The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-24
ADMISSION PUBLIC
SCHOOL CROWDED
Several Applicants Are Refused
Admission
D. R. MURPHY TALKS
Admission Will Make an Effort to Sc
cure Headquarters of Selma Divis-
ion of Southern Railway.
Offers Advantages.

Admission, January 3-(Special 1.-THE
first. second and third grades of the city
public schools are crowded beyond their
utmost capacity. and since January / it
has been necessary to exclude twenty
seven applicants for admission to the
first grade at the Wilmer Avenue school.
twelve at the Pine Avenue school and
seven or eight. to the third grade at the
Leighton Avenue school. If the state legis-
lature were to pass a compulsory educa-
ton bill, which is not by any means i'm
probable, 1t would aggravate this situa-
ton exceedingly, swelling the attendance
in the lower grades, from the first to
the fifth, by about % per cent" This is
the statement made by d. R. Murphy
superintendent of public schools in An
niston.
Referring to the means of relieving this
situation, Mr. Murphy continued I'VE
will receive $500 from the state this year.
This will enable us to increase our teach
ing force sufficiently to meet re-
quirements for the coming year, but l
do not see how we are going to increase
the seating capacity of our schools I'M
less Mayor Kilby succeeds in securing
the passage through the legislature of
the second class to increase their ad
valorem tax to 1 per cent.
1.-THE passage of this bill would help
us some, and we might be benefited by
the establishment of a dispensary
II am of the opinion that the legisla-
ture of Alabama should increase its pro-
visions for the public schools The law
makers have not shown us a square deal
and casual glance at statistics show
the appropriations of Alabama for pub
lie schools is a great deal smaller than
provisions made by neighboring states"
There are now twenty-eight teachers
employed in the six public schools of the
city, as follows: Wilmer Avenue, 4:
Leighton Avenue, s.; Pine Avenue, 5:
Fifth Ward, B. Seventeenth Street, (co1-
ored), s; South Admission, (colored), ..
Division Headquarters.
Discussing railroad matters today. a
prominent business man said that there
was every reason why Admission should
be made headquarters of the Selma d.
vision of the Southern railroad: that
there could be no reason for establish
ing the headquarters at Wilton, a mere
way station on the line, without any of
the advantages afforded here.
| The division extends from Selma to
Rome. distance of 1872 miles. Wilton Is
only 80 miles from Selma and 159 miles
| from Rome Wilton is at neither the one
| end OF the division or the other nor
| anyweher near the center.
Admission is favorably situated. being
| near the center of the line and prepared
to offer better advantages than any place
! else on the line. for the successful con-
duct OF the business of the road. Be
sides this. Admission is the best patron
! of the Southern road anywhere in the
division, both in passenger and freight
traffic, and the city deserves this con-
cession on the part of the road
| Another argument why Admission should
be made the division point Is that It
is the starting point for freight trains
running to both Rome and Selma and
back to this city. 1t is also the inter-
secting point for the great through traf-
fc between the east and west. In fact,
for the latter reason alone, Aniston should
be made the division headquarters for
| both the Rome and Selma and the Bir-
mingham and Atlanta divisions
! The gentleman went on to say that the
business men of this city should get to-
gether at once and make an appeal to
the railroad for the transfer OF the SUI
perintendent's office to this city.