The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-10
CHANCES HIS mind
Director Quinn Now Thinks
School No. IL is Per-
fectly Safe.
WILL BE OPENED MONDAY
Board of Education Hears
Mr. Ringle's Plan for Re-
pairing Schools Boiler
Insurance.

Henri D. Dickinson, Sanitary Engineer,
experimenting the improvements OF
School building No. z, reported to the
Board of Education that last night Neil
Campbell & Son. the contractors, have not
complied with the conditions of the ex-
tension of time granted them on the 17th
inst. All work except the concreting and
cement paving of the yard was TO have
been completed by the oath, yet there is
considerable to be done.
The only reply Mr.. Campbell will make
when spoken to about it is that the omis-
of the school. Mr.. Dickinson asked Tor
instructions as to what to do in the mat
ter and his communication was referred
to the committee on that school.
Director Quinn reported that School
No. u will be ready for its occupancy
by pupils on Monday, and that the news
paper had published alarming stories
about its condition which the facts do not
justify. The portions of the ceilings
which were unsafe have been removed
and the building is now in fair condition
and perfectly safe, he said.
Director Finn. of the committee on
School No. 90 reported having held a
conference with the Board of Finance
the proceedings at which have been al
ready published in 1.-The News" He then
stated that short time ago not one of
the twenty-three boilers in the schools in
this city was insured, but now all are,
an insurance of 100000 having been effected
for two years for $40O
The insurance comapny, he said, has
the boilers inspected every month and
they are thus kept in a safe condition
The boiler of No. 20 School was recently
overhauled and fitted with seventy new
tubes and it is now in first class condi-
tion At the time of burning of school
building No. 20 there was a scarcity Of
water Mr.. Finn suggested that the Board
should request the Street and Water
Board to place hydrants in close prox-
iminity to every school building.
The committee on No. 20 were empower
ed have cleared away the debris from
the site of school building No 20, that the
preliminary work for the erection of a
new building may be commenced as soon
Director higgins of the Committee on
Legislative Enactments reported that the
committee had visited Trenton to urge
the passage of three bills, one providing
for the erection OF a new High school,
one for the erection of new School No.
20, and the other providing for appro-
priations to be used in cases of emer-
gency Assemblyman Wood had intro
duced a bill allowing the expenditure of
s3oO,OO0 yearly fol. the, eEection OF new
school buildings, but the committee ID de-
sired to have the amount placed at $780,
000 and he believed 1t would be so amend
ed and passed.
A wrong impression is abroad, he said,
semblyman Murphy, for the erection of
School No. 20. The bills provided for
100000, and as it was stated that the new
buildings would cost only about 100000, it
was charged that the bill made an uli-
necessary and extravagant provision 1t
is not intended to spend S209,OC0 for the
erection OF any building, but that amount
is simply used as limit which is required
and not the sum to be expended, to re-
move all objection to the bill it has been
amended by making ,,I the iII limit Sl5o,9go. eou
unusual cares and will obViate the neces-
sity for the passage of a special act to
cover particular cases. The money which
the bill for the erection of No. 20 pro-
vides is intended for the erection of two
school buildings, one a large and elegant
building and the other smaller one. The
committee believe that all these bills will
be passed next week and will go to Tren-
ton again next Monday night.
Finance Commissioner Jacob Ringle
paid the Board of Education a visit last
night. Mr.. Ringle is great believer in
and advocate of the advancement of the
public school system. He wants the
school buildings kept in good sanitary
as well and with as little cost to the city
Since Mr. Ringle has been in the FL
nance Board there has been rouble about
raising funds for the repair Of the build
ings. His idea, as told in ''The News
yesterday, is to engage an architect.
have the SCI seh99s s Eus n6e 6efqpe p
the work. He believes such plan
would result in the Improvement of the
schools and the saving of considerable
It was to talk over his proposition that
Mr.. Ringle went to the Board meeting
last night What is thought of the prop
4 am opposed to Mr.. Ringle's plan, !
said President Firm. Il see no use OF
going to the expense of engaging an
architect In my opinion the members OF
the Board of Education are quite COM
petent to attend to all affairs pertaining
to public schools. No man is better
qualified to ascertain what schoolhouse
requires than the principal.
tsThe director having charge of the
school consults with the principal from
time to time and in that way just what
is required is ascertained. 1t has been
my experience on one or two occasions
lately that some of the directors better
estimated the cost of repairs to build
ing than men who posed as experts.
"Our school buildings are in bad shape
| that is, some are-and it is my firm be-
| lief that an architect cannot run through
| them and find out just what is wanted
nearly as well as a man who inspeets
| them at least once every month. Orr
| present system of repairing schools is al
| right if the Board of Finance will only
| give us money when we ask it. The
| principal difficulty is the delay.
1--WE report as soon as we discover any
| thing that needs repairing. If repairs
! were made at once the city would be
| the gamer. But it usually happens that
! there is delay and the break or damage
1 spreads until it costs twice as much as
| it would if it had been given prompt at
| tentian.
| 1T never happens that we do not know
| what repairs are necessary by vacation
| time A good plan is for the Finance
Board to inspect the schools with us, and
4 then meet promptly, give US the money
| and have the repairs made while the
4 schools are closed.
"An expensive architect will not bene-
| fit matters any"
| Director higgins is not of the same
! opinion as President Firm. He says
II think l am voicing the sentiments
| of the majority of the Board when say
| that they all agree with Mr.. Ringle
about the appointment of an architect
/ OF course 1t will mean one more person
| on the payroll, but in the end the city
will doubtless be the gamer. An archi-
| tect, for instance. can discover just what
| is required and If the Finance Board will
| agree to abide BY the recommenda lions
| of the architect everything will be plain
Mr. Ringle was asked If he woult
1 pledge himself for the Board of Finance
but he hesitated and told us he was ap
! pearing as an individual and not as {
| representative Of the Finance Board
The best thing to do under ex-
/ said, SIS to confer with the Finance
1 l(sournissioners and settle lust what viii