Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-04
A TEST OF PROGRESS.
Pittsburg's Remarkable Growth
Shown by an official Report
ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS CROWDED.
This Citys Gain Is Considerably More Than
Alleghenys Loss.
CHIEF BTGELOw MAKES A SUGGESTION

While Allegheny schools have been los
Inc pupils at such q rate that last month
the city had 10 teachers on her payroll more
than the law allows, an investigation made
Yesterday shows a Numerically opposite
state of affairs in Pittsburg The increase
in this city has been more rapid than the
decrease in Allegheny. There are not a
halt dozen schools on this side of the river
in which there has not been heavy in
crease. In some East End wards the growth
las been enormous. The school report for
Sentember shows the unprecedented gain of
LOO pupils over the corresponding period
the previous year. This does not include
the High School, The increase in teachers
resulting has been 25 up to date and by the
first of December Is more will have been
employed
The records show that Pittsburg has 13
per cent of her population attending the
public schools. Boston is the only city in
the country which exceeds this average and
the excess is only a fraction. The legal
quote of pupils per teacher is IA, but there
are few Pittsburg schools in which each
teacher has not more than twice that num-
Der.
New Schools Being Built.
In many of the schools every room is
crowded to its utmost, temporary desks
being added to the furniture as a matter of
necessitv There are numerous children
not accommodated at all and the officials
are building new schools or erecting addi-
tions to the old ones to make room for them.
Iii the Sixteenth ward large new school
is being erected, to be completed january
This ward has several large buildings and
all are overcrowded. The Thirteenth ward
is in the same condition, an addition to one
OF the schools is now being made, and
there is talk of erecting q new one next
wear. In the Fourteenth ward, which al
ready has two large schools, an 1S-room
bui idlng is being put up and another is
ia ked Of The Nineteenth ward will
build one OF the largest public schools in
the State next year. The Shakespeare
School in the Twentieth ward, now being
erected, will be one of the finest in the
country, and the Twenty-first ward expects
TO equal it next year. The Southside wards
have been adding TO the capacity and num-
Der of their schools rapidly in the past few
wears An addition is now being made to
the Twentv-seventh ward school, and the
Luekev building in the Thirty fifth ward is
so overcrowded that more room must be
provided at once.
Allegheny Must Brace Up.
In commenting on these facts and figures
yesterday, Chief Bigelow declared that un-
less Allegheny soon makes an energetic
move toward the front, she will be so lar to
the rear il will be impossible for her to re-
cover the lost ground. ''What Allegheny
should do, he continued, "would be TO lay
her plans for becoming a residence city.
She should be to Pittsburg what Broo klyE
is 10 New York. 1t has been that in years
past, but Pittsburg has been made so much
more desirable place of residence that
lately the best residents have been coming
over here by hundreds. Allegheny's situa-
tion is admirably adapted for a residence
district, and if, like Brooklyn. they had
fine streets and parks, it would be popular.
OF course we like to see the Alleghenians
come out to the East End, but we don't
want to see Allegheny go to ruin. 1t will
naturally become part of Pittsburg in
time, and Pittsburg is interested in her de-
velopment."