The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-09
SCHOOL nosD nLEcrIox.



What fhe Issas Il Fsr-A Direeser's
Kxplanasiss.
On Saturday. from TO 8 o. M, the voters
OF school district No. 1. embracing the
city. viii have an opportunity Of voting
on the proposition Of voting the issuance
OF SO, 600 bonds 10 cover the floating in
debtedness Of the district The present
uubcndec debt amounts 70 about So. As
while the proceeds OF the present tax levy
due IN April, will only be about s1o. 0n
II the revenue be devoted TO paying the
debt there viii be nothing left to run
the schools with. II the schools shall not
be closed the amount Of the debt mnst Be
raised either by increased taxation or by
selling bonds TO meet il with the proceeds.
At the present time the outstanding war
rrn;s are draaing per cent. interest. and
besides are selling at . discount OF 5 per
cent.
In speaking Of the subject yesterday n.
A. Spencer, one or the members OF the
board Of education. said:
"The growth of the city during the
period covered by Superintendent Bar
nard's statement was phenomenal. and
the number of pupils increased from LIST
to !. 05o. or 100 per cent. Of an incrsase in
four years. IL will be seen from these
facts that the board Of education has had
IN orerous task to provide for this great
increase and demand for school facilities
IN so short time. In the spring of 1890
the people we're focking to Seattle by the
thousand. and hosts Of childrsn we're sp-
plying for admission 10 the schools. The
only schoo. buildings in the city then
were the Denny. Central and South. and
pupils were crowded like sheep into rented
rooms. poorly lighted and ventilated and
utterly unfit for young children. The
Mercer, Columbia, T. T. Minor and Raj
nier buildings we're erected in the summer
Of 1890. but the paint was hardly dry on
these buildings when it became necessary
to make additions to the Mercer, Rainier
and Denny and to bciid the Olympic of
four rooms. The Central and South schools
were more than full, and the Pacific
and Cascade schools had to be bui!s. In
the meantime the city limits were ex-
tended and the Day and Green Lake
schools lad 70 be built The people of La
tona had their building completed before
annexation. The future could not be fore
told. and hence each years demand for
more rooms" and the conssquens in
creased expenditures greatly complicated
bonds for the Mercer, Columbia, +. T.
Minor and Rainier buildings and grounds.
More room was needed. and the board
erected the Pacific, Day, Olympic. Cascade
and Green Lake buildings and made adj
ditions TO the Mercer. Denny and Rainier
buildings. for which no bonds have been
asked. The district today has I2s
weil-built school rooms. During the
pupils has increased 10 per cent, the
number Of school rooms TT per cent, the
bonded debt 133 per cent. and the total
debt f64 per cent, not including the pres
ent bonded Indebtedness of $3.50. 600 The
business problem which the board desires
to solve by issuing bonds - this:
iNDgBrxpNEsA
Warrants drawing per cent outstand-
fpg January /. 1884. .t2os. 42s
Interest ON same, estimatsd .............. 25,C0o
Making total Of. $50, Is
RgsoURcEa
Taxes due In April, eight weeks from
Proceeds Of bonds, ii authorized 5000
Making total of....-..,-..........,.,. $4,000
This will give the district Sis8. SIS with
which to run the schools until the next
taxes are due.
"As pure business proposition the citi-
Gems should turn out next Saturday and
cast their vote ordering the issue of the
bonds. This will only change the form of
the debt already existing and give the
board the privilege of reducing the inter-
est now paid on the warrants. The ma
terial effect OF the issue. Of these bonds will
be to raise the credit of the district to the
plane IL has always hitherto ma intained.
should the bond proposition be de-
feated IL will be necessary 10 resort to one
OF two measures: either close the schools
or incrsase the rate of taxation from and
fraction. as liked by the last levy, to 10
mills"
1T IL the sense Of the board Of education
that the current expenses of the district
should, rs heretofore, be kept we'll within
the current revenue; that the financial
affairs OF the district should be run upon
strictly economical principles. and that
during the present hard times il is mex
pedient to incur further Indebtedness for
buildings or permanent improvements un.
less authorized by n vote OF the people.
IA. p. BURwELL,
I'D. A. SPENCER,
~. B. MAcDoUGALL,
NV. j. CoLKETr.
GEORGE II. KING"