, 1901-09-04

TO NUMBER OF NEW PUPILS IN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS LARGER
THAN EVER BEFORE.
One Room In the Primary Department
Has Sixty-one Pupils Who Go for
the First Time and Congestion Felt
In All the Grades-Board Will Con-
slider the Matter at a Special
Session.

Superintendent F. w. Lee of the
public schools furnished a terrible
blow for the knockers" this morning
when he gave out the statement that
the population was larger now than
before the Knockers predicted all
sorts of dire disaster by reason of the
closing of the Union Pacific shops here.
From figures he furnished, it is shown
that the population is much greater
at this time than when the schools be,
gan a year ago..
1t was shown by the statistics in the
superintendent office that the number
Of children entering school for the first
time in n room at the East Side
school, that of Mrs. Whiting is 80 per
cent higher than at any time in the his.
tory of the school. Heretofore the
high water mark in that grade was AZ.
This year the mark is 81, one-third
higher.
The crowded condition of Mrs. Whit.
ing's room is but a reflex Of the other
rooms in that school, and the West
Side school is but little behind the 9TH
er. The board is face to face with the
certainty Of having to employ one to
three more teachers and providing
room for several score more pupils.
The board has the matter in nd to-
day, and can be depended upon to
s%traighten out the tangle.
When the school closed last summer
Prof. Lee informed the board that he
believed, with the decrease in popula-
tion that he and others felt sure must
come, from the amount of talk of dam
age to the city that would result from
the closing of the shops, the Swedish
Mission church at the corner Of Sew
enth and Garfield, which had been
used for school purposes, could be dis
pensed with. and that the increase in
the attendance this year would be so
small, If any. hat the pupils could be
cared for in the East Side building.
That this theory would not hold he
felt reasonably sure Monday, although
the schools were in session but a short
time, on account of a holiday, knowing
that some children would remain away
on that count and start in when the
schools began in earnest on Tuesday.
That his surmises were correct was
shown on Tuesday, when every room
in the building felt the congestion,
though none in the marked degree ex-
p%erienced in the primary department.
Preparations had been making all dur
ing vacation to care for the increase.
or what the teachers and members of
the board considered a natural in
crease, but the great number of addi-
tons to the rolls in all the grades I'D
set their plans. and 1t could have been
seen by a blind man that many more
children had come than could conven-
iently be provided for.
Mr.. Lee laid the matter before the
board Of trustees this morning, and the
members set about at once to make
provision for the excess.
ut is quite gratifying to the mem.
bers Of the board" said one of them at
noon, "but %aggravating withal, as we
must lose no time in getting o
room. The children will be provided
for and the congestion of the rooms in
the East Side school will be relieved
as soon as II plans begin to work"
It is understood that the board will
recommend to the electors at the ear.
Hest possible moment the necessity of
more school buildings, and 1t is not
unlikely that a four-room building or
larger will be erected on lots owned
by the district in the northeastern sec
ton of the city, from whence comes
much Of the pressure being felt at this
time.