The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-25
SCHOOL
DOORS TQSAVE ON
SUPPLYING LOCKS
Supervisor Of Repairs Aaron
Miller ReprOved by Board
of Education.
DOORS STILL FASTENED;
OFFICIALS AT ODDS
Children Would Be in Dangerous
Position in Event of Fire
in Building.

That Supervisor of Repairs Aaron
Miller, of the Board of Education, or
dered doors leading to the street in
public schools locked during sessions
was revealed by Chairman James
Taaffe, of the grounds committee of
the board. yesterday. and he severely
~cenSured the supervisor for this state
of affairs, and the committee ordered
the doors unbolted Immediately. In
case of fire, it was pointed out, the
children would be penned in a trap,
and it was limited pretty strongly by
the committeeman that possibly the
supervisor would have to answer fur
Their for the issuance of the order.
To-day, instead of fulfilling the order
Of the committee, the doors are still
locked. Consulting Engineer Knight, of
the board of education and Supervisor
Miller being in doubt as to who should
take the matter up, despite the fact
that after the censuring of the super
visor, the engineer was ordered, as
having charge of the janitors, to have
the doors Immediately unlocked.
The school is in Thirteenth avenue,
and Chairman Taaffe declared that two
doors were found boIted when the COM
mittee visited the school Monday.
MiIler's Explanation.
Mr.. Miller told the committee that
the doors were bolted as a matter of
economy, as the children often pushed
against the locks and broke them, and
that as the locks cost the board IS each
he ordered the doors locked until he
could find a lock that would not break.
The question was finally dropped at
the meeting by ordering the engineer to
see that all doors were unlocked. En-
gineer Knight, when asked if he had
ordered the doors unlocked, said that
"the matter would have to be looked
into further before anything was DONE
At the present time the doors at the
school are locked, Mr.. Miller putting
the responsibility up to Engineer
knight, and Knight putting it up to
Mr.. Taaffe could not be located today.
but it is understood that he and sew
eral other members of the board are
dissatisfied with the work of the new
of repairs.
Fairgrounds Commissioner William
McKiernan appeared before the COM
and asked that the board grant
permission for the use If a piece of
property at the corner of Van
and Warwick streets as a base
ball ground under the supervision of
the commission. This request called
forth a strenuous objection from School
Superintendent Poland. He said that
believed in Fairgrounds, but he did
not think the School Board should give
up any of its property to the commits
He thought the board should CO.
operate with the commission and con-
Fairgrounds themselves.
The matter was left in the hands of
a special committee.
Assistant City Attorney Charles M.
Myers rendered an opinion to the COM
in regard to the abatement of
the smoke and gas nuisance heal the
Street School. Mr.. Myers said
that the matter should be referred to
the Board of Health, as it came under
their supervision as a menace to public
A delegation from the Clinton Hill
Association asked the
committee to have an auditorium In
in the changes contemplated for
the Hawthorne School. When they
were told that it would be neces-
sary to go before the Board of Estimate
they said they did not care to do that.
and left the room.