Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-19
LIMIT is PLACED ON WATER
Ten Gallons Per Day the Allowance
for Children in Schools.
COMPANY TO CHARGE FOR EXCESS
Board of Education Resolves TO Make
Test Of the Authority of hoard
of Health to Exclude Un-
vaccinatcd ChiIdren.

Claiming that ten gallons OF water ought
to be enough per day for each child In
the city schools, the water company served
| notice on the Board OF Education at its
meeting Monday evening that all water
used in excess of ten gallons for each
child per day would be charged for at the
/ regular rates. Figuring that there are
/ 1900 children in the schools and that moi
more than 2S,50O,OOQ gallons OF water should
be used in the period between September
1907, and September, 1903, the water com
pany will present a bill for water used
In excess Of that amount In other places
school children use less than eight gallons
each per day, In Omaha the claim is made
that over ten are used
A resolution was passed by the board in.
structing the janitors at the various school
houses to stand on guard when all coal is
delivered and watch the unloading to the
last shovelfull, before signing the receipt
| The large stores have recently discovered
that dliverers OF coal have hunted IN the
Janitors when the load was half off and
mad the receipt signed, and then, have
driven off with the other half, the pur-
chaser paying for the whole load however.
The school board does not propose to be
buncoed in this way.
Dr. Christie administered a mild roast
on high school matter, Of which he IL
Chairman, for not attending the committee
meetings. The chairman has some matters
OF Importance to be brought before the
committee, but could not muster a quorum
Notice was given that IL the other members
DO not attend the next meeting the work
OF the committee will be taken up bv the
whole board.
Vaccination Order to he rested,
On the recommendation of its attorney.
Z. e. Herring, the board decided that II
would be best for the public good to have
the vaccination question settled once and
for all by passing the following resolution.
In view of the present controversy with
reference to vaccination in the public
SShools, ana in view OF the unsettled con-
dition OF the public mind and the unset
tied condition of the law governing the
80 same; ana IN IN view of the public necessity
determined, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the judiciary committee.
and the attorney for the board, be and
hereby are instructed to forthwith take
sueh steps as may be necessary to bring
a test case to determine the powers and
limitations of the board in the premises
Attorney Herring contended that the
Board of Education has no power over the
teacher and that If the teacher, under the
authority of rule 81 of the city ordinances,
elected child from the school room be-
cause he was not vaccnated the teacher
could be prosecuted criminally, confessing
to being in direct conflict with the city
attorney on this point. DR.. Christie, mem
ber of the board, held that parties at vari-
ance with the rulings of the health COM
missioner should fight out his own battles
the same as though he should black an
other persons eye on the street. Other
members of the board held, however. that
no one person should be compelled to put
up his money to fight a test case for the
public good.
Regarding discipline. Member McCague
believed that a test case ought to be
brought for the sake of law as viewed by
the child, that the rulings of the Board
of Health are paramount and that the
best way to settle what he termed "this
unseemly dispute" would be to bring the
test case.
In contradiction, however, Superintendent
Davidson stated that the discipline of the
schools has not been tampered with on
account of the controversy, that the chill
dren had received a greater PERCEPTION of
and respect for the law, but that for the
sake of some COO children who are staying
away from school so as not to violate the
law the matter should be settled at once
SO as not to deprive them of more school,
ing
The resolution originally contained a
clause providing for the employment OF
another attorney to present all sides of
the matter, but this clause was eliminated
leaving It to the Board Of Health to fight
one side of the action.
Comparative Financial Statement.
A comparative statement of general fund
expenditures for the month of January in
1907 and 1908 was presented by the secre- |
tary of the board. ]. f. Burgess. atten- |
tion being called to the one item OF books |
In 1907 books were paid for in January; |
in 1908 they will be paid for in December !
The report is as folloYs:
lpO7 1QOS