The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-09-05
Letters From the People
,nn,an Life VS.. Dollars and Gents

uuman Life VS.. Dollars and Gents
near Mr.. Editor:
r had the pleasure of attending
last Tuesday evening at the high
scbool a meeting which was called
For the purpose of discussing the
,,ronosed new school building. 1t was
called to order by DR.. L. G. Spauid-
;no as chairman and he gave in
his opening remarks a report Oh
the recent inspection of the Wash
,neton school building.
while he was making this report
inst wished that every mother and
father who have children in this
school at this time could have been
present to hear this report.
The flimsy structure, the badly
ventilated rooms, the over-crowd-
ing the unsanitary condition Of the
toilets and drinking fountains, the
dangerous fire traps which this
school building apparently is. This,
to me, is the most astounding &C
cusation of neglect on the part of
the school patrons now and in the
past. 49,.
One feature of the report alone
struck me very forcibly. AS the Doc
continued his report he drew de-
signs on the black board to show
those at the meeting how utterly
impossible it would be for the
children in three of the five upper
class rooms to escape should a fire
occur. He proved to everyone at the
meeting that if a fire started from
the furnace room, flames going up
would cut off any possible avenue
of escape by the stairway for all o.
the upper story. .<
The two class rooms on the south
side of the stairway would have
just one avenue of escape, that be-
ing the hallway onto the only fire
escape on the building, which he
reported was held together with
only two bolts, being actually un-
safe for children to walk upon.
But the children on the north Of
the stairway would not have = ros-
sible chance of escape-trapped in
a furnace-no way of escape and
with almost as slim a chance to
effect a rescue.
Right in those class rooms, right
now as you are reading this, your
boy or my boy, your girl or mine
may be trapped in this HELL" I
could, while the good Doc was talk
ing, fancy could hear the sflrieks
OF those little tots, trapped in this
fiery hell. And what are you going
to do about it?
Oh, I know someone is going to
say this is good propaganda to
build another school house. Right
now I am not interested, except for
the safety Of those kids. I have a
boy going to school there who is
worth more to me than all the
money the district could raise in
taxes, more than all the money the
government could grant, more than
all the money in the world, and vet
I send that boy out every morning
not knowing If he will ever return.
You other parents in this schooi
district are doing the same thing
day after day, with your boy or girl.
This school house has stood for
Is years and nothing has ever hap
pened. Yes, and for Is years par
ents have sent their children TIC this
school not realizing the danger. But
now that it has been brought TO
light we certainly do not have to
turn a deaf ear.
Are we going to sit idly by until
something happensP Are we going
10 let q few voters who are talking
against this new school because
their farms could not possibly stand
the taxes, send our boys and girls in
this possible fiery he'll?
Is the safety of your boy and the
safety OF your girl worth more to
you, to the community, to the
country, than few measly dollars
collected from taxes? But that is
exactly, what is happening and for
the past rs years the Almighty
dollar comes first, last and all the
. III