Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
INCREASING POPULATION TAKES
PRESENT FACILITIES
MANY SQUARE MILES WITHOUT
SCHOOL HOUSES
Citizens viii Have Opportunity t.
Vote in Favor of Providing
$25o,ooo for the Needed
Improvements


\ portance of voting the sum OF $ZOo'Vo
Cor the enlargement and betterment
the city school system when called upoI
to do so next month.
"Our needs are positively crying needs
In some of the congested sections of tn
city we are utilizing frame STRUCTURE
which l am half impelled to class as
disgrace. 1t is little better than putting
teachers and pupils in sweat-boxes, an
an indignity to both; for roof OF scan
Ting between the sun and the schoo
room is certainly no shelter from tn
heat.
"In many quarters children are actu
aily suffering under these conditions. -
John B. Monlux. deputy superintendent
city schools.
In the approaching school tax election
August S-the voters Of Los Angelo!
will have an opportunity to relieve mucI
distress among pupils of the pubic
schools, according to the statement o.
Deputy Superintendent MonluX, whose
department has worked incessantly fol
more than year to obtain funds for the
erection of new schools, by which to re-
lieve the congestion incidental to the
rapid growth of the city.
The sum of $250,O00 is asked, and al
though officials make 1t clear that this
money will go no further than to meet
the urgent demands of the immediate
present, quarter of million even Will
come as a Godsend to the promoters of
public education.
To Build New Schools
Speaking of present conditions and the
Intentions of the department toward
their Improvement Mr.. Monlux said:
with S250000 set aside for new school
rryill afrfn in
high standard system of public schools
which has always been the boast of the
city Seven or eight handsome new
schools can be built for that amount of
money, estimating that each of them will
cost about $50, ,000 But We need them
all, and possibly more.
"There are many citizens, no doubt, as
vet unfamiliar with the overflow system
to which we have been compelled to re-
sort AS an example, take the Fourteenth
street school. We have there now col
ony of six buildings, besides the main
building and as most of the buildings
are but temporary, they are perfect hot
houses, a discomfort, not to say an in
dignity to pupil and teacher alike.
1.-The buildings now used there should
be replaced by one. large modern school
house. The same condition prevails at
the San Pedro school. where there are
five separate structures, and at Mt. YER
non school, where there are six.
when the Fifty-second street building
with eleven rooms was put up last De-
cember it was believed that it would
furnish ample room for that district, bu
already there are three substructures, 81
papid has been the increase in attend
ance.
There are actually five square miles o.
territory in the southeast and southwes
portions of town practically unprovidec
for. In the northeast quarter there is q
large area in the same predicament. Five
rooms were added to the Cornwell street
school last year, but since then three
outside buildings have been utilized tc
accommodate the overflow.
Average Attendance High
1.-THE daily average attendance in our
schools last year was SO341, and it re-
quires a good many buildings to house
that number of Students
Asked as to the probable location of
the new schools should the money be
forthcoming, Mr.. Monlux said the de-
partment had given close study to the
needs of all districts, aud while no site
has been definitely decided upon, there
are many that are both desirable and OBJ
tainable. He added that it is the desire
of the department to begin construction
work Immediately after funds become
available.
comparative statement of the school
census by counties for the years 1906 and
1907, recently issued by the state super
iEtendent shows that Los Angeles coun-
ty, with a gain of 63N in one year, is
making more rapid strides than any coun-
ty in the state
1t cannot rightfuly be said that Ala
media county's showing of 1881 increase
Eupersedes the record of Los Angeles, as
w in Go
cisco's loss following the exodus across
the bay after the fire.
San Francisco Shows Loss
Speaking of San Francisco's loss of
P4,469 Assistant State Superintendent Job
Wood, Jr., recently said
'"The total loss of census in San Fran
cisco is 24,469. This is the apparent loss.
1T is not real for this year. Owing to
the earthquake and fire last year CEN
-sus could not be taken. The extra ses-
sion of the legislature passed ar, amend
ment to section 1886 of the political code
which authorized the using of the census
of the year before and the addition of
or subtraction frfom the average loss or
gain for the past ten years.
This held the San Francisco census
high last year. The real decrease shows
this year But this law allows the taking
of census in number of school districts
II the Hooded parts of the state this
year. SaL Mound and Jersey districts in
Contra Costa county took the census in
this way. 1t is possible that several
others in the state did So"
In Los Angeles proper, according to the
city guperintendents records, the school
census for 1906 was 4,321 and in 1901
4S.7S2, showing a gratifying increase OF
4462-a record far ecllpsing that of any
other California city.
Following is comparison of the schoo
census rolls OF the various counties for
1906 and -9O7, showing the losses and gains
in each county: