The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-01
new SCHOOLS NEEDED.
Jersey City Would Have
Had to Provide 253 Class
Rooms to Comply With
the Benny Bill.
MR.. SNYDER MAKES CALCULATIONS
Ahead Of the State and Even the
Country With Our scientifically
Constructed Buildings.

AS a natural sequence to all the ak
about the Benny school bill, OF which 50
much has been heard lately, comes the
question; What would the Benny bill
compel Jersey City to do in the way OF
school Accommodations" The bill pro-
vides that Is per cent. OF the school popu-
lation, as reckoned in the school census,
of cities shall be provided with school
accommodations. The manner of esti-
mating the number of schools needed Is
also set forth in the bill. The principals
of every school in a city. private and
parochlal, are required to send to the City
Clerk the number of the pupils attending
the schools. This number is subtracted
from the school population as shown by
the census. and the remainder is the num-
Der for whom schools must be provided.
The bill further says hat the new build
infs must be ready in one year after the
calculation is made and that each child
be given 200 cubic feet of air space.
A News reporter saw Superintendent
Snyder yesterday and asked him what the
Benny bill would compel Jersey city TO
provide. Mr.. Snyder said he had not yet
made the calculation and had not all the
figures for 1897, SO he would have to base
his calculation on the figures for 1895
These figures, though approximately COR
rect, Mr.. Snyder thinks, leave a larger
population to be provided for than the
official figures would leave, because they
do not include all the schools of the city.
The school census for 1895 was oI,l23. OF
THESE 1884 were reported as attending
parochial and private schools. The bill
requires that this number be subtracted
from the total school census. we mus
get SC. 529. Seventy-hve per cent; OF that
would give 1885 to be proyided Win
school accommodations. Jersey City pro-
vides for &c, $50. leaving 1851 without ac-
commodations. This is at the present
day. Next September six new SCHOOLS,
No. 10, Manning and Johnston avenues
extension on No. 20, G~reenville; NO Il,
Duncan avenue; No. is, Storms avenue,
No. rs. Palisade avenue. and No. q, Boule-
ward and Graham street, will be COM
pleted and they will accommodate IN their
tifty-fve class rooms 5000 pupils, leaving
Il. 1887 still to be provided for accordi1g 20
the Benny bill, or about 25S new class
rooms. Nj. Snyder thinks the number OF
new class rooms made necessary by the
bill would be less than that if computed
by the official figures. The above hgures,
it must be remembered. are based on the
supposiIion that the approximate Agrres
of 1886 are correct
Mr.. Snyder said:-"If there is any crlti-
cism to be made on the Benny bill Ii IS
that it requires too many acconmoda-
tons. 1t may be a fair proportion IN
other cities. but / doubt 1t IN THIS. Inc
school age is five to eighteen, and in TINS
city there are muititudes of boys ana
girls between fourteen and eighteen who
do not attend school. The object of the
bill is a good one, and there should pc
some such law. IT is a good bill, because
it aims at removing obstacles to a com
mon school education that exists in many
cities of the State. -
There is another section of the Benny
bill Which is commonly overlooked. y
requires the new schools to proVlde w
cubic feet of air for each child The pill
is not by any means -extravagant on tins
point. All the authorities recomrnend
more than 200 cubic feet and nearly all
Jersey City new schools provide from
35 to 222 cubic feet.
Jersey City has always been frank and
honest in recognizing and supplying her
wants. She is certainly doing noosy IN
her efforts to catch UP. There Is no city
in the ~State-there is no city in the coun-
try-which has taken upon itself such an
enormous burden as this city mas in Is
suing bonds for school urpos Tor the
sake Of providing children with. school
accommodations. And, which is OF special
Importance. there is no city in the coun-
try which will next September have so
large a proportion. OF hrst-class buildings
Scientifically constructed. And that IS
truei 1t isn't ibuncombe. And while IT is
too common to deplore our conditlon;
every citizen of Jersey City must feel
prolid when he considers the great efforts
which the city is making in the line OF
educatiOn.'