Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-05

the Senate.
Mr.. Descoteaux of Biddeford offered
House amendment L, To amend by
striking out in sections s. and ~ the
words New Years Day. January one,
in the second line thereof; and further
amend by adding after the word fol
lows iR line Al the following, New
Years Day, January one" also further
amend by adding after the word
namely in line % the following.
New Years Day, January one; also
| further amend by adding after the
| word follows" in line SO the following,
New Years Day, January one"
The question being on the adoption
OF House amendment Il,
MIR. COOK of Vassalboro: Mr. Speak
or and gentlemen of the Hounse, this is
an educational matter, and l have an
other little matter in mind which 1
| would like To put into the record for
the benefit of the people of the town OF
Dexter. The people of that town have
| through a resolve introduced here ask
ed for the establishment of a normal
school in that town. The report of the
committee. I think If | remember right
ly, referred the matter to the next Leg
| is,ature. The people of the town of
Dexter requested that the opinion OF the
committee ON education be Incorporated
as part of that report, as to where
| the next normal school to be establish
ed in this state should be located. but
! the request came too late. Now, IL
seems to me that it will answer every
purpose for the people of that town il
we can get the statement into the rec
ord, that the committee on education
was unanimously in favor of the pro-
pcsitlon that when the state did build
another normal school that it should
| he built at Dexter. They believed that
4 the town of Dexter was centrally locat-
| ed in a very large industrial area OF
| the State of Maine which is not now
served by normal school, that is, with
~ normal school located near it. Why
| gentlemen, you could take out OF the
State of Maine piece as large as the
state of Connecticut, with the town oil
Dexter centrally located in that piece
and not have a normal school located
in that area or anywhere very near Its
borders. on account of the generous
| assistance which the town of Dexter
vas willing to give. and for other rea-
gems which the committee took into con
sideration they We're unanimously oil
the opinion that when the state did de
eide to build another normal school II
should be located in Dexter
SO much for that matter. There is
another matter to which | wish to cal
the attention of the House; and l speak
at this time with some misgiving a
TIE imminent risk of causing flood tide
| l. I'll, 1N.,e, r.1-
ferred to recently in this House-but as
to this bill which is now before the
House, it seems to me that the intent
and the meaning of the bill is to make
New Years Day school holiday.
don't know whether the gentleman who
proposed this amendment has stopped
TO think whether New Years Day does
not come IN vacation | am not sure
about that myself. but | think t Is
quite proba BILE that New Years Day
does come in vacation time; but be that
as it may every additional school
holiday costs the state of Maine many
thousands of dollars. The State OF
Maine is putting thousands OF collars
into it's schools every day, every school
day. and if we make a new holiday we
will lose that much money on that day,
and for that reason it. seems To me
that we ought to hesitate before pass
ing a measure of this nature.
Mr.. DESCOTEAUX of Biddeford:
Mr.. Speaker, my only object in offering
the amendment was to have New
Years Day made a school, holiday. 1t
has been our custom in my section 10
observe that day for a number of years,
anG I don't see any reason Why they
should strike this out. There are Other
holidays which they have kept in there
and for my part would object to hav-
ing this struck out; and / hope thai
my amendment may be adopted.
Mr.. NEWBERT of Augusta: Mr.
Speaker, think the House should TAX,
into consideration the fact that We
have nearly 100,0 900 people in the State
of Maine to whom New Years Day is
made the most important holiday o.
the whole year; and this is so much S.
that many of our corporations clos,
their establishments on that day il
order to give the operatives the benefi
of that holiday; and / think it is To-
that reason that the gentleman from
| Biddeford (Mr. Descoteaux) has Offered
tbs amendment to include that da!
among the school holidays.
Mr. BOWLER of Bethel: Mr.. Speak
er, wish to say that there seemed Il
| be quite Il demand from the countr!
districts to have New Years Day ceas-
to become a holiday in our schools. Ii
the first place, as has been suggested
by the gentleman from Vassalboro tMr
Cook it comes in vacation time il
most of the cities, and therefore It il
in the country districts where it affect
the thing most. This day comes as W,
all know just one week from Christ
mas, and we have just had holiday
and closed the school, and any of vol
who have taught school will know thu
effect of a holiday upon the school; yol
know that if we have this happen two
weeks in succession that it is injurious
to the school.
We now have ten holidays in Thu
schools, and it costs this state the sun
of $4,000 a day to run the schools o
our state, and when you close schoo
for one day you have lost the sum 0
$4,000; when you have closed tn
schools of the state for ten days yoi
will see that you have lost the sum 0
| N1Q0 Of ha