30

III

AT THE UNIVERSITY

Arrangements "for the Duration"

These emergency arrangements enabled the school work to go
on for about five weeks. Then, when permission was granted for
the reopening of pubic schools without the strict regulations
concering numbers, President Shepard renewed his search for
semi-permanent quarters. There wassome discussion of sharing
the facilities of McKinley High School, but nearness to both radio
stations with possible extra hazard in case of air attack, and the
necessity of accepting an afternoon session following the regular
McKinley classes, made this seem undesirable. When, therefore,
the University of Hawaii offered a part of its campus for the use of
Punahou, an almost ideal arrangement seemed to be possible.
The war had cost the university heavily in enrollment, and so it
agreed to free the Teachers' College building with its annex for
the use of the Academics. Adjacent to this part of the campus
was the newly completed Castle Memorial Kindergarten, unused
since the emergency, and beautifully adapted to the needs of the
Elementary School. The lower elementary groups were left where
they were, but the rest of the school came together once more as a
unit. Terms of the University-Punahou lease included the use of
these buildings and of the athletic field, the track, tennis courts,
and swimming tank whenever arrangements could be made without
interfering with teh needs of the university students. For all
these privileges rental was set at $2000 monthly. The figure for
the second year was raised to $2500 to cover additional laboratory
and library facilities and the use of Farrington Hall for assemblies
and for the school play. At the same time the rental of the Puna-
hou campus was reduced to $12,500. Thus, the school had $10,000
a month, net, to apply on the annual deficit and to cover the
losses entailed by a suddenly shrinking enrollment. Teachers'
contracts could be made with some assurance and the financial
uncertainties of the first war weeks were lessened.

Controversy raged outside Punahou on nearly every item of
these business arrangements. It was even rumored that the occu-
pation was made by mistake as the Engineers took a wrong turn
when heading for the university. this tale was repeated near the
close of the war, when a mainland commentator revived the stories
of the "Blitz." Colonel Wyman seems to have been correct, how-
every, in claiming to act under the authority of General Walter E.
Short. One of the older alumni announced in public, that if he had
been a trustee the army would have entered the campus only "over

20