The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-04
Barre Voters Rejected the
Proposition About Spaul-
ding School Annex
VOTE TO LEVY &c TAX
FOR DRAWING SCHOOL
Decline to Put Street and
Water Dept. Laborers
on S-Hour Basis

NltlAeis numbering lew under 2OU
gathered in city meeting at the opera
house last night and voted down mo-
tion to appropriate the sum Of $ls.500
to carry out and complete the proposed
addition to Spaulding high school, voted
to continue the evening drawing school,
authorized the levying Of a two cent
tax for its maintenance and turned down
proposition to place the city employees
in the street and water departments on
an eight hour basis.
| Not in many months has such large
body of voters assembled in response to
call for city meeting. And some
time has also elapsed since matters of
| vital interest to the voters have been
the subject of such long and conten-
! tous discussions. The bulk of the de-
iating eentered chiefly around the ar
ticle pertaining to the increase OF the
original appropriation for the SpauId
ing high school annex, although the
drawing school tax and the eight hour
proposition were treated in turn with
due consideration. Frank G. Howland
acted as moderator and the voting
strength of the meeting as revealed when
the first ballot was taken showed that
ls9 voters were present. City Clerk
James Mackav read the warning and
after the election Of the moderator, at
tention was turned to the second article.
Speaking for the school commission
ers, H. G. Woodruff reviewed the cir
cumstances which preceded the decision
to erect an addition to Spaulding school
and ended by moving that the sum of
Sls,500 be appropriated to complete the
work. John r. Tierney asked that the
question be decided by ballot, but be-
fore the issue came to a head. ex Mayor
Harvey Hersey had outlined reasons why
action should be deferred and others had
dipped at length into the debate. Be-
cause, as he believed. the proposed an
mex was to be used primarily for
chapel; because he believed that such
an appropriation under such circum-
stances would be illegal if carried to
the higher courts, and because it would
involve a burden on the taxpayers, ex-
Mayor Hersey registered his opinion
against the motion.
Mr., Woodruff refuted the statement
that the proposed structure was to be
used as a chapel, declaring that the in
,reasel space was to be devoted to an
assembly hall, class rooms, and labor
ltories. The school commissioner also
.ook exceptions to a published state
nent by A. S. Martin and the author !
II the statement was presently on his
eet to defend himself. He reiterated his
that four-room school build
ngs had been built at a lower cost per
Dom than the eight room structures,
lso that the schools had less students
'etween the ages of five and eighteen
han formerly. Mr.. Hersey thought it
vas enough for the city to be struggling
long with a $4,000 debt around its
eek like a milestone and he also re-
allied the fact that he and Others had
rgued for a three-story structure when
be Spaulding school was built.
Commissioner Woodruff gave figures
D show the continued growth of the
chools and based his forecast of the
lture on the relative gains of the past
ears. He thought the high school could
now the largest gain of any secondary
,hool in the state. +. A. Wslker
lought an unfair comparison had been
ade between the eity's eight and four
,om buildings. One was fireproof, while
le smaller structures might be called
-e traps.
Some of the speakers against the mo-
on had pointed to the lower tax rate
We'd in Montpelier, and it had been
ready intimated that capital had pre-
rred Montpelier as an investment city.
hen r. S. Currier arose to say that
e man who went to Montpelier think
Q the tax rate there in five years
,uld be smaller than in Barre would be
oling himself good deal. Mr.. Cur
n thought the city should meet its
eds as fast as they were manifested
d in the particular question under
nsideration he thought building ma
-ials increased with such rapidity that
lay would undoubtedly be expensive.
George w. Mann asked whether the
v was erecting school houses for out
town students or for its own BOYS
d girls. He thought students were
ming in from outside Washington
inty and to this fact was due in
asure the crowded condition of some
the schools Mr.. Mann conveyed the
preston that he had an inherent
idge against high taxes and went so
as to say that he had noticed Mr..
rtin getting rid of good deal Of
property. Evidently it appealed to
4 as a wise policy for he sverred that
was going TO sell off his property,
0. and get right ont of Barre Mr..
nm was greeted with loud applause
this point
afterwards. Mr.. Martin said he wasn't
posing Of all his property or anything
all like that. He was proud Of Barre
thought il compared favorably with
ood many other cities. lie had faith
The city.
4 the request OF the commissioners,
+. NJ. Roscoe Of the city
lols gave figures 10 show the growth
the high school. etc Last falls en-
ment OF 2ol, he said. Nould be aug-
tied 70 $50 next fall and by 1914
enrolment would probably reach 500,
thought. AZ one Of the hopeful signs,
superintendent noted that Barre Was
ling a percentage Of BOYS and girls
ugh high school larger than that Of
Continued on second page.l