Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-02-02
WHAT
WILL IT
COST?
AgitatOr Wants 10 KhO"
About the New High
School

,orldr y brill new school house WIN
ont terrific roar from some over
brrdeped tax.dodger. It couldn't dis
rl,cs those two ornaments which now
occupy the high and lofty edueationai
position of the Central schools WIN
out q little calamity howl. 1t would not
do TO make little progress in our city
without the public knowing that some
bodv had a pain. and was actually sur
feripg from enlargement Of the purse
Al the same time we want the new
building. we need the new building ana
overvbodv comedies the necessity and
inheritance Of this move. However, IT
should come with r,ason and good
sense. There should be no misunder-
standing between the people and the
school board. 4 committee Of the board
has been appointed 10 erect new
building. II has employed an architect
and thte committee has never met since.
Some miscellaneous plans have been
submitted 10 the board, which the news
papers say are so and so. No action
has been taken by the board, neither
does any member of the board seem to
have displayed any definite ideas about
what is wanted. Or what it shall cost.
Is there not a little danger that the
board will BY this process get some
thing it does not want. which will be a
80 eat in a bag propositioni It is easy
enough for an architect TO make pic
lures, and submit them, and say "this
will cost $4,000, " and "that will cost
so much. But how does the public !
know what it will cost In the ancient S
history Of Marion county might be
found some interesting data on the
building of court houses. If the mod
ern generation is reliably informed, the
people" were to have a $4,000 court
house, but when it was finished it cost
something like sl25,OOO.
Everybody can remember how S4O,-
600 city hall was built a few years ago,
and how it eventually cost a cool $780,
900, Can it be that an architect works
on a commission, and finds it to his in
terest to have a building increase in
cost to the highest possible figure, in
order to swell his emouments, or is
such a person employed on rational
theories the same as any other job is
lett
At a meeting OF the board few ev.
eniugs ago, it seems that not one men,
ber raised the question, and none of |
that body knew anything about what
their architect was going to cost, and |
it suggests itself that possibly he ism t |
there wholly for his health.
Let the school board or the building
committee wake up to the fact that
they are representatives Of the people
Of this district, and that they should
discharge that responsibility without
fear or favor. II they are going to
build a $4,000 school house, all we'll
and good, or if it is to be 10000
school house no fault will be found. But
the figures should not be juggled with.
The people have a right to know in ad.
vance Just what it will cost, and. while
they have given the school board carte
blanche, 20 do as they please in this
matter they stiu have a right to know
how much Of their money is going "a
be blown In for IL. AGITATOR
The Journal wishes il understood
that It is in favor OF good hipb
school building Il has agitated this
from the start, but il is Of the opinion
that the public has right to kpow
just what il is going to get for its mon.
ey, 10 may be thankless task for the
school board 90 be obliged 10 devote the
necessary time 20 such am undertakirs
but the members have taken An oatb :,
ITO this. and tuey viii DO doubt carry
out Their duties ia this re,pee,-Fi.