The herald., 1897-08-31
IS POSTPONED
Schools Will Not Open Till
September n
A VERY INTERESTING DEBATE
AT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
LAST NIGHT
Financial, Climatic and Other Fac
tors Argued-other Matters
of Minor Importance

preseut, with the exception OF Freslueh'
Mstbis in whose absence Director Con-
rev occupied the chair. With the eA-
cant,on of one or two momentary diver
s;ons the proceedings were serene and
orderly even to the point OF guinness
The meeting was held for the specihc
purnose of deciding the question as to
when the schools shall be reopened.
After report from the committee on
,an;tors which recommended havinS 3
those worthies in their respective pulld-
ings two weeks before the schools com
mence. was accepted by vote and the
motion that had been tabled at the las
meeting was voted into the arena aiD'
the real work of the evening commenceu
The motion in question was that the
opening of the schools be postponed un ia
Sentember 9th, and Mr. Braly set the
hall in motion by asking for reasons why
the onening should be postponed MI
webb oblgingly explained that the
schools never had been in session fcr ten
months here, and he didn't KNOW "h!
they should be now, especially as the
funds were depleted and every puslness
man on the streets was going out OF MS
way to express his opposition 10 suc''
procedure 1--WE are the servants OIL the
neople." continued Mr.. Webb, cllnchlhs
his teeth more firmly upon a pisce OF
gum. and assuming a particularly plous
expression land we ought to DO wna-
they want"
Mr.. Braly here rose to the occasion
and took a hand himself. Hesaid frank
ly and pointedly that he believed the
schools should open on the l3th' ana .ha'
everybody with whom he had talked on
the matter had concurred on that GATE
and he further remarked that when, II
the recent conference, the teachers sal
aries had been fixed upon it was cone IN
expectation of ten months session. ahd
that he considered, If the session were to
be shortened the teachers salaries
should be restored. Then Mr. Braly
launched further into the financial ques-
tion, saying that he had gone carefully
over the whole matter and that 1t was
his belief that there was plenty of money
IL iudiciously managed, for ten months
Of school with the salaries as hxed;
enough for all current expenses, besides
for necessary Improvements.
The chair at this juncture introduced
the subject of the climate, and Mr.. Braly
explained at some length the advantages
of the climate in this locality, the size
of the school rooms, in which there was
plenty of air; that the mercury rarely
rose above so degrees in them; that the
churches were opening now, and he saw
no good and sufficient reason why the
schools shouldn't.
Mr.. Webb interrupted the sonorous
flow of Mr.. Braly's periods by putting
the question as to whether he
was the gentleman who had
made a beautiful address before the
council few days ago in which he had
pleaded touchingly for more money for
the impoverished schools.
Before Mr.. Braly could reply Mr.. Poor
was seized with noble desire to enter
the oratorcal lists, and he maintained
that it was the business of the board of
education to regard and respect the
needs and the wishes of the poor people
as well as those of the rich. That the
children of the poorer classes were hap
pier, better and healthier in the cool
schoolrooms than OH the hot streets al
this season and that the children who
were on the streets should be considered
as we'll as those at the beaches. Another
point Mr. Poor covered was the fact that
be very difficult to get ali the school
work into the shorter year, and it was
the duty of the board to consider that
too before deciding.
Mr. Davis next swung in line, and as
eeverated that he had looked over Mr..
Braly's financial report and that he
could not agree with him in his conclu-
sions; in fact. Mr.. Bralys figures had
failed to convince him that they would
not be at the end of the school year in
default to the amount of $4,000 to $50 000
This was Mr. Braly's chance, and he
rose to his feet. but the chair sternly is
sued the edict that nobody could speak
twice to the same question unless by
agreement with the board. Mr.. Braly
having received that special dispensa-
ton, first answered Mr.. Webbs almost
forgotten question regarding the council
by saying he believed the schools should
have all the money the law allows, and
for that reason, and that the board
might have enough to build an extra
schoolhouse If necessary and be backed
to make additions and Improvements
wherever needed, he had asked the
council for all that belonged to the
schools-no more-and they had received
$4,000 short.
Before Mr.. Braly could proceed fur
-ther the suggestion was made that if
an informal expression of opinion on the
climatic reasons for postponing the
opening should result in an affirma tive
majority, the vexing, not to say fa-
tiguing financial problem could be
dropped. The chair promptly ordered
recess" The secretary called the roll,
and the result was five ayes and two
noes. Fortified by the informal majority
and after Mr.. McInerny. who had not
voted, had been enlightened on what he
was expected to vote upon, the meeting
reconvened, a vote was taken on the
main question and it was formally de-
cided that the opening of the Los An
geles city schools be postponed until
Monday, September 9th, as follows:
Ayes-Bartlett, Conrey, Davis. Ad-
ans, McInerny, Webb
Noes-Poor, Braly.
The chairman of the finance committee
was then called upon to make his report
and Mr.. Braly read the same report that
was made before the council last week
and published in full in the Thursday
morning Herald of last week At its
conclusion. and somewhat in the nature