The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-23

1 As Birminghams population is more l than 60 per cent of the county this con l clusively establishes the steady and con 1 stant growth and the imperative neces- 1 sity for additional accommodations. GAIN IS CONSTANT
 The gain of new pupils is steady and constant For the year ending Septem- Der 30. 1915, the school census of. Bir-
 mingham as shown was 4S25S. The
 school attendance shows a distinct and undoubted gain in the past two years
 over these figures. In 1917 compulsory {, education will become a fact in Alabama, and this will mean an enormous increase 1 in attendance uopn schools now taxed far beyond their capacity.
 The conditions at the Central High school in Birmingham are typical of con ditions in many primary schools. The Central High school was built to &C., commodate 800 pupils. Twice this num- Der are now housed in this building and 1 in two adjoining frame structures, while AGO are being cared for in the old Paul Hayne school. Thus we have 200O pupils where preparation has been made for S0Q In the fall additional accommoda-
 tions for 6O0 new pupils in the high school will be necessary. This far exceeds the | number who will drop out.
 From East Lake to Wylam it has been necessary to provide cheap frame
 additions to existing buildings, and many of the main school buildings are unsafe, insanitary and i'll adapted for school purposes. To try to remodel or to enlarge these inadequate and obso- lete structures would be sheer waste of money, and it is the plan to erect new, modern and commodious buildings in all places where unsafe and obso- lete structures are now provided. Tn calling for a bond issue of $2,000.- 900 the members of the board of edu- ca tion and of the city commission are aware that it seems extraordinary amount. gauged by the size of previous bond issues, but they are also fully alive to the fact that the needs are tremendous and that the situation can not be met with a smaller expenditure. Every dollar that is requested is needed urgently, and every dollar will be ex- pended to. meet requirements. that are t'real and pressing
 As to the ability of the city to care for this bond issue, there can be no serious question. While Birmingham is cramped financially in many ways, it is amply able to provide the interest on this proposed bond issue The inter
 
 sorbs 50 cents on every dollar paid in taxes, is sufficient to care for this issue without imposing any additional bur- den upon the tax payer. On an assess ! ment of 1O0,O00,000, which is considered ' the minimum for 1917, $500,000 will go into this fund yearly. The money in this l fund connot be used for. general pur- 1 does not cripple any department of the l city or curtail any activity in which l the city is now engaged.
 1 MADE A CAREFUL SURVEY 1 "The board of education and the board of commissioners have made a most painstaking survey of the entire situation and have given the fullest l.deliberation to the plans. Every con tingency has been taken into consid-
 eration, and we are unanimously of the opinion that the best results can be obtained by following the programme which has been outlined. This pro- gramme included the following i'm provements:
 Two new school buildings, one on the Southside and the other in the eastern section of the city.
 At Vivian new site and new build ing in the place of the present old in- adequate, poorly constructed and un- fortunately located building, an 1S- room structure to be erected. An eight-room addition to the Ba- xer school at Ensley, with an addition to the site.
 "A new 24-room building to take the place of the Bush and Moore schools at Ensley, a new site convenient to both districts to be purchased. Both of these buildings are among the old est in the city, one being cheap frame shell, the other an obsolete brick struc- ture.
 "A new building and site for the Minor school at Pratt City. the preseni building being inadequate, poorly con structed and the location very incon venient. Frame cottages erected for re- lief are makeshifts and a new 1S-roonr | building is proposed
 At Fairview it Is intended 10 erect an additional Groom unit. as this dis