The morning call., 1893-08-04
A WASTEFUL SHOP
Political Heelers Pose as
Carpenters.
LABORERs WHO do NOT WORK
How the Bosses Rule a Division of
the School Department and Elk.
pend Its Money.

The downfall of the carpenter-shoD OF
the School Department seems to be at
hand. President Hyde of the Board OF
Education has begun an onslaught on 1t.
and the Indications are this easy-g0ln
institution, wherein ward->trikers have
been supported. will be closed. The pres
ident's communication to the board. rec
ommending that the wasteful shop shall
be abolished, will be considered by the
directors ia committee OF tho whole. ana
as the session of this committee Is TO De
secret the public will probably be Kept
ignorant as 10 what directors oppose the
closing of the shops. T at the proposition
will be fought vigorously by some OF the
directors in committee is certain. Several
OF the directors have each put one or I"
friends or political favoriteS on the pay
roll of the carpenter-shop. The chairman
of the committee which controls tnls
division of the department has gwen sew,
eral friends positions there. Inere VIII
be opposition to abolishing this patronage.
but it Is supposed that the fight Will not be
carried into the open meeting OF the board.
When the opposing directors flnd tnat tney
nre outnumbered they Will not care 10
wage useless contest Of this character In
public. 1t is thought that at the committee
meeting enough votes to shut up the shop
will lie obtained.
Mr.. HYDE was asked yesterday about the
abuses in the shop. In response to qurs-
ton as to the system on which it is con-
Quoted he said:
"The ommittee on buildings and
grounds employs a force of laborers and
mechanics The chairman OF the commit
tee practically has full control and EN-
ploys or discharges the men. The annual
appropriation Of $4,000 for repairs of
buildings has been generally exceedsd:
The board as such has had no control OF
the expenditures. A certain sum for sx-
penditure has been allowed each month
under the one-twelfth act. and its dis
burscment has been entrusted entirely TO
the chairman of the committee. The d.
rectOrs have not known what work has
been going on in the snop, and it was not
considered etiquette for them TO Inquire.
The bills, when Endorsed by the commit
tee each month, have been paid without
question.
1.-THE carpentsr-shop was organized
about fifteen years ago and as the bosses
ran II the main fight in the organization Of
the Board of Education used to be to got
the Oh ship Of the committee which
controlled IL. The chairman gave places
TO such men as the bosses sent him. FIRE.
Quently men were put in the shop before
the chairman's consent was obtained.
They were sent by the bosses to the head
carpenter and he put them on the ROLL
The chairman was not at liberty to direct
the hours of work or movements OF the
men. Before each election a large num-
Der Of men were put on the payroll, their
only duty being to do political work for
the boss who put them there. The school
buildings were neglected. IL has been
common rumor that notorious boss used
the labor and material Of the carpenter
shop IN the erection Of one of his fine resi-
dences."
when l was elected president Of the
board in 1891 it became my duty to exer-
else general supervision over the depart
ment. though l had no actual power tn
remedy the abuses. Seeing the wasteful
system / tried unsuccessfully to have the
force abolished and the work done by con-
tract The workmen were sent out with
out supervision, and principals told me
they idled away their time. There could
be no adequate supervision. tor the chair
man of the committee was . business man
and the head carpenter could b. only in
one place a. time. Tho law forbdding
the expend iturs Of more than $500 without
advertising for bids was 50 constantly
violated that 1t became dead letter"
As an instance Of tho extravaganza Mr..
Hyde said that an addition which the car
penter-shop nnt on the Boys High School
cost $4,000. Under a succeeding aduinis-
trntion a precisely similar addition was
put on the other side OF the school. This
work was done by contract for $1,000, only
half as much as the other cost
An add tlonal allowance of $4,000 for
immediate repairs was made by the Super
visors in 1892. The Board Of Education
had thus $4,000 for the carpenter-snop.
| and spent S62. 000 Every year the appro-
priation of $4,000 has been exceeded. Mr.
Hyde believes that the work can be done
for $4,000. Last fall he sent circular to
the principals asking them to report wha t
schools with the large appropriation and
what were needed. There appeared" he
said, ito be much more needed than had
been accomplished"
The men are paid each month. tn.
labsrers At the rate OF So 80 day, the car
pentsrs So SO. the assistant head rpenter
81 80 and the head carpenter $3.50 aInoEth
mo business man would emp va force
by the month and send tho men out with
out supervision to distant parts of the city
Tor little jobs: necessitating much time to
reach there" said Mr.. Hyde. II have
met carpenter-shOp men Oh the streets
who said. when questioned. that they
were engaged at distant schools and were
going back to tho carp-nter-shop to get
some little article needed. l nave seen
these men struggling into schoolyard to
begin work at 80 or 9 in the morning.
and when have called at school at 80
or have found them just fin shing their
MONDAY smoke. Being placed there where
they were by politicians or members of
the board, they felt independent enough to
do as they pleased. The other day prin-
cipal told me that during the last admins
tration gang of men spent long time
putting mp at his school a bulkhead that
was not needed. and that up to now he ad
not been able to get gate hung.t The
system is what is wroDg."
Being asked what new system he pro-