The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-16
A NEW DISTRICT POLICY
4 UTHORIZED Ap LAST NIGHTS
 SPECIAL DISTRICT MEETING.

SoOO,oOO Bond Issue Authorized If Power
 is Obtained From the Legislature-An
 Annual Special District Tax Voted-Op-
 position to the Bond Issue Pronounced e Appeal From Chairman's Decision,
 A special district meeting was held slider and vote on the adoption of the new finarc cial policy for the district submitted by the finance committee of the board of education. This new pol icy, in brief, consists of paying district debts as soon as they arise-a pay as you go'' policy. The recommendations of the board of education in regard to authorizing the board to apply to the legislature for permission to issue and sell $500,000 worth of district bonds and in regard to laying a one mill tax, both of these measures being necessary to the carrying out of the new policy, were voted by the meeting, as were also other minor resolutions in the line of the new plan.
 Attorney Isaac Wolf was chairman of the meeting and Benjamin R. Eng fish was clerk. Chairman Hooker of the board of education financial com mittee explained the object sought in the adoption of the new policy, as has been outlined in a previous issue of the Courier After the matter had been carefully and exhaustively explained by Mir. Hooker, the following resolu- tion was put:
 Whereas, The New Haven city school dis trict has an indebtedness of about $206 900, which is to be increased by the sum of about $S6000, as set forth in the financial statement made by the board of education and submitted to this meeting, and
 Whereas, It Is desirable to make pro, vision for the payment of said debt, and for the erection of a new high school build ing,
 Resolved, That the board of education is hereby authorized and instructed to obtain from the legislature the necessary power to borrow on the credit of the school dis trict such. sum of money as may be neces- sary for the purposes aforesaid not exceed ing $600,00o, and to issue therefor, bonds of the school district bearing interest at a rate not exceeding per cent. per annum; said bonds to be made payable at such time and in such manner, that the whole issue shall be paid and retired within fifty years from the date of issue; it being un- derstood that the board of education shall issue and sell said bonds only for the pur pose of paying the indebtedness aforesaid. and to erect, furnish and equip new high school building.
 A decided opposition to the adoption of the resolution was at once mani fested and the matter was discussed pro and con at length Judge Simeon E. Baldwin asked if the board of edu- cation had considered the possible con- soldation of the school district and the city government, saying that he thought that if such consolidation should take place the city could borrow money at a less figure than can the dis triet now. He said that he believed that in case of consolidation 31a per cent. bonds could be sold, and asked if it would not be wiser in view of this fact to bond the city rather than the district.
 Judge R. s. Pickeet moved an amend ment to the effect that $300,000 worth of bonds be issued instead of the $500 900 proposed. He stated that he believed that the idea of issuing bonds was a good one, but that he did not believe that the issue ought to reach beyond the present needs. He spoke against providing for the building of a, new high school, as he said that New Ha- NC1l lldu liOl Ct dElttu lIit IL Io cttl- visable to conduct a college. He also said that if the district is to be enlarg- ed all the town should help pay for a new high school if it is eventually found that such a school is needed and desired
 Felix Chillingworth spoke in favor of the $500 000 issue and Henry c. Newton proposed that $300,0O0 necessary to pay the present obligations of the district be raised by tax instead of by the is suance of bonds. Professor Chandler spoke in favor of Judge Pickett's amendment, as did also Attorney Fow- Ter and Walter Allen, although the lat ter was in favor of building new high school.
 The question was then called for and Chairman Wolf proceeded to put the original resolution. There was then a protest on the ground that Judge Pick ett's amendment should be first voted upon. The chair ruled that the previ- ous resolution should be first voted up- on, and his decision was appealed from. A vote was taken and the chair was sustained by vote of 65 to 27. Judge Baldwin then offered the following amendment to the resolution: Pro vided, further, that the board of edu- cation be instructed to cooperate in any movement by the city for the con- solidation of the city, town and school districts and in case a consolidation charter is granted, to endeavor to have inserted therein authority to the city to to its issue bonds for the purpose above named, instead of the school district bonds above described" This amend ment was accepted by MT. Hooker, the mover of the motion and was incorpO- rated in the resolution. A vote was then taken on the original resolution, with the incorporated clause, and re- suited in it's adoption by vote of 69 to 51.
 The following resolutions were next offered and adopted:
 Voted, That when authority to issue said bonds is obtained from the legislature, the board of education be and is hereby au- thorized to issue bonds to amount not to exceed $500, GOO, for the purpose of pay ing the existing indebtedness and to com plete work already contracted for, as set forth in the financial statement submitted by the board of education to this meeting
 Whereas. The New Haven city school dis trict has already incurred a large debt for the purchase of land and the erection of grammar school buildings, and it will be necessary in the next few years to expend a large amount of money for the same pur- poSe in order to provide for the iOcPp6 sing