Putnam patriot., 1925-10-30
IS OR IS NOT POMFRET
 SCHOOL AN ACADEMY :?
COURT WILL DECIDE IN THE CASE OF THE SCHOOLS APPEAL FROM BOARD OF RELIEF TRIED TUES
 DAY IN WILLIMANTIC, CLAIMING IT IS
Town Says Charge S1 Year Makes It Private
 Institution or Rich Mans School

The case of the P0mfret School ys. the Town of Poufret. which has been on the docket over year. came 10 trial in the Superior court at Wiiii- mantle. Tuesday and after the evl- dence was all tn an order was made that arguments be by briefs. The case consumed the entire day and the at- t0rneys engaged in the trial were J. F. Carpenter of Putnam and Arthur Howard of Hartford, for the school, and William 4. King and his son, John II. King of Willimantie, for the town.
 The case grew out of an appeal by the school from the Board of Relief of the town of Pomfret, when the Board of Relief refused to set the greater part of the property of the school used for school purposes, out of the taxable list of the town. The Pomfret School claimed that | this property. used for school purpos- es, was exempt under statute that provides in part as follows: The foi- lowing property shall be exempt from taxation buildings or portions of bcildings. and land on which they stand. exclusively occupied as acade- mics. i
 Claims Two Facts
 The Pomfret School based it's claim t1 exemption on two faets-that the school Is an academy in the pgrview of the law and that its property has been sequestered and set outside the realms Of private property and that ue one can possibly receive q profit from the use 8f said property.
 The property of the Pomfret school was assessed by the assessors al sls4.= 900.
 ]. As against the valuation of the school placed by the assessors on Oc- tober 3l, 1923. the return of a sworn statement of the headmaster of the school, William Beach Olmsted, fixed the valuation at 5.550. His report as filed with the assessors listed three houses. $2.000: a barn. $500, garage, 5 1 900; other buildings. sl .500i seven ty acres of land. g. 2.s00 four autDmo- piles. S3,i02; furniture. etc.
 This the assessors would not allow. returning ali Of the property omitted by the school from it's taxable list to the grand list From this action the P0mfret School appealed to the su- pcrior court
 Dr.. Olmsted Testifies
 Dr. 0lmsted was the chief witness '5r the appellant and WIS examined and cross examined at considerable eugth The school catalogue was of cred as showing the various courses "a the curriculum of Che school.
 T. was brought out that practically ii of the buildings were gifts. Wit 4pE+ stated that the school resources iad met expenses up Co the Narla E ar. or in l9l4. when there had beeH less The deficit for the last twa Hears has been Len 8r twelve thousand iollars each year.
 Witness testified that in order to ully prepare a student for college a .ix year course was necessary. he .laiming that the four year course in 7onnecticut high schools was insu!H tent The teaching of some of the elementary studies of grammar .chool was one Of the objections made " the Board of Relief and others. he aid
 Points 10 Tuition Charged
 The town of Pomfret claims that Pomfret School Is not in the class of in academy established for the com non good, and n support of it's claim pointed out that the tuition fee of each pupil is S1 .350 year. and that no pupil is admitted unless that amount IS paid IL was brought out that the ,ubjeets taught are those taught in 'ommon school or academy, according o defendants claim, that out of the I22 pupils registered ranging in age rom twelve years up, only seventeen are from Connecticut it was the ap- parent claim of the defense that the mount charged for tuition placed the school in q different class than that generally understood Co be an aeade- my. making it a distinctly rich mans school The town pointed out that II has no pupils attending the school hat all attend the Putnam High ,ehool l. was further pointed out that if the exemption is granted the taxpayers will have Co bear a tax increase of fourteen mills.
 Defence Evidence
 James F. Sharpe. chairman of the Board of Assessors, the next witness. explained that the school is private one and that in placing valuation on the property the board believed that the action was just one
 Several well known educators ef this section of the state were called Ia the stand on behalf of the defense These included Regional School Supervisor Levi T Garrison. School Supervisor X Wilson Greer, and Egbert \. Case. principal of Windham High school and superintendent of the schools of the town of Wndham
 They explained to the cour, that. ia thnr opinion. four year course ,u a secondary school Is sufficient fer stti= dent Co enter college The method at preparing student for advanced work after graduation from a gram mar institution was reviewed
 Supervisor Garrison stated that his territory as regional supervisor includes many schools m Eastern Con- upcticut. including those of the town of pomfret Attorney John H. King