The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-14

{ Than Never-MayOr , Atwater Knows.
 The public is thinking about the public schools. It is time. Ten years the schools have been neglected. The mill tax for permanent improvem ents was taken from them years ago. Half time education is the portion of thou sands of girls and boys who deserve as much of the city as the other ctil- dren deserved who had a full educa- tion Many little ones are in porta- hIe schools. Of these there are 3e ''reffned woodsheds.'' Dr. Zones calls them.
 High school Is run on a three-shift plan The High schools that children used to have gave them six hours a day. The High school they have now gives them four and one half hours a day. The High school annex is over crowded Kossuth street grammar school shelters an East Side fresh man class. Into a building with dirty exterior SIS pupils go every day to take the first year of High school work.
 People expect more of a High school The Kossuth street structure was just as horrid to the eye when it was used for a grammar school. Now parents protest The education fath- CTS are using a thousand dollars that can ill be spared to clean off the bricks. It won't be a very good school, but its better than porta- bles, and much better than no educa,- ton at all. The children who were there before have gone into the Wal tersvt1le school. on a two-platoon sys- tenn.
 In September 700 more will come to High school. There's no place for them. In two years a new High school might be built. cost s1.O00,OOO. if somebo ody would find the million. There would be 2.100 children ready to enter, over and above the number now entered before the new school would be ready.
 It takes money to build schools Money comes from one of two sources, bonds special tax The people must borrow or dig into their pock cts Borrowing was a fine road to travel, once. This road had smooth sur But nobody bothered with the traffic rules Give her the gas and trun her loose," was the right thing to do Roads wear out They get rough and bumpy.
 The debt road got so bad the Gen eral Assembly put limit on It's use. The five per cent. limit. The city has a perfectly good legislative permission poses. but it can't The debt limit won't let 1t.
 The debt limit is five per cent of the grand list There's some S400,00O available for scorchers, before they get to the barrier. That's all.
 million. Where's the million Do the people love their schools enough to stand a special tax for a million? They must if they raise it. The debt limit won't cover a million and take care of other things that must be done. Do the people love education enough to permit it to be carried on. during an emergency, in a made over factory building, not as fine as a mill lion dollar school, but finer than the trade school on John street. finer than where Abraham Lincoln got his edu- cation? There's money for that. Bonds enough for that.
 lis a knotty problsn. New high school, or factory emergency school. Bonds, or a special tax? Which shall it be. or not: Sad that schools never grow on bushes, that Carnegie is dead, who gave away libraries; that the lamp Al1adin rubbed is lost, and the genie on vacation.
 To solve the problem win be joint meeting of the
 Board of Apportionrent and Taxa tion,
 Board of Education.
 Board of Aldermen.
 Advisory Financial Committed
 This little parliament will decide whether they will raise a million for new High school: or $35O,O0 for emergency High school; or whether they will just do nothing at all, and tell the schools to play with their toys which will not be a very nice thing to say. for the children of this great city are not toys. but living hu- man beings, with a right to that the wonderful Bridgeport of the fu- ture-
 It's very interesting. Suppose that in other days such interest were shown. How much better off all of us would be. The debt limit far off the schools well kept and plenty of them. Better late than never. If the people do not take interest in may not be we'll done.
 Incidentally, the people have given power to the Democrats, who have promised to practice economy anu to take care of schools. If they don't. it will take more than a. hard times landslide 70 save them when their sfayor Atwater knows this. He says: If the aldermen want tc be pig headed about it that's their busi- ness" Homely language. but adapt ed to the occasion. Better listen to the mayor. He gives good advice.
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