The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-03-04

When all 10 said and done, the
depreciation which has developed
Enthusiastically and irresistibly In
recent years merely proves an old
adage-that you only get what you
pay for, whether It's a pair of
socks Of school system. The pre-
sent Senior high was a liability
ten years after its erection, and 1t
was fortunate that the Junior high
was not constructed as cheaply.
Another factor whose operation
has been mentioned in favor OF
immediate action is the rising cost
Of building materials and labor.
With much more delay Sank Cen
tres new school can cost as much
as $4,000 more than at present.
Other towns are building now to
save money, and shouldn't Sank
Centre, too?
It Is extremely fortunate that
nearly half Of the cost will be
borne by the government. Some
thing like S135, 700 will be an out
right donation which Sank Centre
couldn't obtain otherwise. This
community is paying money daily
to the Federal government. Why
not get as much Of it back through
PWA grants as possible? And be-
fore it's too late. If any business
man were offered $4,000 to build
$4,000 building he needed would he
do 1T? The answer is obvious: Sank
Centre citizens and school district
voters must he good businessmen
on this pressing school question,
and take the $135,0OO while it's
available.
1t isn't likely Sank Centre will
let this opportunity, which would
have been unheard of ten years
ago, pass by unused. For instance,
according to the last annual report,
the entire lighting system Of the
city-land, buildings, equipment,
distribution lines, white way, and
light plant-has a fixed value be-
fore depreciation of more than
$4,000. The waterworks system is
listed at $4,000. This WPA school
grant Of $135,0O0 would then be
more than the fixed value of the
entire waterworks system and al
most as much as that of the entire
lighting setup!
This PWA grant is also equiva-
lent to more than four times the
original cost of the old Senior high,
and totals approximately $4,000
more than the original cost of the
Junior high. 1t Is a lot of money to
be given gratis, in any language.
There will be a few individuals,
of course, who will express them
selves as being against the project.
Under the circumstances, and con-
sidering all the facts, won't they be
labelling themselves as unworthy
citizens in doing so? Wouldn't 1t
be better if they moved to some
backwoods town If they feel that
way about schools? Perhaps they
haven't any children in school any
longer. but are they going to let
their selfishness deprive others Of
decent facilities necessary to mod
ern education? Perhaps they are
afraid Of paying a few dollars ex-
ira in taxes now Though it will
mean even more later, but can
CHcy Idhc JtlclI lIiOhCy Will
when they die? Money was never
meant to be boarded but to be
spent in making this world bet
ter place in which to live-and
Sank Centre a better town in which
to prepare children for making a
living.
These are all things 10 be re-
membered, but another is that
everything Sank Centre does is
watched with more than ordinary
interest by outsiders. Any story
coming from Sank Centre has spe-
cial interest since Sinclair Lewis
directed attention toward this town
by writing Main Street" 1t has
never been Gopher Prairie, surely.
but it can quickly be damned as
that If such an important project
as the new school building is voted
down under the circumstances
mentioned previously. News stor-
les have gone out that Sank Cen
tire is to vote on new school
News stories will go out after Sank
Centre has voted. So it's UP to
those who can vote to show the
outside world that Sank Centre
isn't on the downgrade, that 1t
realizes good schools are the foun-
dation of the community, that 1t