Arizona republican., 1912-08-15
STATE GRANTED
 SCHOOL SITE
President Signs Bill Author izing Lieu Selection of 200O Acres of Fort Grant Reservation for Industrial School Purposes

Governor Hunt received a telegram from Senator Marcus A. Smith yester day afternoon, stating that President Taft had affixed his signature to a bill granting the Arizona state land com mission authority to select 2000 acres of the Fort Grant military reservation for the uses of the state industrial school in lieu of a like acreage from the lands given by congress in the en- abling act, for the benefit of the school. This means that at no distant day the industrial school will be moved from Benson to Fort Grant.
 It may be taken for granted that the state land commission will have the foresight to select portion of the res erVation of the abandoned post now well equipped with buildings that it is believed will serve admirably for the present purposes of the school. They will probably need some repair and some remOdeling to adapt them to school uses but that will not require large outlay. and there are plenty of them to accommodate many more than the present number of students in the school.
 Then there will be ample room for any buildings it may be desirable to erect later There is also room for manual training and perhaps the con- ditiOns will permit of some agricultur- al industries in connection with the school. though in respect of that, the1t could be better locations in some or the rich valleys of the state. The fact that the school is some distance from the railroad will be a little inconVen- tent but perhaps it will be more than offset by sequestration from influenc- es that are undesirable for the students of that institution and giving them safely a greater measure of liberty than they now enjoy.
 As soon as it was found new site could not be well provided for the school by the legislature this year, the governor took up the matter of secur- ing the Fort Grant site with Represen- tative Hayden and the Arizona sena- tors. They have all worked diligently on the bill and it is gratifying that It has been put through congress so quickly
 In this connection it is timely to consider the possible use of the prop ertv at Benson that will presumably he abandoned before great while. The suggestion has been made that It may | he utilized IS school for the deal ana mute. and it would seem that the idea has merit The building is rapidly de- l teriorating it is said, but is in sucn l condition that it can be overhauled and 1 repaired for a reasonable outlay, so 1 that it will be serviceable and safe 1 even if not a handsome structure. The greatest objection to doing that while l it was utilized for an industrial school | was that is was not a good location for such a school and that if it were, 1t IS 1 already overcrowdei and could not | serve that institution long.
 The only objection that has been
 made to utilizing the property for a school for the deaf is ruling of the
 attorney generals office that under the
 terms of the appropriation for the ! school for the deaf, it must be located
 at the university. The university lS
 itself rather crowded for room but It l' | manned now to locate the school there | temporarily at least. It would seen that the objection is purely one of le- gal techricality and that 1t would De
 ouite easily overcome as soon as the
 legislature meets again if not before.