Waterbury Democrat., 1902-11-21

schools. Superintendent O'Brien of the
bureau of water, and the members of
the board of assessors, Aessrs Globes
sey, Burns and Beecher.
The assessors stated that their foot
mgs have not yet been verified and on
this account they were not able to give
the exact amount of the total of the
grand list. They left with the under
standing that all this information will
be available within a week.
superintendent Tinker explained the
needs of the schools in a thorough
manner and stated that while the sum
total of the items asked for might APP
pear large they had been figured pref
ty close and he knew of nothing that
could be cut without running great
risk of hampering the school board.
He figured upon employing eleven new
teachers at tire opening of the fall
term in next year.
Commissioner Lord thought eleven
new teachers an unusually large num-
Der of new ones to come in the same
year and wanted to know how the SUI
perintendent accounted for it. Mr.
Tinker said it was not above the nor
NAL increase, although it was more
than were required last fall or the
year before This, he said, was due
to the fact that the additions to Father
Slocum's parochial school and the one
opened in the north end and in Brook
lyn took several hundred children out
of the public schools and, therefore,
teachers who otherwise would have
been employed We're not needed.
Mr. Goss inquired which part of the
city showed the largest increase in
school attendance. Mr. Tinker said
it would be hard to tell. He found
the little ones springing up every
where and noticed a marvellous in
crease in school children right in the
center. Clay street, he said, is given
over almost entirely to the pupils of
Italian and Jewish parentage, and the
same might be said of a portion of the
Elm street building. The superin-
tendent made a strong plea for enough
money to purchase all the supplies and
made a very clever argument in sup
port of the position taken on this mat
ter by the school board. A few hum
dred dollars in addition to what the
city has been appropriating for this
purpose would furnish everything and
it would be money saved to the tax
PAYERS. because the board can pur-
chase more school suppliessfor about
$500 than the children can get for
three times that amount. s~s
Mr. Tinker was liberal in praise of
the condition of the school property
and said that he considered it no boast
to say that the schools never We're in
as good condition as they are at the
present time. He said Inspector Smith
was a tireless worker ana that no
doubt this was the reason the board
was anxious to give him a small in
crease in salary.
superintendent O'Brien explained
the needs of the water department and
gave an itemized statement of what
the board intended to do with the
amounts asked for over and above
what the department had last year.
Meters for the burned district will cost
about $500, some gates are needed,
and all the old cement pipes dug up
and replaced by iron ones. Commits
sioner Goss asked the superintendent
different questions relative to meters
and other matters pertaining to water
and appeared much pleased at the an
swers received. While they were dis
cussing the relative merits of meters
the reporters thought they would not
stop without saying something about
punching them, but neither limited at
such thing.
After the heads of the departments
retired and the board found them
alone in their glory, they settled down
to business and tackled the fixed items.
such as interest and other things that
cannot be changed. When they got
through with them school estimates
were considered. Mr. Lord didn't like
the idea of the increases and moved
that the item, Regular Increases . be
reduced from $1,000 to $780, There
was considerable discussion on this
matter during which the mayor said
that he was not in full accord with
the system in vogue on the school
board regarding increases. Increases.
he said, should be given on the merits
of the teachers and not per schedule
He admitted that there was another
side to it. The plan in use now pre-
vents teacher from getting an in
crease through a political pull. In the
past a teacher could be advanced
through a political pull, but now she
has to take her turn. but the trouble is
that she gets the increase whether she
is entitled to it or not
Mr. GOss said the system was all
right provided the necessary care was
exSBcised in the selection of teachers.
DuL WnoCner that was ALWAYS done or
not was another matter The motion
was carried. This reduced the payroll
item as recommended to S131, 800. The
$4,000 asked for officers salaries. an in
crease of $500, was approved. While
this was on the mayor remarked that
If the salary of the truant officer should
be increased he thought he should
work the year round He could be
pressed into service during vacation as
an assistant to the school inspector.
Mr. Goss thought favorably Of this. but
looked at it as something for the school
board to pass upon
The increase asked for to complete
the furnishing of school supplies was
opposed by Commissioner McEyoy. He
thought the children would take better
care Of paper If they had to pay for it
themselves than they would if they re-
ceiyed it for nothing. The mayor did.
not agree with the commissioner and
wanted to know why it would not be
well to furnish all supplies or none at
all. He didn't see the sense in supply
ing about two of them and stopping
there. Mr. Lord took the mayors view
Of the situation and believed that there
was no more opportunity for waste in