Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1921-05-11
MORE ABOUT CONSOLIDATION

The Democrat is glad at the request
OF a subsciber to give space to an
other angle of the school consolida-
ton question.
To Wallace's farmer:
The consolidated school plan is being
worked hard in many sections OF Iowa
at the present time In some of these
sections large part of the people do
not seem to take hold of the consolidat-
ed idea. I want to tell you OF condi-
lions here in Hardin county Iowa.
and Of my experiencesin consolidat-
ed district. rs
have lived in the New Providence
consolidated district ever since is was
consolidated in 1918; have had chill
dren in school all of that time. / live
four and three-fourths miles from the
school house, farther than the average,
but not the farthest. My chilren are
hauled on back drives until they ride
fourteen miles a day getting to and
from school. The average haul on the
route on which / live was mine and
one-half miles last year. The average
time they leave home Is q M, and
they get hsane 1t from $50 to- 6sp. M,
depending on how far they walk. It
is nothing unusual for my children
to leave home at $50 a. M, and the
bus has been at my place at p. m.
The bus is very ordinary one
very little uphostering on the seats.
The sides are curtains Of oilcloth, very
easily torn. The window glass in the
door and ends is usually broken and
piece of tin stuck in. The bus is not
heated. The seats are high from the
ground and the bus is easily turned
over.
When snow is on the ground, sled
district ever since 1t was
ply a homemade pine box with pine
seats-no cushions or upholstering OF
any kind; nothing on the floor. The
cover is usually flimsy muslin put
On bows like prairie schooner. 1t Is
not heated. It is nothing unusual for
the muslin cover to be torn off; then
they ride in an open sled. A year
ago last winter was called upon to
drive the bus one day, owing to a
death in the drivers family. found
the sled at his home, with the cover OFF
and a coating Of sleet and ice at least
half an inch thick on the seats and
floor. I don't know how long it had
been used in that condition.
/ am sure that you agree with me
when / say that these conditions are
the things that cause the farmers to
fight consolidation. The farmer rides |
in winter and knows by actual exper-
fence that it is hardship to spend
TWO hours of a cold day on the road,
let alone four hours, as the children
10. The farmer knows that it is cruel |
10 expose small children to that kind
Of thing day after day. Yet speakers
Tor consolidation say to audiences OF
farmers that the country children
going to consolidated schools do not
get as cold as the town children do.
Someone will suggest heating the bus.
That would help some, but still the
moved have to spend from
three and one-half to four and one
half hours getting to and from school
and we all know that system that
makes part of the small children put
in a ten or eleven-hour day is not
right. And we know that child put
ting in that long a day can't do good
work in school. 1t is mighty poor
business to spend hundred thousand
dollars for a school house and then
thousands more for a faculty; then
impose such horrible conditions on
the farmers children that they connot
be in condition to receive instruc-
ton.
Now l am going to suggest some
remedies: First, there should be a
state law against such large districts.
Sixteen sections should be the limit,
except where conditions and roads, are
such that auto buses may be used.
The state should be redistricted into
districts of sixteen sections each, al
lowing the patrons of each new dis
trict to say whether they shall con-
solidate or continue to use their four