New-York tribune., 1901-03-16
NO NEED FOR MULLER SITE
RICHMOND ALREADY HAS ONE, AND
MONEY FOR HIGH SCHOOL.
CITIZENS TO MEET AND PROTEST AGAINST
WASTE OF MONEY ON Insult
ABLE PROPERTY.

public meeting of the citizens Of the Bor-
! oueb Of Richmond is likely to he held-in the
near future. 10 put check II possible to the
carving out Of the plans to build a public
high school on the undesira BILE site at Jay and
Wall sts St. George Staten Island Punic IN
dignation over the purchase Of this property
which is owned by Nicholas Muller. III" Demo
cratic boss of Richmond County, is spreading,
and citizens are asking who was responsible for
the selection Of such site. and why a large
sum should be taken from the appropriation for
the borough public schools to buy the site when
many public spirited citizens Of the borough
voted to raise funds for a public high school
and succeeded in getting $4,000 for the pur-
pose some years ago. With part Of the money
a parcel of land the island was bought for
a site and there remained a surplus Of S9oooo
This was turned over to Controller Coler to hold
as trustee The money was obtained ana the
site chosen for the school before Richmond
became part of the city.
The most surprising thing about the purchase
Of the Tnley property apart from the fact that
IL IS one of the most unsuitable plots OF srouhd
on Staten Island for school, as The Iripnhe
clearly showed yesterday, is wanton waste 'l
,,,h,ic moneys From time to time it has been
announced that the public school system was
badly Handicapped account Of insufficient
funds and under such conditions many chill
dran suffered for want of thorough training.
These facts are known in every school district
In the Borough Of Richmond, and especially to
those whose duty il is to see that every doiiar
for the public school system is spent in the pest
wav The site that Of the school districts
of tho horough bought for the proposed high
school was almost on the highest point on Rlch-
mond Heights. 1t is out Of the way OF the troll
lev cars and the railroad trains that continually
mass at jay and Wall SITS, St George. 1t is con-
sidered by persons whose opinion Is worth hav-
;rg n no an ideal site It did not cost the city
one cent The deed for this property is now in
noesession Of Controller Coler, besides the
500 600 for the erection Of building on IT,
The property owned by the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad. the Tilley site is to under
go a great change in a short time. The changes
will make the Tilley property worse site than
now for public high school. There VIII then
be a steep embsnkment between the railroad
tracks and one of the streets leading to the
school And there will be more tracks near the
school more trains will pass each day. and the
noises will be increased almost hundredfold.
The place is also declared to be an unsantary
one Almost daily complaints about the odors
from the factories on the Jersey side are made
by persons living near by
Reon Barnes. who has office at No. IL
Pine-st and has been resident Of Staten ISL
and for nearly thirty years, said yesterday that
the site offered by the Tammany boss Of Rich
mond Borough and selected for the new high
school building at ST George Staten Island.
was unsuitable because of its remoteness from
the centre of population it's juxtapostion TO
freight yard a set of coal pockets and a rail-
road and ferry terminal, with all the smoke.
dust and gases incident to territory
pied In addition" said he there is another
raason for ite unsuita biiity. he Su1Oka
and gas from the copper and zinc plants and
the works Of the Standard Oil Company which
are on the opposite side of the XIII Won Kull
This nuisance is detrimental not only to the
property but to the health of the people Of New
Brighton and St George and so we'll known
that the general government at Washington has
been petitioned to aid in it's abatement"
After Richmond County incorporated in
the city limits Mr.. Barnes was delegated to
turn over to Controller Coler in trust for high
school purposes the deed to the site purchased
and the balance collected for the erection of the
school-S90O00. Controller Coler took the
money and the deed. and gave Mr.. Barnes
receipt for it. The money has never been used
as intended. and Mr. Coler. Mr.. Barnes says.
has made an effort TO use it for other purposes.
The question of his right to do this has been in
the courts 70. some time. decisions up to the
present time being favorable to the people OF
Richmond. who want the money used for the
purpose for which It intrusted to Con-
troller Coer
Not many residents of Staten Island would
talk yesterday about the choice Of the Muller
site Mrs George William Curtis, president of
the Staten Island Branch of the Public Edu-
cation Society, said:
This question has been discussed by our So
ciety and do not know what the other members
| rrryJrprpfrS DAILY TRAIN TO CALIFORNIA