The San Francisco call., 1908-09-19
PARENTS OBJECT
TO SCHOOL SHACkS
Telegraph Hill Improvement
Club Calls Meeting to
Register Protest
Garfield Building Is Delayed and
Children Are Huddied in
Dilapidated Stores

The residents of Telegraph hill are
up in arms and intend to commence
at once a campaign which they hope
will result in obtaining for the chill
dren of that section a respectable
building for the Garfield school. The
structures now occupied by the school
are most primitive and the children
are huddled together in unventilated
rooms during school hours, while dur
except the sides of very steep and
filthy hills.
The Telegraph Hill Improvement
club has called mass meeting to be
held in its clubhouse today, and it is
expected that practically all the par
ents of that section will attend. Plans
will be formulated for carrying on the
campaign and bringing the matter to
the attention of the proper authori-
ties. An ideal site for the proposed
new school building has been purchased
at the corner of Kearny and Filbert
streets.
Investigation yesterday disclosed the
fact that there are more than 500 chill
dren attending the Garfield school, and
a teaching staff of II. Glasses are held
in six different buildings. three OF
which are frame, constructed since the
fire, and the remainder dilapidated
groceries.
CONDITION OF BUILDINGS
In one room in the main building
there were 81 children and the teacher.
The room measures 1S by "a feet. There
is a window feet square on one side.
which abuts on hill, so that the only
light comes from the other side. The
walls are bare planks, and overhead
are the rafters. Two other buildings,
similar to this, are crowded on the
same lot All the buildings are built
on foundations of upright posts.
Conditions in the three outlying
ond grade is housed in dilapidate1
structure, formerly used for store
There are 46 children in the room,
which measures "A by 20 feet. A brick
chimney 3 feet square occupies the
center of the room; in one corner is an
unpainted kitchen sink; the walls are
badly in need of repair and the room
is lighted by two dingy windows.
The climax of unfitness is reached in
class A I'd, which occupies the fiimsiest
kind of structure at the corner of
Montgomery and Filbert streets. In
one room in this shack are literally
packed 81 children, seven of whom oc-
cupy soap boxes for seats. Besides the
doors there is one half window to af-
ford light and ventilation for this room
and the stencil yesterday afternoon,
just before dismissal, was sickening.
The dimensions of the room are Il feet
by Is.
SUPERVISORS ARE BLAMED
When asked concerning the matter
last evening President Boyle of the
board of education stated that the
matter was entirely in the hands of
nrxyiC a hnard
had recommended, four months ago,
that Garfield school should be the first
one constructed out of the money on
hand. He was informed at that time
by Loring P. Rixford, chairman of the
committee on buildings. that there was
$4,000 on hand to devote to this pur-
pose.
In spite Of this. nothing has been
done, and when the new bonds were
voted no provision was made for the
Garfield school because of the fact
that the board believed there was
enough in the old fund to defray the
expense of new hlilding.
Speaking of the hnatter last night,
Loring P. RiXford, chairman of the
building committee of the board of
supervisors. said:
There is trouble over the land on
which the school is to be erected, and
nothing can be done until that is set
tied. In regard to. the appropriation
for the school, I believe there will be
some surplus from the old fund, and
this together with the $4,000 premium
on the new bonds, will afford sufficient
money to defray the expense of the
new school"
Rixford could not say when actual
work on the new building would be
commenced.