The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-07
Big Increase Reported By
 EnufneratOr
School Committee Must Begin To Think Of Providing
 Night Schools
Special to the Farmer.1

olfalIord, NOV. 7-Much important business was transacted at an inter -esting session of the town school com mittee sheld last night in the Center school building Dr. Coggswel1 pre-
 sided and full board was present.
 The report of the school ennumer-
 ator, Frank B. BIakeman, was read
 and it's contents were startling.
 There are now 1900 children of tbe
 school age in the town an increase of 250 over last years enumeration. Last
 year there were only two deaths
 among the scholars of the town, one
 from burning and the second from
 drowning. The record for the two
 past years is only three deaths, all
 accidental. This enumeration indi-
 cates a population in the town ap-
 preaching 10000 rapidly and the fact
 brought up a discussion of the de-
 mands which will be made upon the
 school committee when this number is reached. The law provides that boards of education or school commit
 mittees in towns exceeding 10000 in habitants must provide night schools. This will add materially to the trials of the committee. The sense of the committee was that this matter should be considered in advance and provided for.
 The secretary reported the eases of the eight children who are under the age when they may legally leave school.
 The parents of these children have been notified repeatedly to send the children to school but they have 50 far disregarded the demands of the school authorities. Some of these have no certificates but are a t work. The employers will be proceeded against in such eases. In sthe others the parents will be held responsible. Grand Juror Ivan Morehouses will be instructed to proceed against these
 %O Iox cf cases are in the family of Frederick Nearing at Short Beach. This fam fly has been the subject of a hear ing before the state board of educa- ton. MT. Nearing refuses to send his children the long distance from his home to the schools and demands transportation.
 The committee has not yet received any report of a decision by the state board in this matter and is await ing it with interest.
 The salary Of the secretary, F. E. BIakeman. was increased from $50 to $100 a year
 The i've typewriters. for the commer- cial course have arrived and they will be put to immediate use They are standard machines and will prove a valuable addition to the school equip ments The current bills were ordered paid.
 There is a reason for that myster- ious smile which has beamed from the countenance of pr. E.. J. Leonard, the local dentist for several 6kays- It's a. girl and she arrived one day last week.
 Capt. Bob Plum, the nestor of the rivermen, celebrated his 70th birth day on Wednesday ad he is still talk ing about it. Mrs. John Bond made of the old captain remembered the day in various ways. Capt. Bob says he expects to live twenty years more and he proposes to stay at the lower dock as long as it lasts
 The furnace in the Franklin school is out of commission. It was discover ed a few daps ago that the soft plug in the boiler had been melted and that there was a crack in one of the sections. Ephriam Wakelee, a mem Der of the school committee. believes that the crack can be welded and thus save the town the expense of tearing the plant to pieces to inst tall a new section. The technical skill of the new member of the committee will be of use to the town.
 This is Indian summer. The people of this vicinity are now enjoying a more than usually splendid example of the fifth season which was utiliz- ed by the aborigines to store up their winter supplies. The improyident In dians believed that this interim of 
 Great Manitou to allow them to gar ner their winter stores. Game was l the streams were filled with fish and the sunny days. gave the pri- mevaI agriculturists time to store the yellow corn which was to. stand be- tween them and hunger during the long winter days.-14.E-
 Gunner Berard of the north end has been busy for several days blasting out the rocks on sBootle and Califor- nia streets. A big boulder on the corner of these two streets which has rested undisturbed since it. was de- posted there by the glacier which ploughed out the Housatonic valley a million or so years ago has yield ed to a charge of. dynamite and will no longer block the wheels of progress in the form of grocery wagons and coal carts. It cost the town $1 to remove this old offender. The ledge on the west side of California street was also blown up yesterday. It was. a bar to the improvement of the street.