The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-10-21
IOTE DOWN PLAN
TO SELL ST. MARKS.
SCHOOL PROPERTY
Education Board Hears Citizens
Remonstrances and Yields,
AZ to 81.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
SCORED AS INADEQUATE
Town Debt Exaggerated, Says
Condit, and Auditor Makes
Financial Statement.

Public sentiment was aroused last
night and many ideas were advanced
as to the right and propriety of the
Board of Education to sell the prop
erty of the st. M s School, in Valley
street, West Orange. The board a.
called a meeting of citizens to discuss
the matter. After much talk the prop
osition was lost by a vote Of AZ 81.
President George w. - N, of the
Board of Education, said that there
were at present 127 pupils who were
forced to attend half sessions, and that
accommodations were wofully made
quate.
Ernest I. Childs said: cit is a burn
ing shame that town, with its
natural resources and many advan-
tages, has not before provided proper
accommodations for the children, and
I think that this meeting should have
been called a long time before. 1t is
time that the city woke up and was
not afraid to spend a little money or
rave the tax advanced some. Look at
the progress Orange, East Orange,
Montclair and the surrounding places
have made, building school after school,
as the need presented itself. In four
years. you nave finished one building
and made an appropriation for another.
st. Marks School is a~bominably sit
uated with a hat factory, a trolley line
and saloon within a hundred feet of
it,"
A. H. Davis said: 1.-THE school is in
fairly good condition, and with a few
repairs and alterations could be made
to accommodate the pupils all right,
but to give the board authority to sell
without knowing what price we could
get or what we would do in regards to a
new site would amount to almost a
crime"
A citizen here remarked that it was
impossible to have a schoolhouse ny
where in New Jersey without having
a saloon in the immediate neighbor-
hood. Someone then raised the ques-
ton as to whether the finances of the
town would stand for the improvement
that would be necessary, and asked the
Chairman, Mayor Condit, If he knew
the total Indebtedness. Mr.. Condit re-
piled, Holding the office that I do, I
Will SLY tHdt the ucDt VI tuc toWu ID
not nearly as bad as some are trying to
make it out, and they are simply try
ing to make things worse"
The same questioner asked, You
made a statement which appeared in a
Newark evening paper that the town
was in such a critical condition that
the saloonkeepers would gladly pay
5000 rather than lose their license. Is
true?"
Mr.. Condit emphatically denied he
had ever said such a thing. The town
auditor volunteered the following state
ment as to the Indebtedness: Bonded
debt. 1852, 900; assessed valuation,
81, 1888, 932; road bonds, $40, 900; Joint out
let sewer bonds, $3.50, 900; local trunk
sewer bonds, 100000; lateral sewer
bonds, SAP. 900; sinking fund notes, SILL
1882; firehouse bonds, $4,000; Orange
National Bank notes, $4,000
Councilman Stevens hen said: 81 ap-
preciate the bonded indebtedness of the
town, but If we have children, the flu
ture generations depend upon the edu-
cation given to them today, and we
must have the accommodations to give
them the training. L believe we a--ould
build more schools, but not tear down
those that we have until we know
what the return will be and how it
viii beneit us"
The vote was then taken and the plan
to sell was lost.