The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-04-13
NO EX RAVAGANCE
IN MANAGEMENT
Reply to Report of LegisIa
tive Committee
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n0. r0n rr naan
SCHOOL FOR TIE BLIND
Directors Say the Report Does Them
an Injustice.
THEY FILE A REPLY Mrp THE GOVERNOR
Horse and Carriage Were Bought Fer the Prin-
cipaI to go From One Scroll to An
other and Other institutions
Had Them.

reply OF the directors of the School
for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind in this
city to the report of the committee APP
pointed by the Legislature to examine
into the conduct and management of the
Institution was yesterday morning fled
with the Governor 1t is a4lengthy docu-
ment, discussing each of the criticisms
made by the committee in It's report, and
is signed by Thomas B. Womack, w N.
Jones and James A. Briggs. committee
OF board of directors.
After reciting the history and cause Of
the investigation, this committee goes
on. in it's reply, to call attention to the
fact that the legislative committee, in its
report to the Legislature, declared: The
class work and the care of these unfor
tuaate children is ell that could be ex-
peeted and we take pleasure in commend
ing the same" also that in concluding
It's second report it declared: I'VE re-
iterate the statement that the class and
department work is Thorough and com
plete. and after a visit and careful in
spoction Of every department we take
matrons and teachers in charge of the
several departments of this noble State
Charity"
AS sixteen OF the twenty five charges
made against the Institution referred to
class and department work, it would APP
pear from the foregoing extracts that
all OF these sixteen charges are found to
be ''unsustaned" Assuming that this is
true, the board does not trouble His Elk
ccllency with rchearsing the facts in re-
gard TO these charges, but calls his atten-
tian to the nine charges touching the
general conduct and executive manage
mCrt Of the institution.
the carriage was purchased. it is
stated to tae the place of an old one,
sold for SIS, and for the use OF the prin-
ciral: chat such carriage was necessary,
that all the other State institutions have
them. that this institution has two de-
partments one mile apart and neither on
the line CT the street cars
Il is stated that the principals coach
man. for whom a livery suit was bought,
has "a large number of other duties not
connected with the principal" Also that
the principals son John got only half-pay
fo.' services as bell boy during the sum-
mer, and his son Burton half the regular
stenographers pay for his services in that
capacity
As to the three mantels put in the
principals parlor and room, it is denied
mat they cost $43 each, and it is added:
TIE old ones were cracked and burnt
and not at ell suited to the public rooms
Of the institution or OF its principal
The tile floor cost S107.59 and not 1926,
and the reply thus justifies the expendi-
ture: This part of this building had
been refltted as authorized, by law and it
was necessary to get new carpet; such
new carpet, if OF the quality of the old
enc, would have cost some seventy or
eighty dollars. Upon these facts the board
CT directors thought it was the part of
wisdom to put in a tile floor in the place
of a carpet. as the floor would last for a
generation"
Touching the writing machine bought
and left under the porch unopened. the re-
ply says This machine was purchased
b. The old board, and has not been used
because the present board did not have.
the money to get the necessary equip
mcrt. and that it is as good as new, and
can be used whenever funds sufficient are
given to enable the institution to run
it,
Tie two or three apparent inaccuracies
IN regard to funds, in the annual report
of the directors and of the principal and
steward, are explained by other parts of
the report. which are quoted in the re-
ply
Here is one example:
The committee next criticises the prin-
cipal for saying we have no library,
whereas the committee found raised
letter library and the well-known Kelly
lltrary for the deaf and dumb at the col
ored department. If your Excellency will
read from page % of the principals re-
port you will find the following words
which will sufficiently answer this charge:
We require our teachers to read TO our
pupils every night, there being two classes
in reading. We have borrowed books u
I'll we have exhausted the supply tangi-
Bile We seriously need a small, select
library from which to draw for these
purposes. OF course the principal was not
speaking Of the raised letter library, but
Of a library that the teachers might use
in reading TO the pupils at night, at the
white institution, which he was then dis
cpssing The Legislature understood this
tor it gave an annual appropriation for
the library
Touching the exchange of organs by the
Institution and the Tabernacle Baptist
church. about which much has been said
the reply laid before the Governor has
this to say:
in reconstructing the cid chapel. as
authorized by the Legislature of 1889. it
became necessary to tear down the or
gen. The musical director and Others adj
vised the board that it would cost some
S2G0 to put it in place again that be-
cause of the size of the opening in the
auditorium (being too small for the or
gam changes in that building would have
10 be made at considerable cost in or
der TO use ii, and that in addition to all
these the organ was fatally defective in
its lower notes. In this condition of af-
fairs the board decided to sell the or
gan and appointed a committee composed
Of nleasrs. Hugh Morscn, Ivan Proctor
ard Jas A. Briggs TO see il a purchaser