Whole Town's Talking: Slater part 1

hello Nick this master control Slater coming up on monitor for standby okay waiting for fuel go Ahead's later aisle this is dick Hartley and you're looking at slate populations 600 a farm trading center for miles off u.s. highway 69 in central islands in cider the whole town's talking down at the grocery store Kermit granted is saying that it's either a new gym or nothing and if it's nothing the town might as well fold up over the phone mrs. head twist warns the people of Slater to stop thinking about basketball and start worrying about what's going into their children's head and it is office on main street all dr. Z Burton says that it's later wants to stay on the map the people must build something the town will be proud of for the next 100 years march six 1952 to Slater Iowa a town with a problem comes television to catch the face and voice of America itself this place is famous for its spirit and it's basketball team tonight in this gymnasium before the eyes of the television cameras and the entire quarter million doing audience of wo ITV the citizens of Slater have come together to talk over a serious problem their school needs a new gymnasium with a larger floor and more CC basketball means a lot to these people it ties our community together gives the towers theory gives the children something to fight for cheerful but some of these children must go to classes in this old wooden grade school built around the time of the spanish-american war and the people are wondering at this building which was good enough for them when they went to school is still good enough for their children in exactly four days on monday marks tense these people will go to the polls in an official school election to vote for or against the new thirty five thousand dollars you make and so they call this meeting here tonight to ask themselves what is more important for their children and the life of their community a new gym or a new grade school built to also make their decision say that's Rex Khan farm editor the cedar rapids gazette to lead their meat mr. Swift this is the first school bond issue that we put up for a vote indicator for quite a while how are you going to mark your ballot for or against the new gymnasium I'm going to vote against this bond issue for a new gymnasium because I believe that they're seeing that it's more important is the education of our children if we have the financial status that would make it possible for us to build both a gymnasium and a great suit school I'd say fine go ahead but if we are to make a choice I think the great rooms come first well mrs. sweat I asked for your opinion because you represent the thinking of a lot of people in your town and because you've been about as close to school as any person in the community as smitten switz entire life in the pleasure community as centered around the school every May for the past 29 years he has clean seen the classes graduate and with four of those classes her own children graduate her daughter Katherine is in this picture he was a guard on Slater state championship basketball team two years ago these are wonderful memories and she won't forget him but there are other things she can't forget for as a former high school teacher as a member of the slightest school board for seven years and as a substitute teacher today he is constantly reminded as she walked through the halls and up for freaking chef of the inadequacies of a long ago outdated Slater grade school and though her life her children's life her family's life has been tied up in the spirit of the athletic teams in this latest schools he feels there was only one thing important in the issue would face with her town in the coming in like what is best for a joke the children must come first most the folks with Slater will agree with mrs. twist that the children must come first but they have some different ideas about what the town should build they Jem are these grade school dilshad how are you going to mark your ballot mix Monday I'm going to vote for the gymnasium I agree if we we're having a inadequate classroom space that we simply don't have the money to build a grade school buildings I think this gymnasium is a step in the right direction and i think it's a it's a plug for the town let's skip this program on the way let's don't wait we'll get to his classrooms later well there a lot of people in Slater who will back you up on that bill people who have had your faith in the town people who know the Slater school the way you do yes bill shout announcements when his school it's been the center of his entire life his life's been built around when he was a youngster he walked this way to school today a man with a family he still walks this way for he lives in a home across from the school and from here he operates a prosperous oil distributing business he travels many miles each day both in and around slate and as these services his neighbors as he carries on his business he sees and talks with many people his own people in his own to me bill child has been around the world but he came back to sleep because as he says there's not a town honors that has Slater's fish and doeshot knows because his oil business depends on the people of places and he sees and talks with him every day the ville shouts a new gymnasium must be built for if it is built it means Slater is building and the town and the people and the spirit are building but if the bond issue next Monday's defeated bill shout feels that more will be lost than just an election they'll shout what do you think it will mean for the town it's the gym is voted down lie believe that will be a blow to the town's progress later is facing a problem which I'm sure other communities in this I must be patient last building program we had was nineteen seventeen thirty five years ago the whole consequently our our school room and gymnasium facilities are inadequate Arjun Asians very narrow has no seating capacity the grade school buildings or to partly a wooden structure but it's modern this is modern as any school building was built before 1890 plan has been devised whereby we can increase our physical plant the keeper pace of our growing town the plan calls in two parts first we build a gymnasium and then we added the needed classrooms five or six needed classrooms in the space now occupied by the present generation now we any bond issue is limited so I say we can get the moment for what we've got to work with using this plan so monday now we're going to vote 35,000 only thirty five thousand dollars on the first step in this plan and i believe this is a step in the right direction i also believe a voting YES on monday mean a better school well mrs. twitter you've had four children go to the grade school and play basketball in high school you agree with Bill no I don't believe it so all this bond issue provides for is 35 thousand dollars for a gymnasium at the present time are need is greater for grade school than it is for a gymnasium the front part of our own grade suit building was built in eighteen and 87 the whole building is in poor condition the lighting in that was great building doesn't come up to state specifications we had two electricians estimates the cost of lighting that building properly and their estimates range from four hundred dollars of room and up according to the size of the room is I'm going to spend large sums of money on a building that we know will shortly be as replace ever since world war two conditions have been unfavorable for buildings and if the time has now come when we can build let us be sure we're doing the right thing let us think and plan wisely I agree the old gymnasium is woefully inadequate and I too wanted to let it have its proper place in our school program but because this bond issues does so little for I am in favor of voting down this bond issue and then at a later date let's present a new bond issue which will provide both for this gymnasium and for sufficient funds to reconvert the old gym and the old stage into the necessary classroom you