The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-05-12
New Schoel IIense Needed.

The mass meeting advertised last
week, to be held in the State Street
school house, was fairly well attended,
especially by the chill" residents. The
meeting was called by the school board
for the purpose of getting expressions of
school patrons in regard to providing for
the rapidly increasing school children.
The schools are now unable to care for
the children, and unless more room is
provided, large number of pupils will
be unable to attend school at the be-
ginning of the fall term.
w. j. Baker, president of the school
board, called the meeting to order, DR..
Dumble secretary. Mr.. Baker stated
that the board would be compelled to
provide for additional school facilities
before the beginning of the fall term,
and wished to get expressions from the
citizens as to what was desired, and the
board would act accordingly. 1t would
require thirty days notice to vote on
the bonds necessary to be raised to meet
the expense, and something must be
done at once. He stated that the school
census in 1902 was 450, requiring six
teachers In 1908 the number was 563,
with nine teachers, and the 1904 census
would show about 700 pupils Of school
age, requiring twelve teachers to prop
erly care for the, pupils. This would
require at least three more teachers and
three more school rooms, Whether the
board were to provide room only for Inn
mediate needs, or anticipate future me-
cessities, would be left to the citizens to
decide. Also as to the site for the new
rooms. The hill district wanted school
located in that neighberhood, but land
would have to be purchased, while If adj
ditional room was built on the grounds
now occupied, it would save expense.
E. L. Smith spoke in favor of pro-
viding new school house on the hill,
large enough to provide what would
probably be the requirements for NUM-
ber of years, which met with the APP
proval of the hill citizens present, and
met with no opposition.
A. S. Blowers, speaking for the board,
stated that the location Of site ON the
hill would depend upon whether land
could be purchased at a reasonable price,
or whether some public-spirited citizen
was willing to donate ground, or at least
sell it at a low price, in which case a
much better building could be built. In
case suitable location could not be OBJ
tanned at reasonable figure the board
might be compelled to build on the State
street grounds, which were large enough
to accomodate another addition to the
present building. This brought the re-
tort from o. l.. Stranahan that he did
not know OF the people under the hill
evergiving anything for school purposes,
whereup0n Mr.. Blowers reminded him
that the State street grounds had been
donated.
To get the matter properly before the
meeting, ID. Mcdonald moved that the
board be instructed TO select site on
the hill suitable to the erection OF a
4-room school building. This motion
carried without objection, after short
remarks by H. NJ. Abbott, T., II. Brad.
ley, and others.
DR.. Dumble stated that in his rides
through the country, he often met small
children wading through the mud OF
snow, going two miles to school, climb.
ing down the bluff and back again on
their way home. He thought several
children were kept out Of school by theil