Building the New Schoolhouse - 3
March 11th, 1921
Mr R.B. Brooks - School Inspector
Sir
re yours of Feb. 21st
A Board Meeting held march 9th
There are 9 children of school age. Our School Building is to be erected during the month of April. When this is done our Funds will be Nil but I hope we shall not have to borrow. The Secretary's salary is $50.00. The Board made the Tax Rate eleven cents per acre. -
This will be hard on our poor Taxpayers; but it will prove to the Education Department that we are prepared to do our bit if possible and we are trusting the Department to appreciate our action, and to help us to educate our children. Eleven cents an acre will produce round Seven hundred dollars, i.e. if all pay up.
Yours faithfully
Thomas Street
(73)
March 26th, 1921
The Deputy Minister
Department of Education - Ed
Sir
(D-14832-21)
I have just received your letter of the 24th inst. I am disappointed, for I thought we were, at last, within sight of a School Building.
Of course, had you told our Chairman (during interviews with him) or had you written me, to that effect I would immediately upon receipt of the two tenders have sent them to you.
When the Building Contract was signed the Chairman asked me to send one of the 3 on to you. I, by chance, sent a copy of the Tender. I, now, send a copy of the only other Tender. You, previously, agreed to accept the rough Building, as it stood, at Wabamun, we believing it could be moved up bodily. Our Contractor has agreed to start the Building April 4th and to finish in 20 days. So, may I hear quickly from you Sir.
Yours respectfully
Thomas Street (end of p.81)
P.S.
Our Chairman, in order to help our poor District has, himself, hauled up the hills the many loads of material from the Wabamun house, free. We have paid down in cash $321.75 for the Wabamun Building $75.00 for taking building to pieces $38.20 for nails and paper.
We have round $360.00 left in Bank for building, extras, lumber &c. without touching the 1921 Taxes, which my Board has fixed at eleven cents an acre. This will produce about $700.00. I earnestly do hope we will not have to borrow any money for the Building. I also hope that we shall now very soon have a Sylvan School in operation.
Our Contractor (W.H. Watts) has been a Building Contractor for five years, in Edmonton.
T.S.
(82)
Oct 29th 1921
The Deputy Minister
Department of Education - Ed
Sir
re Teachers Salary
Our School is built at a cost of nearly $1500.00. The site and building is paid for, even to the last nail and the paint. Not a single cent is owing.
This through nursing and taking care of our money through the years when the School was not operated. The School was opened Sept 12th and I paid the Teacher for September month i.e $60.00. But, we have no money left and the greater part of the 1921 Taxes are paid. NW24-53-4-5, with School Taxes against it amounting to $154.85 was purchased by the Morthern M.D. last Fall.
I hold a written promise from their Sec. Treas. (sent last year) to pay this money to us this Fall when the period for redemption would expire. (end of p.83)
2)
We had depended upon this for our Teachers October & November salary. But through the extension of the Tax Enforcement redemption period we shall not receive this $154.85 until next April.
What are we to do?
We have a good Teacher, instructing eight children, and he must be paid somehow. My Board respectfully asks you to loan us the money to do this until the time when our new Taxes come in, early next year.
If you consent I presume you will pay our Teacher direct and not through us.
We agreed to pay him $84.00 each full teaching month - $4.00 a day - October salary is now due. -
Your obedient servant
Thomas Street
(85)