St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-06


Supt. GiIbert-President Will
rich and Reardon Have a Hot
Bout-It Was Not an Alto
gether Harmonious Meeting
Adjourned Doing Nothing.
The question of placing $50, 900 in the
tax budget for 1894 TO be used in build
ing new school buildings and additions
was discussed in an informal way at a
meeting of the special joint council
committee appointed for the purpose
yesterday afternoon. The committee
was represented by Aid. Montgomery,
Cullen and Zimmerman, and Assembly,
men Lightner, Johnson and Van Slyke,
while President Willrch, Supt. Gilbert
and Edward Vanish represented the
school board.
The meeting was rather warm one,
Mr.. Lightner opening the ball by saying
that the council had been criticised at
public meetings and at the sessions of
the chamber of commerce because no
steps had been taken 10 provide for the
erection of new school buildings and
additions. This, Mr.. Lightner said. was
not true, as the school board had not in
the annual budgets sent to the council
this and last year asked for any amount
to be set aside for the new build
fngs. In fact, he said, the reports for
both years distinctly stated that no new
buildings were needed. In the face of
this, Supt. Gilbert had repeatedly
stated that the requests had been made
and the council refused to pay any at
tention to the matter. President Will
rich admitted that if such statements
had been made they were incorrect. as
the only request made by the board for
money to put up additions and new
buildings vas under the date of Nov.
"a, 1898, and that request had been sent
to the mayor. Assemblyman johnson
cut in at this point and said that
all that Mr.. lightner had stated was
correct. Supt. Gilbert had taken oc-
casion both in public and private to say
that the council Was to blame for the
fact that new buildings and additions
were not erected, and also that the board
had made the request to the council for
the necessary funds. President Will
rich said if Supt. Gilbert had made in
correct statements it was not the fault
Of the board, and as he he and
Mr.. Vanish mad been invited to the
meeting TO assist the committee he did
not care to be upbraided for something
The board had nothing to do with.
There was some question as to whether
The committee could consider the COM
mHnication from the school board at
this time, as the mayor had not yet sent
1t to the council. Mr.. Lightner read
from the charter, which provided that
the school board should notify the
council in July of each year the amount
needed. if any, for the building of new
school houses. City Attorney Chamber
lain held that the law was simply
directory, and because the board failde
to do its duty in July was no reason
why the city or the citizens should be
compelled TO suffer. He had advised
the school board that they could send in
supplemental report, and this had
been done.
President Willrich, in defense of the
board, SAID it had been the intention to
not ask for any money this year for new
school houses. The plan of holding
double sessions had been thought to be
the best way out of the difficulty, but
this plat had proved to be impractical
bic. and the citizens now demanded
additional rooms and buildings. MIR.
Willrlch SAID the work on the proposed
buildings could not be begun before
next spring; but it was necessary to
have the amount needed placed in the
tax budget so that arrangements could
be made to borrow the money and not
delay the work any longer than next
spring.
The tax levy for this year, Mr.. Light
ner said, was two mills for school pur-
poses, and. while the law allowed the
levying of two and one-half mills, it
was questionable whether it was In the
public interest to increase the levy for
1884 the extra half-mll. He was ain
favor Of first aScertaining whether there
were not funds available in the treasury
that could be applied to this purpose
without making the half-mill lew.
This seemed to be the sense of the
other members. and a subcommittee
consisting of Lightner, Cullen and
Lihiiliei uidi WAS dppOllIeu 10 confer
with the comptroller OH this point. The
motion to adjourn was made, but before
it was put Mr.. Reardon, who had been
all interested spectator, called on Supt
Gilbert to explain the discrepancies in
his report as to the seating capacity of
the schools. MIR. Reardon read from the
printed reports of the school board for
the past three years, showing the seat
ing capacity of the schools to be 1852.
The last request from the board
to the mayor stated that the
seating accommodations were only
1920. Supt. Gilbert blaudly informed
Mr.. Reardon that he had nothing to do
with the reports, they being compiled
by the secretary of the board. Mr.. Rear
don started in or one of his searching
crosS-eXaminations, but President Will
rich SHUT him off by saying the CUES
tons did not seem to him at all pertl-
nent TO the matter under the discussion.
and. what promised to be very warm
debate. was prevented by the committee
adjourning to meet at the call of the
chairman.