SUPT. KELLER TELLS OF
TERRITORIAL SCHOOLS
(Fairbanks News-Miner.)
Despite a constantly growing en
rollment. the average cost per pupil
has been decreased so sharply that
the Territorial school system is being
operated on a more economical basis.
That is the word brought to Fair
banks by W. W. Keller, Territorial
• Commissioner of Education.
Facing a problem which has been
universal throughout the country dur
ing the depression period, Alaska has
met with no loss of school efficiency
and no salary reductions, said the
Commissioner.
The school year is no win swing.
In most piaces enrollment has in
creased over that of last year.
The Territorial school system was
prepared to .accommodate 5,800 stu
dents, and approximately that num
ber are believed to have registered.
Of that number, about 1,800 are in
incorporated cities.
There are now 90 Territorial
schools, 1 7of them being in incorpo
rated cities or incorporated school
districts, and the remaining 73 being
rural schools. Of the total number,
nine are what are known as special
schools, being conducted without
- school boards and having less than
• ten pupils each. The number of spe
cial schools is steadil yincreasing,
Mr. Xeller observes.
To bring knowledge to those 5,800
pupils there is a staff of 275 teachers.
- At Moose Pass the school has been
changed from a special to one ad
ministered by a school district.
A new school has been opened at
Nushagak. A school was maintained
there until 1928 or 1929, when it was
.discontinued due to lac kof attend
ance.
.Special schools were established
this year at Peake Island, in Prince
William Sound, near Valdez, at Farm
Island near Wrangell, and at Kasilof.
On th eother hand, schools at Curry
and Chilcoot have been closed, due to
a lack of attendance.
Mr. Keller was asked how the cam
paign he inaugurated two years ago
to bring about the engagement of
more Alaska girls as teachers was
faring.
“It has met with decided success,”
he said. “The result has been that
in two years we have cut down the
annual turnover of teachers from 40
per cent to less than 10 per cent.”
He mentioned the Misses Lucile
Lavey and Dorothy Billson as being
two Fairbanks girls who were em
ployed as teachers this year, Miss
Lavery having gone to Wiseman and
Miss Billson to Flat.
“We have placed a number of
girls who are graduates of Alaska
high schools and who have completed
their normal school work. School
boards are taking Alaska girls in
preference to Outside teacrers. Prac
tically all the high schools in the
Territory have at least one graduate
teaching in the Territory.
“We’ve been faced with a short
age of funds during the last two
years and were forced to set about
conserving our funds so schools could
be operated without shortening the
terms or curtailing activities. School
boards have cooperated by keeping
costs to. a minimum. As a result, the
cost per .pupil .during the school yea
1931-32 dopped about $10. Indica
tions are that this year the cost will
drop a nadditional $10, making the
average cost per pupil approximately
$20 less in 1932-33 than in 1930-31.
“This fine cooperation from the
school boards has meant that Alaska
is one of the few places in the United
States or its Territories where activi
ties haven’t been curtailed and where
the salaries of teachers have not been
decreased.
“The cost per pupil in the rural
schools last year was $141. The pre
vious year it was $152. This year it
is estimated it will not exceed $130.
In the city schools the cost runs a
little less. The average was $125 in
1930-31 and dropped to $119 last
year. Lt is difficult to make any exact
estimate as to what the cost this year
will be.
'“With salaries not only of teachers
but of janitors at the former levels,
practically all saving shave been
made in operation costs and in re
placements. Lower commodity prices
have helped. Repairs and replace
ments have been kept at the mini
mum in rural schools. No new build
ings have been constructed. This has
made it possible to keep tile schools
open for .the usual nine-months
period.”
When he leaves here Mr. .Keller
will go to Healy, Wasilla, Matnuska
and Anchorage. If he can make con
! nections he will go down Cook Inlet
j to Knai, Kasilof, Homer, Seldovia,
! Port Graham, Port Chatham and
thence to Seward. Valdez will be the
: next stopping place on his itinerary.
He will visit Cordova and possibly
| Chitina, and then will return to Ju
: neau, arriving there late in October.
