Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-10-04
i. LOCAL COMMENT

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The proposed municipal court could
not possibly be less efficient than tho
present Justice Of the peace system and
our lawyers almost universally believe
that it would be a great Improvement
over the justices court or the police
court. Waterloo has found that 1t u
more than self supporting. The mere
purpose Of 1t should commend the plan
for consideration. Instead Of bringing
cases before nice old mon who have
no ambition to make such record in
their judicial work as to rise to higher
office, the intent Is to elect q lawyer
as municipal Judge at q salary OF
$4,000 per year and give him not only
ali Of the Justice Of the peace and po-
lice court work but a erist Of minor
cases now going to the district court.
All cases now going to the Justices and
police Judge should receive more INTEL
ligent adjudication and much needed
relief would be given the higher court
in getting 4 goodly number Of small
sticks sawed from its usual woodpile.
We have nothing to lose and much to
ShAA Wy th0 Shdu60 0hA DAOoAA w ~
out, but II the lawyers want It to be
q success somebody who knows some
thing about the law and who has en-
ergy ana ambition enough to hear evi-
dence and argument should volunteer
for the service as municipal Judge. A
change in title and increase in salary
without complete change in personnel
would get nowhere.
When Marshalltown comes to face
it's high school problem it Is hoped
that it's citizens will be led by men
big enough to have . twenty-five year
vision Of things and not fritter away
good public money temporizing. on
plans designed only for immediate
emergency. It Is the line Of least re-
sistance for a school board to get by
this year and pass the buck Of future
needs to the next board. but that kind
Of a policy never built town.
4
A new high school is being forced
upon US by, our natural growth.
Twenty-Five years ago we built 4
building designed to hold 500 students.
including high school and First ward
grades. Today we have 1000 In the
high school and John Childs grade
building, but ESQ more high school stu
dents are crowded into the high
school building than It was designed
to accommodate. We need for today
80 per cent more high school than we
have now. Our high school students
have doubled in number in twenty live
years. They will double again in an
other twenty five years. We will need
then three times the high school that
we have now. High schools are al
ways built with bond issues, hence our
need for three times the building ca
pacity which we now have will arrive
before the bonds are paid. What we
build should be gagged by our maxi
mum needs twenty-five years hence or
buildings should be planned in units
that will permit Of extension without
destroying the architectural plan.
4
The Times-Republican Is in favor
Of a municipal college. With $50 hish
school students now, as many as at
tend the average college which would
have a million dollars in buildings and
grounds, and with a student popula-
ton of 1900 guaranteed within the next
twenty five years; with the country
roads being paved and more and moro
students from the farms coming to the
city high school each year, this town
has business enough at its high school
today for municipal college. We arc
going to build on other peoples money,
as 1t were, when we use bond money,
so while we are at 1t we had far bet
ter do the job right. We should have
ten or twenty acres for a campus. with
athletic park, military drill ground,
public playground, tennis courts, ball
diamond, etc. We should then erect
one building at q time as needed, but
have an architects drawing for a COM
plete plant as 1t Is to be twenty-five
or fifty years hence. Every dollar We
spend could then be spent toward tho
ultimate plan. Nothing would need to
be torn down or destroyed. Colleges
in New England are doing business to-
day with buildings more than 100 years
old. ~,
The present high school should not
be destroyed. It Is in good physical
condition. It will do for ward school
and some day for an intermediate or
Junior high school for eighth and ninth
grades If the time should come when
our public schools should add ono OF
two years of college grade work 50 81
to enable our children to do their first
two years OF college work at home FREQ
from the usual college expense W
would need the Junior high school, but
all these things are details. The e.
sential Just now IA to get the vision OF
what this town is going to be twenty
Ave or fifty years from today, because
school buildings must serve for q
least fifty-year period when erected
before they are ready for the SCRAP
heap. ass