The age-herald., 1900-10-12
NEW BUILDINGS
 FOR THE SCHOOLS Commercial Club Has Prolonged
 Discussion AS TO THE MONEY REQUIRED Committee of Five Appointed to Confer With the Board of Education and the City Counoil-Much Diff
 ference of Opinion
AS TO THE MONEY REQUIRED

fund, or small they De cHdESeu lo lhC ASSSiiN appropriation of $50000 for school pur- poses?
 This question was before the Commercial Club at special meeting held at o'clock yesterday afternoon A large number of representative citizens of Birmingham | were present, and nearly all of them par 1 ticipated in the discussion precipitated by | the introduction of a resolution by General l Rufus N. Rhodes requesting that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Board of | Education expend the entire appropriation l of s5OOOO in the erection of three commo- | dious and substantial school buildings, and that the cost of sites and furniture be paid l for out of other funds. Those who advo- | cated the adoption of the resolution and | those who opposed it were about evenly | divided, with the result that resolution was finally adopted directing the president | of the club to appoint a committee of i've | to confer with the two boards with re- | ference to the question under considera- ton. This was a compromise measure which took the place of the original reso- lution and a number of amendments and substitutes.
 About a year and a half ago the Board | of Education directed Superintendent Phil | lips of the city schools to look into the question of additional school facilities, the schools at that time being in a greatly | crowded condition, and to submit some | recommendations based on the results of | his Investigation
 1 This resulted in a petition from the l Board of Education to the Board of Mayor | and Aldermen for an appropriation suf- flcient to erect three additional school buildings. The petition, after taking the
 usual course of such petitions, was grant | ed, and few months ago the Board of Education called upon the architects to submit plans and estimates for the three buildings thus provided for.
 At the meeting of the Board of Education last Monday night six architects were present with their plans and estimates. The lowest estimates presented to the | board called for the expenditure of about | $45, ,00O and the others ranged from that sum to $5OOOO The board after consider 1 ing all the bids declined to accept any one of them and requested the architects to make new plans not to exceed $35,0OO for the three buildings, one at Jonesville to cost $l5000 one near Lakeview to cost $l0- GOO and one in Twelfth street to cost $l0- 900. The remaining $15,O0O of the appropria- | ton was to be expended purchasing sites and school furniture
 Henry B. Gray had donated site for the Jonesville school, and the city had secured free sites from the Birmingham Realty Company in consideration of the payment of an old judgment that has been hanging over the city for the past several years. The judgment, which was for the refunding of taxes pad amounted to over 5000. The price fixed on the two sites was $7S00. The Mayor and the Realty Company agreed up- on compromise by which the city was to pay the latter company $S000, the judgment to be satisfied and the company to donate two sites to the city for school purposes.
 It seems that $SOO0 was charged to the s5OO0O appropriation. This reduced the fund
 available for building purposes to $i2,oOo
 The Board of Education further reduced
 this amount $7OOO, which amount was to be expended for furniture.
 In calling the club to order yesterday aft ernoon, President Kettig stated that he had been requested by number of members to call the club together for the purpose of
 considering the action of the Board of Ed
 ucation in limiting the cost of the three
 buildings to $S5,ooO. He said great many
 people were not satisfied with this action,
 and wanted to give expression to their
 views.
 General Rhodes Resolution
 Gen. Rufus N. Rhodes introduced the fol- lowing resolution:
 ''Whereas 1t is our belief that no invest
 ment of the public funds brings to all our people such direct and immediate returns,
 and so directly affects the welfare of our
 city as that of money expended In the sub stantial improvement and extension Of our
 public school facilities, and,
 "Whereas, we believe that only first-class modern structures should be erected by the city for school purposes, be 1t resolved
 .1 That it is the sense of the Commercial Club that 1t would be unwise to reduce the amount to be expended on the school build ings contemplated, from the original ap-
 propriation of $50.000 to $S5,0O0, for the req son that suitable structures cannot be erect ed for that sum-
 ''2 That this club recommends to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Board of Education the expenditure of the sum of $5O,0OO, in the erection of the three school buildings contemplated, exclusive of
 the cost of sites and school furniture.
 ''3. That committee of three be appoint ed by the chair to present these resolutions
 to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at its next regular meeting"
 President UIiman's Statement
 President Samuel Ullman of the Board of
 Education addressed the club, saying that
 the meeting was not movement of the
 board and that he was not speat ng for
 the board He said:
 "I think the people of Birmingham ought
 to have a better understanding of the con
 ditions. Some eighteen months ago Super
 intendent Phillips was instructed by the
 Board of Education to look out for inn
 provements for the schools and to make
 recommendations for enlarging the facill- ties. Subsequently he recommended that
 one additional school be provided for on
 the Northside and two on the Southside.
 A petition to that effect was presented to
 the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the
 schools authorized. MT. Gray offered to
 donate site for the Northside school, and
 MT. Mcdonald of the Birmingham Realty
 t,f