The Portland daily press., 1895-11-25
THE BUTLER SCHOOL.
An Excited Hearing Before the Public
Buildings Committee.

| OOulmlttCcs
EemOnstrants Demand that the Butler
ley Demands that East End School
houses Be Treated as Well as Butler
City Fathers Will Meet This Evening.
On Saturday the controversy over the
condition of the Butler school and its
506 pupils broke out afresh, the immedi-
ate cause being an attempt OF some in
terested parties to have the public build
} ings committee carry out the original
recommendations of the Board of Health,
in order that the school may be Teopened
as soon as is consistent with the public
health The result of the hearing indi-
Gates that Butler school will be closed
about three weeks longer.
The public buildings committee con-
sists of Messrs. Randall. Snow, Holland
and Illsley The hour for the meeting
was quarter of three p. M, and the
place the Mayors office. There were
present Mayor Baxter, Councilman Hol-
land and Snow, School Committeeman
Brownson, Allan, Talbot and Hall, Ar
chitect lompson,H Hon. Charles f. Lib
by, and Messrs. Sidney W. Thaxter,
Lucien Snow, NJ. c. Hutchinson, Seth
l.. Larrabee, ex-Alderman VIII Stevens,
Superintendent o. NJ. Lord, Charles S.
Cook, Alderman Randall, DIR. Way and
others.
In opening the Mayor said that quite
number of people had come to him with
complaints that the Butler School house
was closed too long. Mr.. Hutchinson
thought he could have the new water
closets in two weeks from Monday.
Mr.. Sidney W. Thaxter spoke first. He
said he thought the first recommen-
dation of the Board OF Health
should be carried out and the school re-
opened without waiting for the water
closets
He had child in the school, and want
ed the school reopened. The scattering
of the scholars had very bad effect On
discipline. He had called on many par
ents and found only one Mr.. Woodbury.,
who wanted to have the school continued
closed.
Mr.. Illsley-What objection can there
he to sending the scholars to the Brack-
EFT street school?
Mr.. Thaxter-Well. that is an older
building, and it's arrangements are prob
ably not SO good as those of Butler school.
1 think one school in the city should
be just as well equipped as another.
Mr. Randall asked Mr.. Thaxter if he
was aware of report of the board of
health, .in which they concurred in the
idea of putting in new water closets.
Mr.. Thaxter said that if that was the
case he would be in favor of awaiting
the end of the term before changing the
closets lie did not think there was
danger.
| Mr.. Charles F. Libby-I do not think,
Mr.. Thaxter, that you can say that
health is not endangered by those
present arrangements
f. x-Alderman Stevens said he was not
aware of any advantage from closing the
fschooL His boy was perfectly we'll in
the school, but in the two weeks since
he had been out, he had got colds and
been in poorer health than IN school.
|
IN AS GOOD SANITARY CONDITION
as other public schools IN the city, and
better than three-fourths of the dwelling
! ,ouses. AS parent, he said, object
80 the further suspension of that school,
and / believe large majority of the par
ents who send their scholars there feel the
| anne way.
Hon. Charles E. Libby said that whom
they had the last hearing he did not
suppose that the consultation with Mr.
| Woodbridge would defer the needed re-
| pairs. He understood that Prof. Wood
| ridge was rather to be consulted with
egard to the better system for all the
! chools Of the city.
In regard to the Butler school, Mr.
| Wright had found out that there must
| ave been leak in the trough, allowing
| he soil to be saturated.
| Mr.. Hutchinson, after considering the
| matter, had decided that the water closets
could be completed in two weeks. AL
| ready the cellar Of the building was torn
| up. and the water closets won Id not cause
much delay.
He would not be in favor of halting the
repairs until Prof. Woodbridge should
come.
The board of health CONQUERED in
| he idea that the water closets should be
put in. 1t would require but two weeks
| for this, and the Butler school would ba
in condition to allay the fears of the
| eople.
| Seth L. Larrabee, ESQ.,, said that he ap-
peared neither as petitioner nor remon-
strant. Tor he was not familiar with the
controversy. But he had confidence in
the administration in charge; and
hoped that they would act as they
would if 1T were their own house, getting
the work done quickly as consistent with
afetv, AS to the employment of Prof.
Woodbridge, he hoped the sanitary
| EXAMINATION BY THE EXPERT
would be managed carefully, and that q
report should not be published that
might, if he should declare half our
| school houses unsanitary seapdalizo tba