The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-05
How it Affects Public
School Work.
Appropriations Refused and
City Pays Rent.
Pupils Dismissed Yesterday Because
the Rooms Were Cold.

Alder man Charles c. Nichols, in his
"offical capacity as member of the COM
mittee on finance" must have dreamed
that he almost found a quarter or some
thing else has happened to induce him TO
think that perhaps i'm another week or so
he will unite q knot in the city's purse
strings.
At the next meeting of the Common
Council week from next Monday night
he thinks he VIII allow the committee on
finance to recommend the appropriation
of certain sums of money for school work
that were asked for and needed good
while ago, but which have been withheld
for the sake of showing the taxpayers how
the reformers could hold on to the peoples
money even though the peoples children
were obliged TO run in the streets during
school hours or else try TO learn their les
sons in poorly ventilated and poorly
lighted stores aud halls.
The appropriations which have been
asked for and held back In spite of the
obvious necessity of them are as follows:
hree thousand dollars for Potter avenue
school; $1,000 fer CORTLAND street; 800
for Hendrick street; 1900 for Harrison
street; $500 for Greeley street.
POTTER AVENUE SCHOOL.
The new school building has teen left
in an unfinished condition for months be-
cause when the committee on city prop
erty asked for the $1,000 necessary TO COM
plete IL the committee on finance delayed
matters Finally they did recommend
the appropriation hut in such a bungling
way that their resolution was not worth
the time which Alderman Nichols spent in
considering 1t. IL provided for taking
the 5000 from fund already exhausted
and the Reformers learned that valuable
lesson which the children they are Keep
n
nothing nothing can come. Then
they thought again and perhaps they
drew a diagram to make it clear
to themselves for after several sessions
had passed another petition for that $4,000
was brought in and hung up with Alder
man Nichols. In the meantime the child
rem OF that district have been huddled
into three stores at the corner of Cranston
street ana Anthony avenue, where the
ventilation is frightful and the lighting
so poor that hall OF the children are in
darkness after o'clock in the afternoon.
And that isn't all-tha temporary
school is located on Cranston street where
trolley cars run at the rate of eight miles
an hour and only three minutes apart.
The pupils are of the lowest primary
grade and not much more than babies, so
1t is necessary to have special policemen
on duty there TO get them across the
street in safety morning, noon and night.
TIE city pays s75 a month rent for these
stores 10 their owner, Mrs. Isabella
Tweed, and that expense Is allowed to
economy of the bran of fiscal year 1896.
HARRISON STREET.
The Harrison street school is disci-
plinary chool with grammar and primary
departments and 1t is also an evening
scaool. 1t is useless now because the Re-
form government has refused to allow the
600 necessary to furnish IL. AS a result
H.. 49,. A
go anywhere and others are obliged to
walk two mile morning, noon and night
to attend the disciplinary school on
Amreica street. The evening school pu-
pills who should be Accommodated at Har-
rIson street have quarters in Lester Hall
at Az Knight street. This is owned by
the lester Estate Improvement Company
and the city pays for rent $50 month.
Ii has already paid $500 rent for this one
hall not to mention the S45 for the Gran
ston street stores, while good school prop
erty owned by the people is unused.
HENDRIcK STREET.
Seven hundred dollars is needed for the
Hendrfck street school house, but il
hasn't been allowed yet. Repairs there
are very necessary, and at present the
school room in the Hendrick street build
ing are not fit for occupancy by the child
rem except on the warmest days. yester-
day rooms and were dismissed in the
middle of the forenoon because the temp
erature was only go degrees, and i'm rooms
one and four the children tried to keep
comfortable with the mercury at 65.
But thel they are becoming accustomed
to it for 1t has been that way ell winter.
ooURTLAND AND GREELEY STREETS.
The slowness Of the Council has not
done so much harm at the school house
on Greeley and Courtland streets for there
the pupils are warm enough ana have
room enough, but for the books of the
public property The appropr ations of
$1,000 and $1,000 are quite essential. The
grounds need grading and the fences can
not be built until the money is provided.
A memb ber OF the school committee says
that this is .aD entirely new state OF
affairs and that the present City Council
Is the first 10 place itself on record as in
tefering with the work OF the public
schools.
And incidentally a large number of in
terested citizens are wondering what has
become of the Hope street high school
and the Broad street grammar school.