The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-13
THE SCHOOL ENUMERATION.
City Proper Divided Into Twenty-Five
Districts-HaughviIl Canvassed.

Last Saturday morning the work of TAX
ing the enumeration of minors of the legal
school age those between six and twenty
one years, was begun under the supervision
of Charles L. Reynolds. The city proper
has been divided into twenty-five districts.
Haughville is in another and Mount jack
and West Indianapolis grouped in
a district TO themselves, making a total of
twenty-seven enumeration districts. each
of which is to be covered by one enumer-
ator. The enumerators receive 81 day for
their services, while the supervisor is paid
s. a day. The law requires the enumera-
ton TO be made within the twenty days
from April 10 to May /. Mr.. Reynolds said
last night that everything was favorable to
the satisfactory completion of the work
within the time fixed. So far the enumera-
tors have found but one or two hard cases
to deal with. There is a penalty for the
violation of the provision which requires
parents and guardians to give the names
of all children of the school age. A case
was found where the parents refused to
sign the return. An officer of the School
Board. armed with authority to make ar
rests, was sent to the house. When he ex-
planned his mission and the law under
which he acting the information was
given without further trouble.
Mr.. Reynolds has had the city blocked off
into districts in a uniform and convenient
way. The through east-and west streets,
Coburn, Washington. Michigan and Seventh
have been taken for the north and south
boundaries and the districts have been
made as nearly square as possible. They
have been divided into such convenient
form that that part of the work will proba-
bly, stand for future use This year a new
system is in vogue and when the enumera-
ton is completed Mr.. Reynolds will
| furnish the School Board with a skeleton
map of the entire city, showing the Gen.
minors of the school age in any given
| block. This will be valuable data for the
| School Board in locating school
houses. Mr.. Blackledge chairman of the
| finance committee under whose authority
| the enumeration is made. says that the
| board has found il rather difficult matter
| to locate new schools in such a. way as 10
reach the greatest number of pupils. as
there was no data at hand to show where
the most densely populated districts lay.
| Many times ii was necessary TO depend on
speculation and guesswork in locating
| schools.
| Haughville has been included in the emu.
| meration. although the annexation has not
| been completed. The board has proceeded
| on the theory that 1t would ultimately be-
| that part of town are being kept in a sep
arate district record. if the injunction suit
| against the city is decided in favor of Flack
| il will be an easy matter TO adjust the pei
| capita fund of the State. AS there was
! much likelihood that the suburb would ul-
| timately be declared part of the city IL was
| thought wise to proceed on the theory that
| that would be the result.
Last year the enumeratorS experienced a
| great deal of trouble in securing signatures
| from parents or guardians to the returns
| as some of them were afraid ii would
| involve tax questions. No trouble of that
| kind has been experienced so far this year
as people seem to understand better what
| is required of them 1t anticipated
| that the compulsory education law would
| have bad effect in getting returns. but
| il does not seem to be having any effect.
| Mr.. Reynolds said yesterday that the
enumeration had not progressed far enough
| to make any comparisons with that of las
year. Each evening the enumerators are
| required to go to his office in the basement
of the Library building and make sworr
returns of the days work. This is neces
| sary owing to the fact that the final report
| of the supervisor has to be made on the
| last day of the enumeration and the report:
| have TO be completed day by day. II /.
| said that the district enumerators selected
| this year are unusually intelligent in tha
line of work and that they are having ad
| mil able success.
Tie entire expense of taking the enumer
| alton will be about $1,000.