Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-02-15
OUR SCHOOLS.
ADDRESS OF THE CONFER
ENCE TO THE PEOPLE OF
NEW YORK.

ENCE TO THE PEOPLE OF
NEW YORK.
One hundred thousand Children De.
priyed of Education in this City
New York Charity Institutions,
Supported by Public Money,
Turned into huge Agencies of
Child Labor.
The following is the text of the address
submitted by the School Conference to
the Cooper Union mass meeting Feb
12, full report of which will appear in
our next number
FELLOW CITIZENS
The School Conference of New York
City, after careful investigation, pre-
sents to the consideration of the people
of New York the following report on the
STATE OF THE SCHOOLS
lin point of accommodations, New
York ranks lowest among the cities of
the Union.
2-The cost of the machinery of re-
preston, (armories, police, courts,
asylums, etc. far exceeds the expendi-
ture for schools.
3-The appropriations for education
have borne no proportion to the increase
in wealth or population.
4-Tbe number of children receiving
no school training in the present year
must exceed one hundred thousand,
though the authorities decline to furnish
the exact figure and, having made no
registration, do not, themselves, know
how many children should be under
their care. ....
5-ltis, however, known that 10000
children actually applying were refused
admission to the public schools during
last year that $500 children actually
admitted were turned out because in
excess of accommodations, while the
daily average attendance was less than
in the preceding year.
6-There is fagrant discrimination
against the primary children and in IA
vor of the children who attend the
higher grades
despite the efficient work done by
the primary teachers their salaries are
the lowest paid, and none of the teachers
have a pension such as is granted to the
police and fire departments.
S-The compulsory education law,
of little value if enforced, is dead let
ter and must remain SO until we have
adequate school accommodations and
complete registration of children. The
bill pending before the legislature is
practically worthless.
Point l.-OW school accommodations
are acorse than those of any city in the
Union.
This is admitted by the Committee of
Eight OF the School Board in its report
published March 6, 1889, which says:
"It is true that the accommodations for the
school children Of the city of New York are in.
sui1iceutf This has been conceded by every
one acquainted with the school system for a
number of years, ***
1t is true that the cubic feet of air space and
the necessary number Of feet of floor area, as
allowed each child in our sch OILS, is much too
small and falls far below the requirements OF
the Board Of Health. and it Is C ncededly less
than OBJ aims in any the city in the Ubion
In the uptown districts the cess Of pupils
over the space for accommodations is 50 large
thai the schools are in nearly every case over
or wded, ****
"We might r-fuse to receive scholars after
the proper limit of average seating Capa,ty
and AIR space had be. N reached But t. 10
this, we would be obliged to refuse admission
to over $1,000 children"
Point 2.-The cost of the machinery of
repression (drmories, police, courts, asy-
Inns, &r,) far erceedS the expenditure
for schools.
The city Record shows the following
items iii its issue for January 7, 1890:
follce. .-................. S4,647. 900
Asylums, &c. &c............... 1915. 900
Charities and Corrections. -. $50, 600
Judiciary ,......... ...... LOGS, 600
EIry Courts oSQ 0nO