The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-07

"A proprations to the Alabama Boys \ Industrial school with the three preceding appropriations shows interest ing figures.
 The first appropriation of three thou sand was for buildings and maintenance. The second appropriation ran up 10 flf- teen thousand. five thousand of which was used for buildings and the remaining ten thousand for maintenance for two years. thus tiding over the affairs of the school until the next meeting of the legislature.
 The third appropriation gave ten thou sand for buildings and eight thousand for maintenance. The fourth and last appro- priation gives fifty thousand for building, equipping and repairing, with possibly twenty thousand annually for mainten- ance. As a per capita appropriation has been established the entire twenty thou sand for maintenance will not be availa- ble until there are two hundred boys in the institution. Governor Conner, how ever, recommended an additional thirty five hundred to the one hundred per cap ita for the present year.
 These figures. showing such decided lSANN'iNoN than words.
 Back of them are years of work, Of struggle, of Encouragement of achieve ment. It has taken time to secure the present appropriations. The work of the school had to show why increased ap- propriations were wanted. The little log cabin university" has needed these years to develop into an institution of such economic usefulness to the state that it realizes how appropriations for it's main tenance and equipment are the best ln- Vestments to be made.
 An institution that grows from three thousand appropriation to possibly seV- enty thousand has certainly some eco homie reason for existing. And for 1t to have existed with inadequate appropria- lions shows careful management indi- cates that care and discretion will be eX- ercsed in the use of the present appro- priations.
 The work of building and equipment will be done on economic basis Plans for the new building have been accepted and work will begin shortly. It is hoped that the building will be completed by December The new building will be large comfortable structure. Nothlhg but durability and capacity will be con sidered It will contain a dormtory, dining hall, baths, kitchen and other rooms.
 Repairs on present buildings will be made and the work of better equipment will be taken up at once. The shoe shop, where the work has so long been retard- ed for lack of modern equipment. will be provided with machine which will be or much financial advantage to the school. The boys in this branch of manufacture -IaA yT1.f1 ny H. pills. and the finished work, considering the limited equipment, has been most creditable.
 It is supposed to make the printing de- partment self-supporting. The boys have worked under the greatest difficulties, printing semi-monthly twelve page pe- riodical, and also getting out all the let tereheads, circulars and annual reports or theSschool. together with the club calen- dars of the Alabama Federation, all the work being done in the poorly equipped printing shop of the school.
 The experience gained In the printing department is considered of exceptional educational advantage and when the off, flee is properly equipped the Work Will add to the school revenues.
 The laundry is also In need Of better equipment, and as this department can he made to run without the expense or outside labor. the board considers it most important and practical to curtail here also by utilizing the labor of the school and providing time-saving equipment. The management wishes to facilitate the work in every way practical.
 Besides the new building, repairs and equipment, 1t will be necessary to build a purif1cation plant. as the county sewer is four miles from the school. City En- gineer Julian KendriclI has recommended the building of this plant which will be similar, but much smaller than the one below Bessemer.
 The income of the school has been so generously increased that work can now go forward with less embarrassment, trades be better equipped and the farm be brought up to greater efficiency.
 The Boys' Industrial school threw open a door to a small log cabin in a corn field That was the beginning. There were five small recruits from the police court They got into blue overalls and went to work on the farm. It would make a long story and it has often been told in these columns and elsewhere, how more little recruits came for shelter. made friends with those already working in blue overalls; how still others came with police records, poor little ragged children of the streets.
 It was a cabin university and from it fas grown the most ideal institution in the southern states. Trades are taught, boys are learning to be self supporting, to be useful: the very first opportunities of their lives have come to them through the Industrial school.
 In some of the arguments of MT Weak ley. the superintendent of the school, he says:
 "The Alabama Boys Industrial school is striving to do for the class of nnfor- tunates just what our great public school system is trying to do for the other pupils of the state, except we are giving ours home, trade, and pointing a way to a higher life. and we hope to turn out pupils just as capable, just as clean and just as moral as any school in the country.
 "The Alabama Boys Industrial school is an eleemosynary institution, purely ed tion in any form, where erring boys are confined and cruel punishment unjustly Jneted out to them. People conceive this idea because it is connected with the courts. Neither is it place of coniine-