The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-14
CITY GOVERNMENT.
1t Advises that the Vaughan Street
School House Be Retained.

| Hearing Last Evening at Which Mum
| Der of Parents Object to the Proposed
| Change---Other Matters.
| A special meeting of both branches of thu
| city government was held last evening tt
hear those parents who object to tn,
abandonment of the Vaughan street schoo
house.
In the absence of Mayor Baxter. Alderman
| Randall presided.
| There was some general business tran
sacted by the aldermen before the hearing
which was held in joint convention.
| Alderman Smith reported that the join
committee appointed to invite Admira
| Hopkins and the British fleet to attend the
| Fourth of July celebration had learned thai
| two of the largest vessels were going ou
| of commission and that the fleet could MOI
| come
| The following petitions for leave to erec1
new buildings were presented and referred
| A. r. Wright & Goa wooden coal pocket
| 15Ox50 feet, 45 feet high. with gravellae
roof and iron cutters on Boston and Maine
! wharf
+ A. A. D1mmock, wooden addition to the
dwelling at No. 326 Portland street.
Williams Manufacturing company ar
addition to building at No. 207 kennebet
street, for planning mill also of the same
company to erect a wooden lumber shed al
| No. 191 and 1913 Kennebec street.
| W. II. Clark and others petition for a light
| ON Chestnut street between Cumberland anG
| Oxford; one is asked for at corner of Sheri
| dan and Congress streets. Petitions re-
| ferred.
| James Brown was granted a victualleri
| license at Long Island.
Alice L. O'Malley, through her attorney
| D. A. Meaher, petitions that she be granted
| a rebate on taxes paid on a certain tract Of
land on Long Island formerly held by hel
| under tax salt title, but held by others
| under an older title. Referred to committee
on judicial proceedings and claims.
The joint convention elected Charles E
Phenix and George Il. Edwards, surveyors OF
lun4 Der. and VIM. R. O'Hanna, weigher Of
coal.
The convention then proceeded to heal
the protests of those parents who object tt
the discontinuance of the Vaugah street
school house. Nine appeared and spoke
against the proposed change. Messrs
Charles F. Jose, Charles H. Ross, E. A
Chaplin, H. M. Jones, Charles Eaton, G. A
Una w. Il. SIulUIl, d .. hlCQdruS anu
Mr.. Lamsol.
All of these represe nted that it would be
a hardship for them to send their children
either to the West or Mcclellan schools The
objection to the West school was particular.
ly strong with them because their children
would have to cross the railroad track
which they believed to be dangerous. There
were various questions asked, and many
objections to the giving up of the school
were developed. 1t was urged that that
part of the city was growing, that new
school houses rather than less were needed
there, and that if this school house should
be taken for an engine house it would
be necessary in years to come to build an
other.
Superintendent o. M. Lord was called
upon to explain why the school committee
had decided to close the school. They be-
lieved that there was ample and better
seating capacity in the Carroll and West
End schools for those scholars now sgoing
to the Vaughan street school. The change
would save the salaries of three teachers
amounting to S1400 yearly, and also the ex-
pense of heating the Vaughn street school.
In relation to the matter of distance it,
had been found that only twenty-five or
thirty of the small children would be in
commoded; aud they would not have to GO
SO far as do many of the children of the
same ages in other schools in the city.
r.Lord gave statistics to show that there
was ample room in the West and Mcclellan
schools for the scholars now going to
Vaughan street.
Mr.. A. B. Hall of the school committee,
was called on. He said the committee had
come to their decision with desire to dc
what was for the best interests of the
schools. Some scholars might be called on
to go greater distance, but they would not
be called on to do anything that other
scholars in other parts of the city were not
doing.
When the joint convention broke up there
was brief normal discussion in the board
of aldermen. The matter was considered to
be one within control of the school commit
tee, and one in which the city government
could act only in an advisory way Alder
man MCGOWAN presented lengthy resolu-
ton of advice to the sc hool committee, de-
pleciating the action in giving up the school
as likely to work injustice and hardship to
voters.
This resolution was passed unanimously
in both bodies, which then adjourned