100 Years Ago in Spokane: Manito outgrows ‘portable’ school

At a meeting of the school board, a delegation of more than 100 residents of the Manito Park district, headed by A. Allardyce, requested that a “portable” school at 21st Avenue and Hatch Street be replaced with a school that took grades up to seventh grade.

Allardyce told the board that some neighborhood children had to walk 1 to 1 1/2 miles to Roosevelt or Jefferson schools. City Engineer A.D Butler said that two years ago, the census of the district showed 128 children between the ages of six and 12. A new census showed that in the same district there were 213 children of that age. Although the portable school had been increased from one to two units, he said the accommodation still was inadequate.

The superintendent announced the enrollment in Spokane schools totaled 16,185, up 385 from the previous year.

From the school labor beat: At the same meeting of the school board, school janitors presented a petition proposing that in the future they be called “custodians.”

From the urban agriculture beat: Owners of one- and two-cow dairies were up in arms over the law passed by the Legislature requiring sanitation changes at all small dairies that sell milk in larger cities. C.C. Hume, who owns two cows, said he plans to gather other small dairymen for a meeting. “We want the Spokane members of the legislature who voted for this unfair and dishonest bill to come to our meeting and explain their position,” Hume said. He added that he believes the onerous requirements were at the behest of large milk distributors, including one located in Spokane.

Jim Kershner is on sabbatical.