Gunnison news-champion., 1918-05-03
THE COUNTY HIGH
SCHOOL BUILDING

! Shall Gunnison county have a High
! School Building? This j. the ques-
ton 70 be decided BY the tax payers
next Monday, May 9th. The citizens
Of our county have gone over the top
handsomely on the Third Liberty
Loan with an over-subscription Of
about one hundred per cent. From
our surplus we are also saving, as the
total amount Of sales Of War Saw
ings Stamps Of s25 900 indicates. We
have comfortable houses for oursel-
YES, good barns for our horses, cattle,
pigs, and chickens. Shall we have a
High School building for our boys and
girls? We have fertile ranches, fine
ranges for our horses, cattle, and
sheep ard unlimited deposits of coal,
productive mines Of gold. silver, lead.
zIrz. m0lybd"num, Uusurpa sed seem
cry. wonderful trout fishing, and We
have our boys and girls. Are the lat
ter worth educating? What a ride
ulous question? And yet, is not the
question in order?
Tho County High School was Great
cd by the Intelligent citizens of this
county in 1902. For the next nine
years il occupied a fOur-TOom build
ing that belongs to the town of Gun
u-ou. When the Normal School build
lng was completed in 1911, the High
School was moved into that build
ing. As the enrolment: in the Nor
maj School was small for the next few
years, the two schools got along nice
ly by occupying the building together
But for the last two years the Nor
NAL School enrolment has cquallcd
or exceeded that in the High School.
The building is crowded and the TIus-
toes of the Normal School have asked
the County Committee TO provide
quarters for the High School. II the
High School is moved out Of the state
property, where will it go? Is there
a suitable building anywhere in the
county for it? No!
We might as well face the situation
as Il is. The need for a building is
imperative, and We cannot escape it.
As to its location. that is matter
for the County High School Commit
tee to decide. but they are reasonable
people and will be glad to hear any
citizens who have anything to offer
on this subject. Their integrity is n
guarantee of fair treatment.
As to the cost, the present tax val
uation of the county is a little over
fifteen million dollars. To pay the
annual interest on fifty thousand dol
lars worth of six per cent bonds it will
require a tax of two-tcnths of a mill,
or twenty cents on a thousand dollars
of assessed valuation.
Is there anyone in Gunnison coun-
ty who would not be willing to pay
twenty cents on every thousand dol
lars worth of his taxable property in
order to give our youth High School
education? We do not believe there
is such person, if he really under
stood the situation.
1t is proposed to issue fifty thous-
and dollars worth of twenty-year six
per cent bonds. The annual interest
will be three thousand dollars, and
that is the total annual cost to the
tax payers for the next twenty years.
At the expiration of that time an ad-
ditional levy will, of course, have to
be made in order to pay the bonds,
but the plan postPones their payment
until the boys and girls who are now
in the High School will be out in life
as wealth producers. They will thus
have an opportunity of paying for the
educational advantages they enjoyed
while in High School. Is there any
thoughtful person who would deny the
pupils help now when these same pu-
pills are to assist in paying for it Ia
ter?
About half of the pupils who grad
uate from the common school enter
High School. These are, without a