“We are developing high school
workat Kadiak, Seldovia and Bethel,
and are strenghening the high schools
j in Nome, with the idea of making
each town a high school center for
its district. We are getting a grad
ual start on the plan, and it probably
will be expanded to other towns as
enrollment warrants.
“In practically all schools ninth
| grade work is offered for those who
care to take advantage of t. '
“Sitka added a teacher this year,
as did Nome .each with the idea of
increasing effectiveness of the work
and developing an accredited high
school. There is no reason why either
eshouldn’t be placed on the accredited
list i na very short time if develop
ment work started this year is con
tinued.
“If it hadn’t heen for the shortage
of funds there would have been two
or three new school buildings this.
Healy and Big River made requests
for them.
“Transportation lines have been
improved and increased. One line
was added this year and three last
year, including the farmers’ road line
here, the Loop road at Anchorage,
and a line for West Petersburg.
“This year a ne wline was placed in
operation from Ketchikan to Herring
Cove, taking care of about 17 pupils.
We had requests for lines from two
or three more places, but couldn’t af
ford to authorize them all and had to
use our available money where it
would serve the greatest number.
“As soon as conditions ease up,
three new school buildings will be
built, plans for them already having
been drawn. The selected.«ites are
Marshall, Matanuska and .^fognak.
“The upper Yukon river country,
FIRE INSURANCE
You should carry a literal amount of fire insurance
for the sdkeof your credit and your peace, oft mind,
Needless to^say this insurance should be of tba.very
highest quality.
That’ll the Kind Written Bf i
Alaska Insurance Agency'
FAIRBANKS. ALASKA
Inquire of Knsko Times.
from which I have just lorae, cer
tainly looks fine fcnd prosperous.
EagLe is a busy place- Several pros
pectors came in from the Fortymile
while I was there. All had takenout
some gold and everyone was happy.
“Prospects for a large fur catch
are good, and. the residents are op
timistic. In general, everything has
looked pretty fair wherever I have
traveled.”
OUR INTERI M V i
THE N v 1ION a CAPITAL
(Continued from Pag'e 3.)
The Hearst poll places..California’s
22 electoral votes strongly in the
Roosevelt column, with 7,239 votes
for Roosevelt and 3415 for Hoover.
And yet in the recent. California pri
mary the Republican? polled 885,000
votes and the Democrats over 500,
000. And the Democratic leaders
realize that there is not the slightest
hope of Roosevelt carrying Califor
nia, any more than, there is of him
carrying Pennsylvania, and other
rock-ribbed States that are credited
to Roosevelt.
G. Gould Lncoln, a noted political
writer, says that “The Democrats in
Maine are all pepped up- But jpep or
no pep, it is scarcel ylikely that they
can carry Maine.” As the Maine
election will be over on September 12,
the readers of this item already
know ho wth epop fizzled out.
As the. sentiment throughout the
country, in both poltical parties, de
mands a change in the eighteenth
amendment, it is not likely that the
likely that, the prohibition question
will largel yenter into the presiden
tial fight. . It is a matter that more
strictly concerns Congress, as., some
of the member...sara slow to under
stand .-Reference is jnade to.Reprc
sentatv.e Ruth Ryan Owen, of Florida,
Senator M-. Shortridge, of California,
and other side-steppers.. who didn’t
see the trend of thought in time to
get onto, the hand wagon, in recent
primaries.
Republican, campaign chiefs an
nounce that, they expect the cost of
their presidential drive will cost from.
$1,260,000 to $1,500,000. The latter
figure is the sum the Democratc na
tional committee expect to raise anj,
expend.
The Democratic ballyho leaders
and claimants in Alaska, who boast
of carrying the Third division “by at
least .700. ..majority” for their candi
date for Delegate to Congress, are as
yet not quite as confident and extrav
agant in their claims as they, were .n
1924, when Frank Boyle was defeated,
in all fur divisions, and in 1926 when
the combined Democratic and inde
pendent candidate, Tom Marquam,
was defeated in all four divisions. In
fact the Democrat s haven't •;!■>< tod a
Delegate ’» Congress in A1 .ska for
the past quarter o fa century.
