The San Francisco call., 1897-10-01
An Important Change in
the Rules Of the School
Directors.
1t Gives a Newly Made Com
mittee Unlimited Authority
to Spend Money.
The Solid Contingent Can Find Lu-
crative Employment for All
Their Friends.

Another neat little scheme to spend the
taxpayers money for the benefit of few
tried and true friends of the Solid Nine in
the School Board has manifested Itself,
and unless something can be done to
check il there Is no saying TO what limits
il will be carried.
The plan originated in the fertile brain
OF Mr.. Waller couple of months ago, and
when be explained its beauties to his con-
freres a murmur of admiration such as
Spartacus may have heard when he ad-
dressed the gladiaiors ran through the
little band in caucus assem- bled.
There was no proviso IN the rule that
Mr.. Waller be made chairman OF the COM
mittee, but this, OF course, was under
stood. 1t seems also to have been under.
stood that the committee be he sole
judges of when and whore the experts
would be needed and how many would be
req uired. There seemed 10 be absolutely no
necessity OF getting the sanction of the
board Ii Mr.. Waller or bis fellow COM
mitteemen wanied twenty health in
spectors at $50 per ay they could go ahead
and hire them-the board would foot the
dill.
This was the resolution as offered, but
Mr.. Head was not satisfied with il and 10
the surprise OF the Solid Nine had the
audacity 10 express his opinion on the
So bjec..
He could see no necessity of appoln tin g
! health inspectors for the school buildin gs
when the board already has one in the
person OF John O'Brien, wEo is paid for
| doing this work. Besides this, each prin-
cipal and teacher is supposed 10 look after
the sanitary condition of the rooms unCe er
lDeir care and report any little d discrepan
| cies which they may note. Then there is
D. IL 8 Il l.
city, having in its employ a surplus of In
spectors, whose jurisdiction certainly ex-
tends over the public school buildings and
who would be only too willing to under
take the task of making periodical inspec-
tions.
Mr.. Head was supported by Messrs.
Armer and Derham, and through their ef-
iorts the resolution was amended and car
ried with the provso that no expense be
incurred by the Inspection. This proviso
was all right as long as il lasted, but il
only lasted until the next meeting of the
board, when 1t was stricken out, giving
the committee all the latitude II wanted.
And the Solid Nine smiled benignly and
winked at one another
The next move was a perfectly natural
one, in fact the only one that could be ex.
rected under the circumstances. 1t was
the presentation of Two bills, one by ]. ID.
Costigan, the other by c. L. Shilling, for
$l33 80 each, Tor inspecting school build
ings during the past forty days.
Mr.. Head attempted to raise a storm
over this, and asked what these gentle
men bad done for their money. He was
brushed aside as uncstent atiously as a
Jerseyman brushes aside mosquito, but
with persistence which would be high hly
credltabe TO the musical little insect he
insisted on being answered.
Finally the answer came from Waller in
lf-you- m must-know-you-must way, The
gentlemen visited all the school buildin IS
and adjusted the shades in some of the
roomsi'
This, then, is what ins pectors at a sal.
ary OF $lOO per month are required for.
For who caanot see the necessity of an
experienced man to adjust window cur
talns and look at therm ometers? Think
OF the horror with which parents would
view their offspring coming from school
sneezing with cold, owing to neither the
principal, the teacher nor the ianitor
knowing at what temperature to keep a
schoolroom; or with astigmatic eyes or
eyes looking different ways, owing 10 i'm
proper light. Truly, these are serious
questions and well worthy OF considera-
ton.