Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-16

expenditures to the Gripping point, SO that
1t is to be assumed that that will not be
done, but that the Commissioners plan Of
dealing with the matter will be adopted.
1T cannot be too frequently emphasized
that if We had nothing but the current ex-
penditures to provide for our revenues
would be far larger than our needs. and
that there is no deficiency of revenues eX-
demands of the extraordinary projects else
where always financed separately by loans
and SO paid for gradually. and not cur
rently.
The completion of the filtration plant
sewage disposal system, and the Connect
cut avenue bridge, have reduced the esti-
mates for extraordinary projects.
Suburban Trunk and Service Sewers.
THE Commissioners are following up
their recommendations for suburban trunk
and service sewers for. the territory outside
of the city not covered by the sewage dis
posal system.
THE largest item in the estimates for
current expenditures, as usual, is that for
the public schools. In that item the Com
missioners include an. increase OF over
twenty per cent in recommendations Tor
school buildings and grounds. a total
amount Of 1921, Alb. They recommend that
action be deferred on projects for other
new buildings for which the board of edu-
cation estimated 1914 600. This is done on
the ground that Congress having created a
speciat commission to examine all school
buildings and report what changes ana ao-
ditions should be made, neither the Com
missioners nor Congress can act inteiIgent-
ly on the propositions covered by the esti-
mates aggregating $SAOOO until that COM
mission makes it's report, since they are all
liable to be altered after that report has
been made. In the estimates of the boaro
of education approved by the Commission
ers after they had gone over al the boaro
estimates with the president and other rep
resentatives of the board, provision IS MADE
for all the propositions not likely to be az
fected by the report of the building com
mission including the extension of the
Emery, Cage Petworth and Langdon
schools, the replacing Of the Mott Schooi
building with a modern structure on an ex,
tended site, the purchase or addltioIal
ground for .the NJ Street High School, the
Armstrong Manual Training School, the
Morgan and Lovejoy schools, the Seaton
and Adams Schools, and for sites tor new
schools in the northwest and the northeast>
The Commissioners are DESTROYS to see the
school facilities increased rapidly as Is
necessary and possible, but they could not
make recommendations winch might nave
to be entirely altered or abandoned after
the report of the building commission was
made They feel, moreover, that the rec
concentrations which they have made Will
meet the pressing necessities of the school
system as rapidly as would be possible IN
any event.
Renting Rooms for Schools.
1.-THE Commissioners did not approve the
board of education estimate for renting,
rooms to provide full-day schools for
scholars in the first and second grades,
believing that children under eight years
of age should not be kept in school all
day, but that they get all the education
their young brains ought to have In hail
days schooling, and should be playing al
home or in the open air the rest OF the day
The Commissioners also d.sapprove the
boards estimate to provide free text BOOKS
for INDECENT high school pupils. on the
ground, first, that no class distinction ought
to be made in our public schools contrary
to their essential democracy, and, second,
that parents who are able to keep their
children in the high schools are able TO
provide the necessary text books, which
cost only few dollars year.
THE Commissioners will transmit In their
estimates as supplemental to their recon-
mendations the full text of the estimate
of the board of education.
"And what I have said about the esti-
mates is exclusive of those for the water
department, which is self-supportfng
through the water rents, and will carry
from now on the cost Of installing water
meters in the residences.