New York, Sept. 2.—James J. Wal
ker, who resgned as mayor of New
York late Thursday, was a 3-to-l
favorite in Wall Street betting odds
today for re-election if he runs to
vindicate himself in November. C.
Woodruff Valentine actually placed a
wager of $6,000 to $2,000 that way
and has $9,000 additional to lay
against $3,000. Mayor Walker’s res
ignation caused a rise in odds against
Roosevelt’s chances of carrying New
York State in the presidential elec
tion. A bet of $5,000 was made to
day at odds of 2 to 1 that President
Hoover would carry the Empire
State.
Ever since the Democratc national
convention the Repuplican leaders
have had ' good reason t o feel
strengthened in the belief that Presi
dent Hoover is to be re-elected. These
reasons have gradually multiplied, as
the Democratic assurance in their
cause quietly but persistently gave
way to a general feeling of gloom
and uncertainty. There is no claim
by Republican; managers that the ex
perience of. four years ago is to be
repeated, when the religious issue
caused four .unusually solid Demo
cratic Southern States to desert, to
Hoover. Those States are again
safely .placed in the Democratic col
umn as well as a number of other
States. As a consequence there can
be no such result as 87 votes for
Smith a no ! 14 for Hoover with a
popu.ar ii.aj r.ly of over six million.
A majority of :i-r>7 was unprecedent
ed. Hut suppose it should drop to
200, 1>1 ,,>• even 50 majority in the
electo... ..••qu, with a popular ma
jority Gl two or three million—Presi
dent Wilson was re-elected by a ma
jority of 2 .Selectocal votes. Ap.y kind
of an .election in these troublous.and
hectic days,.when.the.,entire world is
topsy turvy and don’t.know what it
is all .about, would be highly satisfac
tory. As Assistant Secretary of the
Navy Jahnoke says, ‘.‘President Hoo
ver has preserved the United States
from pnltical and economic . perilts,
social disorders and uncontrolled de
flation .which is without equal in the
annals of any country,” which enti
tles him to the support .and votes of
the American people.
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Mark Sullivan, .the -distinguished
political writer, says .among other
things i .nan article published .Aaggust
30: “If the Democrats ican ..carry
New York they have agood chane
to win the presidency. If they lose
New Yok, they have .almost no
chance.”
I
Calisle Bargeron, spee'oS writer -in
the Washington. Star, says: “If the
Roosevelt people are relying upon A1
Smit hfor the slightest assistance,
thpy may as well rearrange their
plans. The story of A1 now going
around is that he has never felt so
bitterly towards anyone in all his life
as he does just now towards Mr.
.Franklin D. Roosevelt.” He further
.says:* “Through New England and
even in.. California, where there are
thousands of. Catholic voters, the
'
story is heing :sprt»dsfcbat it^waartOi
outrage ..Chat thdo Roosevelt people
perrnitf.aiiMUAdoo'to jjnhlidv iuirriili
ate A1 at GhieftRo.”
Are 70 na Kuako Times sabaeriber?
Why not join.the happy throng?
NOT ICE * OF FOMFEETUTtE.
Notice is heneby given to F. W.
Carter, A. 8. Ferguson, George C.
Friend, and E. Coke rHIll, and thehr
heirs and assigns, that their portion*
of the assessment work for the yean
1924 to 1931, inclusive, dene on the
Bonanza Association placer mining
claim, situated <m Flat-creek, tribu
tary of Otter creek, in the Otter Be
cording Precinct, Fourth Division.,
Territory of Alaska, moat he paid
within ninety <90) days from date
hereof, or forfeit all right and title
to said placer mining claim.
PATSICK SAVAGE.
Dated Flat, Alaska. Jan. 16, 1932.
First publication, March15, 1932.
Pioneer
Shop _
IBJa&ksmifch,
MaCbmefaar
all kmds’Oif
Sheet Meti*
-Work
Saletys
Staves
R. E. LOWRIE
Proprietor
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