Worcester daily spy., 1858-01-06

-1F. Editor AS the article in your paper,
signed by Mr.. Bushnell, is intended to show an
error in the Mayors statement concerning the
schools, perhaps it would not be improper for me
to reply; First, that if less fuel was on hand at
the commencement of the year 1857 than in 1856,
much larger amoanr of money was expended
during the year 1856, for extraordinary repairs
and alterations in the school houses on the COM
mon, in Pleasant street, and in Summer street.
Then the $3.50 which MIR. Bushnell says was ex-
pended foI fuel, which should have been purchased
and paid for by the prudential committee of 1856.
One word TO the autumn being the most favor
able season for purchasing fuel. The coal was
engaged at the autumn price, and the wood dur
ing that year did not tend at all TO higher, but
rather to lower prices, so that no detrment was
received to the public treasury, but rather an ad-
vantage, by this deIay In the next place, the
school board of 1856 did but little in the way Of
raising salaries. l believe one salary raised
from $3.50 to $780, and perhaps one or two others
,S20 each. SO that SlOO would probably cover the
entire change in the salaries from 1856 to 1857.
As to the new schools, it is true that two new
schools were opened on the common. But it is
also true that one of those teachers was taken
from Main street, there being but one additional
one supplied while one was dismissed from Pleas.
ant, and'one from Summer street, leaving one
less in the four schools than there were at the
commencement of 1856, and if the additional
teacher in the Tatnuck school be added, the mum.
Der during the year 1857 with all the new schools,
as arranged by the committee Of 1857, would be
just the same as in 1856 Therefore, there can
be no $500 to be added for this item.
One word as to the "bad precedent" of the
board of 1856. No teachers dismissed by
them until the close of the year, and then only
for the purpose of forming the new schools in
Pleasant and Summer streets; and no schools
were broken up by reason of any action Of the
board, so far l am informed AS to the
$40 73 which paid for the visiting commit
tee of 1856. by the school board OF 1857, have
only to say that the board of 1856 did pay for the
visiting committee of the year preceding, 1866,
more than the committee of 1857 did for the COM
mittee of 1866 for the bills of this committee
are never fully obtained until the work of the
year has been done. and that is usually on the
very last night of the year.
The amount Of S745.73 would have ordinarily
been between 5000 and $1,000, if the Prudential
Committee had received the usual salary and the
usual visiting fees which he did not. 1t is said
that in addition to the ordinary expenses, the
Department has this year paid for new furnaces,
ventilated floor timbers, and relaid walls, &c. As
an Offset to this, can say that, besides the oTd-
nary expenses of 1856, much work was done in
the Thomas street and much in the Pine street
houses, besides the new shingling of the North
Pond school house, and the repairs OF the Lees
vile school house. l had well nigh overlooked
tne lnslnuatlon that the Board OF 1906 preached
one thing and practiced another, inosmuch as they
left the bills of their visiting committee unpaid
while the Board of 1857 promptly full paid for
the visiting and supervision of the schools under
their charge, besides paying the S745.73 properly
chargeable to the year 1867 But when it is re
collected that, by the election Of Superintendent,
the pay of visiting committees ceases, there is
nothing left for which to pay, except for the stt-
percussion, and that being done entirely by the Su.
perintendent, it would be strange indeed if
protuptness and fullness were not observed. AS
to the number of scholars, 1 can only say that
the reports of last year and this will determine the
attendance, and, Of course, the facts whether
more or less than last year have attended this
year. Having had the charge of the school
houses in the Centre School District in 1856, and
having during that year visited every school
house in the city, and taken note of all the
scholars in attendance, with the expense incur.
red for the various items of each district and each
school, thought it due to the Hon. Mayor to re-
ply to the article by Mr., Bushnell, intending only
to state the facts as I believe them to exist,
leaving the community to judge whether the re-
marks in the inaugural or those of the Superin-
tendent are generally correct
VIM. DICKINSON,
Prudential Committee Of the Centre School Dis
trict for 1856.