The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-20

the district and district meetings. AS
 by the new city charter these reports
 are no longer to be made to the dis
 trict and district meetings, MT. Asher
 takes occasion to compare the schools
 of the year 1S56-7 and 1S96-7 as follows 1856 1897
 School Census; ,r.... e,11G 21,195 Number of School RoomS.e 31 329
 Number of Teachers. .... 49 300 Average Number of Pu-
 pills Registered. ....... 2,41S 13,673
 From District Tax. ... .S22,297 s 2ls,952
 From the State. .........$ 795l $ 49, 167
 From the Town Deposit Tund. :.: ,...:....,....S l36S ,660
 Value of Schoolhouses. .$S9,700 $1 392, ,2SS
 Forty years ago instruction in Latin
 and Greek, in German and French, in
 music, in drawing, in sewing, in cook
 ing, in science and in joiner work was
 unknown. We had no high schools either as preparatory for college or the scientific school; no kindergarten and
 no evening schools. The introduction of pianos and typewriters, organs and free books was of later day The only ventilation of school rooms was fur nished by opening doors or windows School buildings were imperfectly heated, and any deficiency in caloric was often supplemented by free use of birch.
 Tn the improvements in these respects and in many more the district can see a reason why the cost of our schools has so largely increased and why we are now burdened with a heavy bond ed indebtedness. It should be borne in mlnd, however, that considera ble part of this relative increase is owing to the increase of our population, large ly by emigration, but without a corre- spending increase in income By ref erence to the financial statement in the present report it will be seen that a very large part of our bonded indebt- edness has been incurred for the erec- tion or improvement of school build ings.
 The receipts for the past year from all sources were $s0S, 3536S The total ordinary expenditures amounted to $399 22S.76, divided as follows: Salaries. s296, .96; rent, $3697.17: books and supplies. s36, 6,4s136 miscellaneous, S14,- 041.26; repairs, s14,42O,34; interest, s34,- OS6 73.
 The expenses of permanent improve ments were $71,72S.64 for school build tngs and sites, and s1,429.67 for addi- tions and improvements.
 Temporary loans paid amounted to s323, ,S63 59.
 The total expenditures were s79e, ,250.- 66, leaving balance of receipts above expenditures, of $12,1O3.O2.
 The present indebtedness of the dis trict is as follows:
 District Bonds. s...........s $500, GOO co Floating indebtedness, in the form of temporary loans. 442,011 6s Boardman Fund. .... .......... 24O64 unpaid Bills (estimated). ....... 1000 %
 Total Liabilities. .$949 252 32
 The available assets are: Cash on hand. d................S 12 1O3 O2 Back Taxes due and collectable)
 estimated. .............. 25UOO.OO Uncollected Taxes on List 1896,
 due September 1, 1897. ....... 317 ,609 IA
 Total Available Assets. ...... .S354, TIP. 16
 The assessed valuation of all the real and and personal property of the dis .rict on the list of 1896 was s57,8S3, 452 1 ate owned by the district (estimated tt it's original cost) is $1, 392, ,2Ss69.
 Superintendent Kendalls report shows that there were 3,774 children of school age not attending school, a de- rease of forty-seven over the preceding year The total number attending school was 17,421, an increase of 733 ,ver the preceding year. The total lumber of school children in the dis rict is 21,195. Number of teachers employed by the
 District for day schools. .......... 300 | increase over preceding year. ....... 16 lumber of teachers employed in night
 schools ........ .......... ....... A | increase over preceding year.. II | Number of school rooms occupied. 329 |
 Increase over preceding year. .... r i, so oi nNe, nrcccdinG roo
 The evening schools had an enroll | nent of 1,74s and an average attend nee of GOA. The cost of maintaining he night schools was $6,802S3
 Among the needs of the schools the | uperintendent mentions:
 First-A reduction of the number of | upils to forty or forty-two in a room r that number to a teacher
 Second-Printed and detailed courses f instruction in geography, history, and drawing.
 Third-Systematic hand-work. espe- ially for the boys, in the elementary laSseS.
 Fourth-The decoration of the school Ooms and buildings with pictures.
 Fifth-The equipment of each of the chools with a library of well selected ooks for supplementing the regular -ork and for home use
 Sixth-The equipment of the schools -ith pictures. lantern slides, etc, illus rative of the work in geography. Seventh-The formation in the chools of parents cooperative socie- es, by means of which parents and eachers are brought together for the iscussion of their common interest," le work of the children in the schools. The superintendent reports that in le Hillhouse high school the work of { le year was carried on within the ame lines as in former years and with lcreased efficiency in its various de-  A change was made in the method of I