The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-07-10
BOARDS SIDE OF IT
H. F. T0RREY SAYS COUN-
GIL CAN'T DICTATE.
Declares Montclair School Board Is
Standing by Its Right Under Law
in New School Controversy.

Regarding the controversy between the
Montclair Board of Education and the
Montclalr Town Council regarding the ap-
preparation of money for the erection OF
the proposed new central grammar school
In that town, Henry F. Torrey. a member
Of the school board, today gave in brief
his body's side of the matter in the folN
lowing letter:
To the Editor of the Evening Star:
The Montclair Board of Education has
always until now worked in perfect har-
mony with the Montclair town authorities.
and the school system of Montclair mas
reputation second TO none In the State. The
board has always been guided in its official
action under the school law by conserVa-
tive legal advice. and its members desire
to comply fully with all the requirements
of that law.
The claims now being made by the
Mayor and Town Attorney for a new con-
struction Of the law. would, If assented
to by the Board of Education, put 1t in the
unique position of being the only board in
New Jersey which could not be trusted to
discharge its statutory duties without a
supervisory control by The Mayor and
Council of matters in which the law gives
them no voice.
The board naturally resents every effort
10 destroy the confidence of the people in
its work and motives, and I do not believe
there Is a member of the board who would
retain his office II he were satisfied that
such efforts would be successful
Allow me to correct some misconcep-
,tions and inaccurate statements which
have appeared:
but C. II. Hartshorne. of the well-known
Jersey City. firm of Hartshorne. Insley &
mesake Lake ;,t although s, Of course, this is
are represented by a Jersey man
Second-The Board of Education did not
PgPea pehe6 With the 9t 500 for vtsb ths SsS esn
propriated for other purposes" The Town
Council approved the purchase of the lot,
but wished to delay the issue of bonds
until they could also include the bonds for
erecting the school building. The Council
therefore. borrowed the money from the
bank and placed. II to the credit of the
Board of Educa tion for that purpose and
no other The board has held title to the
land for some years, and includes the
amount in its present call for an appro
priation simply to help the Council In its
bookkeeping to bring into the bond ap-
proprlation that amount. which has al
ready been expended in a perfectly legit-
Third-There has been no bid OF $23s.000
for building the new grammar school.
The Board of Education were ready to
erect the building for 900. and called
for that amount January a. 1907. The
Mayor insisted upon new bids, showing
the present cost for the building without
any changes to lower the expense, and
600 was the lowest estimate under
present conditions. Including the old item
of $22,500 for land made the amount s238,500
on the call for an appropriation March b,
1907 Your informant was therefore
making a vicious misstatement or was
inexcusably ignorant of facts when he
says that the board called for $260,600 for
these two purposes
Fourth-The Board OF Education never
asked the town attorney for an opinion
upon the points at issue. The president
of the board did ask him to put In writing
for the information of the board certain
constructions of the law which he had
stated verbally to the Board of School
Estimate.
The town attorney very kindly complied
with that request and the written opinion
then obtained was submitted TO the State
Superintendent of Schools. The opinion
of the State Superintendent. concurred In
by the Attorney General. agreed in every
item with the construction which our
board has always put upon the school
law uno.r the legal advice which we have
heretofore had and was directly opposed
to the claims of the Mayor and town at
torney upon every point of disagreement.
Fifth--The alleged claim of the Town
Council that $4,000 is wasted In ornamen.
tation and fancy work In the proposed
building was dlsproved by the failure OF
the critics to find items which would save
even $1,000 by the substitution of cheaper
materials or omission Of non-existent orna-
m nation
This memora ndum does not come from
the Board of Education, but is the per-
sona view of the writer and q protest
against unfair msstafements.
HENRY +. TORREY.
MnnfrIair II11v 1907