Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-09-19
PROGRESS DF FIGHT
FOR ANNEXATION
Witnesses For City Show
There is no Congestion
in Schools.
MR.. MACKEY'S CHARGE.
Fifty Per Cent. of People in Terri
tory it is Proposed to Annex Form
er Alexandrians.

When the afternoon session of the
Circuit Court of Alexandria opened
yesterday, City Engineer Dunn was
again called to the stand and his cross
examination was continued by Mr..
Barbour. The most minute details
of the condition Of the streets and
sewers Of Alexandria were inquired
into.
DR.. w. M. Smith, president of the
Virginia Board of Health and chair
man of the Alexandria school board,
was the next witness He told of the
unsanitary conditions due to the drain
age into Hooff's Run. Some provis-
ion must be made very shortly to
make some proper provision for the
disposal of the sewerage of the su-
burbs as typhoid fever is the scourge
of every community. The proximity
of these suburbs to Alexandria would
make an outbreak of any contagious
disease dangerous to the people of the
city.
DR.. Smith testified that there was
no suitable site in Alexandria upon
which to erect new buildings for the
Alexandria Hospital. He favored a
site on Shooters Hill but other MEM
bers of the hospital board would not
agree on account of the fact that it
was outside of the corporation limits.
The next witness was Dr. E. A.
German, health officer of Alexandria,
He described the compact manner in
which the city. was built up and said
that much Of the land which was not
built upon was undesirable for resi-
dences. He testified that the health
conditions in Alexandria were excel
lent and the death rate low, no more
than 25 persons per 1000 population.
DR.. Smith was recalled to testify in
reference to the school facilities and
said it would be necessary to build one
new school house of four rooms in
the northern section of the disputed
territory.
Harrie White was the last witness
for Alexandria yesterday afternon.
He made a census of the inhabitants
of Fairfax and Alexandria counties in
the disputed territory.
At this mornings session DR.. W. M.
Smith was again called to the stand
to give further testimony to the
school facilities of Alexandria. He
again stated that there was no conges-
tion in the public schools at present.
Primary grades are taken care OF by
two sessions daily, and the average
number of pupils who are taught by
each teacher at one time is not more
than 45 or so.
A statement was made by Mr.. Mac
key that the number OF persons be-
tween aven and twenty years
in Alexandria was 3,676. still 1.-The total
number of pupils in the schools was
less than 1900, by which he attempt
ed to show that only about 30 per
cent. of the children of school age in
Alexandria were attending school.
Mr.. Johnson stated that DR.. Smith
had testified that there wac large
number of private schools in Alexan-
dria where many children attended
Harrie White was again called to
the stand. He testified that in the ter
ritory which Alexandria is seeking TO
annex there are 1923 persons more
than so per cent of this number nav
ing, formerly lived in Alexandra CITY
The next witness was NJ. B. HARROW,
yice-president of the First Nationai
Rank and treasurer of Alexanorla
city for "a years. He took up the MS.
tory of Alexandria from the ena OIL
the Civil War, and traced up lc
the present time. He stated 1ha'
Alexandria is the MOST compac'
city that he knows of, aid that there
s. is little fooh: for additional build
ines. Mr.. Harlow said that there was
a large Catholic population in Alex
andria and that the Catholics attend
ed St. Mary's Academy and their pa
rochial school conducted by st. Mary's
Church.
MIR. Harlow stated that in 1876,
when he became city treasurer, the
debt of the city was over a million