor's orders for the distribution of said fund to the several counties, and for the payment of the salary and expenses of county superintendent of schools as now provided by law, and for the amount to be paid into the Illinois State Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund in accordance with the provisions of an act entitled, "An Act in relation to an Illinois State Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund, approved May 27, 1915, in force July 1, 1915." The Auditor shall issue his warrants to the State Treasurer on the proper evidence that the amount distributed has been paid to the county superintendents.

APPROVED June 30, 1915.

BONDS.

AN ACT giving to the board of education of any school district having a population of less than 100,000 inhabitants, and existing by virtue of any special charter and governed by any or all such special charters, the power to borrow money for certain purposes and issue negotiable coupon bonds therefor, and providing that the proposition or question to borrow money and issue such bonds shall be submitted to the voters of such school district.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That the board of education of any school district having a population of less than 100,000 inhabitants, and existing by virtue of any special charter and governed by any or all such special charters, is hereby empowered and authorized to borrow money for the purpose of building schoolhouses, or repairing or altering any schoolhouse already erected, or purchasing schoolhouse sites or purchasing school grounds adjacent to or adjoining any schoolhouse site, or separated therefrom only by a public street or way, and to issue its negotiable coupon bonds therefor, in such form and such denominations, payable at such place and at such time or times (not exceeding twenty years from date of issuance) and bearing interest at such rates as said board of education may by resolution prescribe. Such bonds shall be in denominations of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, and shall bear interest at a rate not to exceed 5 per centum per annum, payable semi-annually: Provided, that no money shall be borrowed or bonds issued unless the proposition or question

to borrow money and issue bonds for the purpose or purposes and in the amount prescribed in said resolution shall be submitted to the voters of such school district at some general or special election held in such school district, or at a special election called for such purpose and the majority of all the votes cast shall be in favor of such proposition: Provided, further, that no such board of education or school district shall incur any indebtedness hereunder, which together with all other outstanding indebtedness, exceeds in the aggregate five (5) per centum on the value of taxable property of such school district, to be ascertained by the last assessment for State and county taxes previous to the incurring of such indebtedness. SEC. 2. Whenever it is desired to submit to the voters of any school district to which this act applies, the proposition or question to borrow money and issue bonds for any or all of the purposes specified in this act, the president or secretary of the board of education of such school district shall, in writing, direct the county clerk or board of election commissioners, or other authority, required by law, to give notice of general elections held within the city, town or county wherein such school district is situated, to give notice that such proposition or question shall be submitted to the voters of such school district, upon such date as the president or secretary shall have in writing specified. And thereupon such county clerk, board of election commissioners or such other authority shall post or cause to be posted a notice in some public place in each election precinct within such school district, twenty (20) days prior to the date of the election at which such proposition or question shall be submitted to the voters of such school district, or publish or cause to be published once each week for two successive weeks, a notice in some secular newspaper of general circulation in and published in the city, town or county wherein such school district is situated, stating that such proposition or question shall be submitted to the voters of such school district. The time and place or places of election shall be specified in such notice, and the proposition or question to be voted upón at such election shall be stated therein.

SEC. 3. The ballot to be used at any election when said proposition or question shall be submitted to the voters of any school district to which this act applies, shall be a separate distinct ballot, and the total amount of the bonds sought to be issued, and the specific purpose or purposes for which said bonds shall be issued shall be stated on said ballot. The ballot used at such election shall be substantially in the following form:

Shall bonds or obligations for the purpose of (state
specific purpose) in the sum of $..
issued by the board of education of.

Yes

....00 be

No

The ballots cast at such election shall be canvassed, and the result of such election shall be entered of record and certified to as provided by law for other elections in such districts.

SEC. 4. All bonds authorized to be issued under and by virtue of this act, before being issued, negotiated and sold shall be signed by the president of the board of education of the school district for the benefit of which said bonds shall be issued, and attested by the secretary of such board of education, and countersigned by the treasurer of such board of education or of such school district. All of such bonds shall be numbered by such treasurer and registered in a book provided for such purpose. All moneys borrowed under and by virtue of this act shall be paid into the treasury of such board of education or of such school district, and thereupon the treasurer thereof shall deliver the bond or bonds therefor to the person, persons, corporation or corporations entitled to receive the same. Such treasurer shall record the exact amount for which each bond shall be issued, negotiated and sold, and when any bond shall be paid, the treasurer shall duly cancel the saine and enter in the register opposite the record of such bond the date, month and year when said bond was paid.

SEC. 5. This act shall not be construed to repeal "An Act to authorize certain school districts to issue bonds for certain purposes," approved and in force May 10, 1901.

APPROVED June 29, 1915.

CERTIFICATES.

AN ACT to amend section 6 of an act entitled, "An Act to provide for the certification of teachers," approved June 28, 1913, in force July 1, 1914. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That section 6 of an act entitled, “An Act to provide for the certification of teachers," approved June 28, 1913, in force July 1, 1914, be and the same hereby is amended so as to read as follows:

SEC. 6. County certificates granted by the county superintendent and the requirements for the same shall be as follows:

First-A third grade elementary school certificate, valid for one year in the first eight grades of the common schools of the county in which it is issued and in no other county. This certificate shall be renewable once only and on evidence satisfactory to the county superintendent of three months' successful teaching or six weeks' professional training. Applicants for this certificate shall be examined in orthography, civics, Illinois history, physiology, penmanship, reading, grammar, geography, United States history, arithmetic, and the principles and methods of the State course of study. This certificate shall not be issued the second time to the same person. At the option of the county superintendent this certificate may be issued without examination to persons who have successfully completed two years of work in a recognized normal school, or one year of such work if the applicant is a graduate of the tenth grade.

Second-A second grade elementary school certificate valid for two years in the first eight grades of the common schools of the county and in the ninth and tenth grades when endorsed for the same by the county superintendent. This certificate shall be renewable on evidence satisfactory to the county superintendent of six months' successful teaching or twelve weeks' professional training, and a second time if in the period following the date of issue the holder shall have acquired eighteen weeks' professional training in any recognized school providing such training, and, thereafter, the same shall be renewable indefinitely for periods of two years upon evidence of successful teaching and professional growth satisfactory to the county superintendent.

The applicant for this certificate shall be examined in orthography, civics, Illinois history, physiology, penmanship, reading, grammar, geography, United States history, arithmetic, elementary science, pedagogy, and the principles and methods of the State course of study. At the option of the county superintendent this certificate may be issued without examination to persons who have completed the junior year's work in a recognized normal school, or its equivalent.

Third-A first grade elementary school certificate, valid for three years in the first ten grades of the common schools of the county, and in the high school when endorsed for the same by the county superintendent. This certificate shall be renewable indefinitely for periods of three years, upon evidence of successful teaching and professional growth satisfactory to the county superintendent. The requirements for this form of certificate shall be: (1) Graduation from a recognized high school, or an equivalent preparation; (2) six months of successful teaching, and (3) an examination in orthography, including spelling, civics, Illinois history, physiology, penmanship, reading, grammar, geography, United States history, arithmetic, pedagogy, English, algebra, general history, and any three of the following natural sciences: Botany, zoology, physics, chemistry and physiography. This certificate shall be issued to graduates of a recognized normal school, or from an institution offering an equivalent preparation, provided the applicant has had one year of successful practice teaching, and applies for the certificate within three years after graduation.