ART. 77 COUNTY SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS. 1719

into suitable school districts, define and describe the boundaries
of each; provided that no school district shall contain a greater
area than four miles square, unless a part of it be located in a
thinly settled region. In the formation of the school districts
the committee shall take into consideration the most suitable
site for the school house, the general features of the country,
and shall make each school district of such size and form as
will best accommodate the population within its bonds. The
committee shall make an accurate description of the bounds
of the school districts, accompanied by a plat, and shall report
the same to the board of county school commissioners, who
shall thereupon give notice in all the newspapers of the county
at what time they will meet to hear applications for a change
of boundaries, which applications shall be made in writing and
within two months from the date of the first publication of
such notice. When the application shall have been made and
considered, the board of county school commissioners may
then change the boundaries of school districts and revise the
description; or they may, without application, make such
change as may be deemed important, or they may ratify and
confirm the report of the committee. The description of the
boundaries of school districts shall be recorded in a book kept
for that purpose by the secretary of the board of county school
commissioners. In those counties where no newspaper is
published the notice of application for a change of boundaries
shall be published in such a manner as the board of county
school commissioners may decide. Whenever it may be neces-
sary, the board of county school commissioners shall employ
a surveyor to aid the committee in the performance of such
duty, and they shall allow the surveyor such compensation for
his services as may be just and proper; and the committee
shall receive no compensation whatever for their services.
The cost of dividing the county shall be paid by the county
school commissioners out of the school fund of the countj.
If a county has already been divided into school districts, and
it may be necessary to revise the same, the board of county
school commissioners shall have full power to make such
revision or alteration as may be necessary to accommodate the
population and increase the efficiency of the schools. A full
description of such changes and alterations shall also be made
and recorded as aforesaid.