The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-10-14

was opposed to charging tuition, as
there were cases where it was a hard
ship. With no tuition charged there
was better feeling in the country
towards Mankato, and the coming of
the children helped to build up the
city.
Mr.. Blissenbach took a different view
He said that the board is trying to
make the school first class and are
taxing the residents of the city to
this end, and was not fair to let out
siders in without standing any of the
expense.
Mr.. Scherer said that it crippled the
country schools to let the pupils come
to Mankato free. 1t helped the indi
vidual child. but was bad for the rest
of the children who remain in the
country schools as cheaper teachers and
less equipment are secured. The people
of the city are taxing themselves heav.
lily for the schools, and it was not
right to let in outsiders free.
The matter came up when a case
was cited where the father claimed
to be too poor to pay the tuition
but wanted his children to 60 to school
in Mankato. The board authorized the
superintendent to make an investiga-
ton and if the parent was not able
to pay, to remit tuition in this in
stance.
Tax Levy Made.
The finance committee recommended
the following tax levy for the coming
year: Six mills for general school pur-
poses, or about $4,000; two and
one-half mills for special repairs and
apparatus, etc., or about $4,000; and
two mills for the sinking fund, OF
about $1,000; making a total of about
900. The report was adopted. The
levy is only about $1,000 larger than
heretofore, due to the building opera
tions.
MIR. Scherer for the building com.
mittee reported that it had been de.
cided to run rain water from the roof
of the high school building into the
storm sewer OH Hickory street instead
of the sanitary sewer on Fifth street,
as the latter is only six inch sewer
c. M. Masters had offered to connect
the storm sewer for $l466O, and the
committee had authorized him to do
so, and he had already laid the pipe
flush with the wall on Hickory street
The board voted to approve the action
of the committee.
Changes Approved.
Mr.. Scherer reported that J. B. Mel
sen & Co. had proposed to make a
change in the specifications for the
basement floor. The plans call fol-
stones to be placed on the hardpan
and the stringers for the floors to be
laid on these. The contractors wish
to substitute a concrete floor three
inches thick, in which the stringers
shall be placed. No extra charge would
be made for the change, which the
committee thought would be much bet
ter than what the plans provided
Architect Chandler had found that the
running track in the gymnasium balcony
as planned would be ten inches wider
than necessary, and that this space
could be deducted and added to the
gymnasium. The board voted to adopt
these changes, as they involve no added
expense.
Coal Contract Awarded.
Bids for supplying the board will
500 tons of Wilmington third vein
lump coal or it's equivalent were re.
ceived, as follows:
Lampert Lumber company, Whining
ton or Spring Valley third vein, $4.5(
per ton; Franklin county, $5.25 pei
ton.
Hayes-Lucas company, Wilmington
third vein lump coal, $3.50 a ton.
Illinois Third Vein Coal company
Ladd lump, $2.lO f. o. b. cars, c., M
& st. P. railway at Ladd, III. The
freight rate is $l.5O bringing the Goa
at Mankato to $500, with the dray
age charges to be added.
The board thought that it would
be safer to buy of local parties, who
have storage sheds, and voted to di
vide the contract between the Lampert
Lumber company and the Hayes-Luca
company equally, at $3.50 a ton. TIL,
coal for the West Mankato school il
to be weighed in the car on the track
The coal last year cost $4.25 ton
1t was voted to publish an abstrac
of the reports of the secretary ant
treasurer in the two daily papers.
a large number of bills were al
lowed.
Contractors Doing Good Work.
Architect Chandler of Racine, Wis
was present and was asked for
statement of how the work on tn,
new high school building is progress
ing. He stated that he had looked
over the work and had found every
thing first class, and did not know
how the board could have gotten
nicer job. Some of the work thu
far done by the contractors, j. 3
Nielsen & Co., was much better thai
the specifications called for. The worl
was progressing as fast as he hat
expected to find it, as vast amount
of stone had been gotten in.
Statistical Report.
Superintendent Sperry presented hi
first statistical report for the schoo
year, as follows:
New pupils entered. ..........l 10