The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1926-09-24
Billings Is Chosen AS
Site for State Normal
CONTINUED from page One)

Jne matter under authority CT an act
OF the last legislative session, which
gave the state board the option of
making a selection or of leaving it to
a commission of heads of normal
schools CT other states, was composed
OF George H. Black of Ellensburg,
Wash, c. H. Fisher of Bellingham,
WASH, and Frank E. Baker Of Mil
waukee, Wis.
According to the report Of the COM
mission, an extremely lengthy dccu-
ment which went very deeply into the
details of the duties of the commits
sion, the requirements fer a success
tul normal school and the facilities
afforded by the successful city, the
commission had visited and inquired
INTO the advantages of 10 towns and
cities: Glendive, Miles City, For
syth, Billings, Roundup, Lewistown,
Culbertson, Wolf Point, Glasgow and
Havre and had unanimously selected
Billings as more nearly fulfilling the
requirements as the site Of a school
for teacher training.
In undertaking the work, the COM
mission decided that the main factor
was that of accessibility, but also
took into consideration available ia
clltles, population, banks service
CLUBS, educational resources, local
teachers, public library, churches,
lodges, theaters, lecture courses,
health and. recreation, public utilities, |
housing and employment for stud /
ehts, and available sites. 1t also had /
IN mind coordination with the exist /
ing normal school at Dillon
Claims Billings Accessible
IL found, according to the report, |
That Billings is the most accessible /
from point CT railroad service; that
1t has the largest tributary popula-
tlon and the largest supply of HIGH /
SchooI graduates; that its location
would furnish the least interference
with the Dillon school: that a school
at Billings will coordinate with the
Dll!on school and stimulate teacher
training in Montana.
1t finds that Billings, by the 1920
census, had a population of $4,000.
guaranteeing that city's ability to
furnish all the needed facilities: that
IL has a number of active service and
clubs and a well orga-
nlzed Commercial club; that density
Oh population is a large factor in the
.ocaton of such a school, and that in
[ulIllllng the requirements of the
largest single factor, BILLINGS has
professional training facilities suffi-
'lent TO meet the needs of the school,
ana can best accomplish the purpose
-or when normal training school
The commission finds that Mon
ana will need 1,5OO new elementary
each year, and that the two
normal school will be required to
900 year each to meet the
needs. 1t further finds that BILLINGS
las the advantage of a large number
u professional teachers to aid in the
eacher training work, together with
large number of school children ,
vhlcn are required for campus train ]
ng and demonstration work.
$4,000 for Billings Site
The site selected by the commission
Of 81 acres of land lying lust
lorth OF the st. Vincent's hospital
nd between that institution and the ,
1t is described as high " ;
ng, with an excellent view of the
alley, well served by roads, with an
irrigation ditch running along one
lde, with city water and gas avail
bic and susceptible of good drain
Sc. It's nearness to two of the citv's
rade schools was emphasized bv the
The property belongs to
he Billings Realty company and is
nder option for sale to the people
f Billings for this purpose at S25.
There are, according to the report,
. elementary teachers in the Billings
chools, while within a radius of Is
llles there are Il rural schools en-
olling 900 pupils which will give the
ormal students sufficient experience
I rural school work. The commission
lso took into the various cultural
gencies of Billings, its two modern
ospitals and the site offered which
ends itself admirably to campus pur-
oses.
RhOades' Opposition.
When the report came up for dis =
lssion at the afternoon session w. +
. Rhoades of Great Falls called at {
entlon to- map which showed lines 7:
rosslng the center of the state from 8
asst to west and north to south with
Il the states educational institutions {:
the southwestern quarter. He said s
the north half there are about
5000 registered voters and in the e
)uth half about $4,000 but that the 3
eople of the northern half had been &
lowed to vote and pay taxes and e
nat was about all they had gotten y
ut Of the state.
He moved that the report of the
be placed on file and that z
he board consider for selection, 8
'hich should be made at the next +
leeting, only those towns in the G
Orthen half Of the state. His mo- =
on received a second by Frank Fliel &
{ Dillon.
Opportunity being given represent z
atlves of thhe various towns to ex- 8
ress themselves. E. G. Carruth of Z
avre said residents of the northern G
art OF the state felt that an injustice y
ad been done them. He asked why s
should be necessary to go cut of z
he state, to Wisconsin and the Pa Z
flc coast, to get men to tell Mon 3
ma where it should establish nor
ial school. He related that some 2
ears ago the state had secured from 3
le federal government the buildings &
nd 1000 acres of the Fort AssinnI- e
pine military reservation for school y
lrposes but through lack of appro- 8
rlatlons had never been able to =
AXE use of them. He insisted that ~