Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-31
WILL TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION
BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY
ABANDON SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
Meeting to Be Held This Afternoon
to Consider Fire Chief
Belts Report.

To take action on .he report of Fire
Chief Belt. which declares that conditions
at the Mccormick and Potomac school
buildings are extremely dangerous in the
event of fire, special meeting of the
board of education will be held this after
noon at 4:30 o'clock. The report on the
conditions will be read, and the board
will decide whether to order the closing
of the two buildings. 1t is regarded as
not unlikely that it will be decided to
stop the use of the buildings for school
purposes. at least until the weather shall
become warm enough for the pupils to
do without fires.
A special meeting of the committee on
buildings of the board of education was
held yesterday afternoon, and the situa-
ton regarding the two condemned schools
was thoroughly discussed The members
of the committee do not want to turn
the pupils out entirely. it is understood
In the absence of SuDt A. T. Stuart
Asst. Supt. p. NJ. Hughes was instructed
to find out what disposition can be made
OF the pupils of these schools should the
buildings be closed. Assistant United
States Attorney Stuart Mcnamara. coun-
sci for the. board. has been asked to de-
termine whether halliday sessions for
the pupils can he provided under the
be made to the committee this afternoon.
and the report of the committee will later
be submitted to the board at the special
meeting.
Reception of Belts Report.
The report of Fire Chief Belt was re-
ceived from the Commissioners by Capt.
James F. Oyster, president of the school
board. this morning. After reading the
$oto =.
gerous that it is not safe to have school
children in them, and so bad that they
cannot be made safe. he determined that
immediate action was necessary. 4 con-
sultation between President Oyster and
Commissioner Mcfarland followed. and
the result is that the board will take the
matter in hand.
An appropriation for new quarters for
the Potomac School was asked this year
of the House committee which considers
the District appropriations. it is declared.
and the board maintained at that time
that the building was the worst now in
use for school purposes in the District.
THE Commissioners have asked us to
prepare the proper estimates to remedy
the conditions complained of by Fire
Chief Belt" stated Capt. J. F. Oyster this
morning 1--WE submitted our estimates of
the money required to make the school
buildings of the District safe some time
ago. We were then aware of the condi-
tons at the Mccormick and the Potomac
buildings. and our estimates cover those
buildings. The report of Fire Chief Belt
simply justifies the position of the board
of education in asking for large sum of
money to make the buildings safe.
Delay in Construction.
I'VE are put in a predicament in regard
to the Mccormick school. on account of
the delay in completing the new building
for which money was appropriated in
1906. To be sure. the building has been
started. but it will not be ready for oc-
cupancy for school purposes for six
became available. The District author
tiles who have charge of the construction
maintain that all that time is necessary
but surely a private builder would not
require two years to put up a row of fiat
houses"
Capt. Oyster was asked rega riding the
reductions in the District budget. as re-
ported to the House yesterday from the
District committee.
Il am sorry they saw fit to cut our esti-
mates much" he stated. What we
asked for. / think. was absolutely needed
for the proper conduct and housing Of the
local schools.
for repairs from 10000 to $1,000 The
trouble has been that the appropriation
has been too small. and the school build
ings have, therefore, not been kept up as
they should have been. To bring them UP
to their proper condition the larger appro-
priatiOn, as asked by the board, is neces-
sary."