The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-11
100000 PUPILS ON PART TINE.
STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS DISAS-
TROUSLY AFFECT SCHOOLS.
Board OF Education Appeals to Unions
and Employer Associations to Al.
low All school Buildings to He Com.
pieted-No Seats nj All for Some.

Board OF Education Appeals to Unions
and Employer Associations to Al.
low All school Buildings TO He Com.
pieted-No Seats Mt All for Some.
The first official estimate as to the num-
Der of children that will be obliged to go
into part time classes when the public
schools open tomorrow was given out
yesterday. 1t exceeds any estimate that
has hitherto been made public. Chair
man Richard H. Adams Of the building
committee OF the Board OF Education de-
olared that more than 100000 children
would get only part time schooling for
some time at least. 81.
He expressed that opinion In letter
he wrote to President Charles l.. Eidlitz
Of the Employers Association and to Presi-
dent William r. Mason OF the Building
Trades Alliance. He made strong appeal
to them to cooperate with the Board Of
Education In pushing forward the oon-
struotion of new schools, the work on which
has been stopped by strikes and lockouts
in the building trades.
Mr.. Adams described in his letter the
present situation in reG d to providing
more school accommodation for the chill
dren. He wrote thai the Board Of Educa-
ton had made contre cts for new buildings
and additions to OLE schoolhouses which,
when completed. would furnish sittings
for So es5 pupils. This total was divided
as follows.
Manhattan, 81 buildings giving $500
sittings; The Bronx, 10 buildings, with 10 $50
sittings; Brooklyn, 10 buildings, with 1856
sittings; Queens, IL buildings, with 1O,75O
sittinRs, and Richmond, 5 buildings, with
$50 sittings.
1t was expected that OF this total 10000
sittings would be ready by Sept. IL, but the
labor troubles have upset all calculations.
there will be only 1920 new sittings, d.
vided as follows: Manhattan, 900; Brook
Ign, IL, 600; The Bronx, 900; Queens, 900,
and Richmond 600.
The building committee Of the Board Of
Education had mapped out building
contemplated adding 24,975 new sittings
to the school accommodation. The con-
tracts were let in sufficient time to have
the buildings completed this summer.
In fact the time Of completion set in some
Of the contracts expired long ago, but the
strikes and lockouts in the building trades
interfered 80 seriously with the work OF
construction that the buildings are not
yet finished
Some Of the buildings were nearly COM
strike. The sanitary plumbing was stopped
and then the plasterers had to wait. The
electrical engineers went on strike through
sympathy and then the carpenters and the
painters quit work, and the partly COM
pleted school houses remained deserted,
while the school population kept increasing,
Chairman Adams says that more than
half of the buildings should have been
entirely finished before this date, according
to contracts. The committee on buildings
now expects TO have the 24,875 sittings
ready by Feb. /. Manhattan will have
$3.50 Of the number and Brooklyn will get
e,325. Then $500 will 60 to Queens. 400
to The Bronx and 600 to Richmond
To show how important was the expected
completion of these new buildings in the
scheme to provide for the children 1t was
pointed out that IL the "a ,975 sittings we're
less pupils in part time classes, as sitting
accommodates two part time pupils. With
the present labor troubles continuing there
is no assurance that these buildings will be
ready even by Feb. /.
There will in all probability be something
like 100 900 children on part time on Monday
next and this condition Of affairs is due more
e tsGe the az SO data e.
exception in , the ease Of public schools being
The. work on the public schools is so very
small as compared with the whole work on
pu bile and private buildings in the city that
We cannot see why continuing work on the
schools should affect the principle that either
you or the labor organizations are striving
for.
We ask that you make an exception in favor
Of the schools and we ask II in the name Of
thousands of children in our city who must
otherwise get an imperfect training, and,
furthermore, with many there will be diff
Guilty In getting into school at all.
IL is only by completing the contracts al
ready entered
existing congestion. Unless you and the
labor organizations help TO relieve che stu
ton. 1t must grow worse even than 1t is at
present.
Mr.. Adams wrote to Mr.. Eidlitz that he
had sent copy Of the letter to the labor
organizations and he hoped that the en-
ployers and the labor organizations would
come to some understanding to let the con-
struction Of school buildings 60 on with all
possible rapidity.