Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-14
COMMENT ON S1UARTS REPORT
DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY
FOR SCHOOL CONDITIONS.
Statement Issued by Commissioners
Regarding Boards Estimates.
for Repairs to Buildings.

After IedulnS tTe report or \. L. stuart
superintendent of pubic schools. regard.
ing inspection OF the Washington schools
I'm connection with protection from fire
and in which some reflection was made
about the me thods of the Commissioners
in this matter. Commissioner Macfarland
as president of the board Of Commissions
ers. made pubic the following statement:
The Commissioners will be glad to
have this report. and with the reports tina
will be made by the chief of the fire de-
paltment and the other District officials
who have been investigating the fire pro-
lection conditions in the public schools. IL
Will be valuable in their efforts to get
what is needed from Congress It must
be understood. however. that the law
distinct V provides and has provided since
1900 that all estimates for the public
schools shall be prepared by the board OF
education and transmitted by the Com
miss1oners to Congress with such recon-
mendations as they may deem proper
Duty Devolves on Board.
Unless and until the board of educa
ton submits new estimates to cover the
needs of the public schools the Commits
sioners cannot transmit them to Con-
gress. Whenever such estimates are re-
ceived they will be transmitted to Con.
sress as they have always been in the
past seven years. There is no reason fol-
any controversy over the facts which are
all in official records and published by
Congress. The Commissioners have be.
gun no controversy and oftsr no criticisms
but the facts must not be misrepresented
while the Commissioners now as always
are doing their utmost for the welfare OF
the public schools.
Let me state, therefore. that on page
6n'. Book of Estimates. House OF
Representatives Document No. II.
tifty-ninth Congress. second session.
the full estimates of the board of
education for the present fiscal year will
be found. while on page 434 of the same
Book of Estimates are the recommended
tons Of the Commissioners. In the Book
of Estimates for the next fiscal year
the full estimates of the board of educa
ton will be found at page 6a1 and the
Commissioners recommendations at page
100. Thus. as was clearly stated i'm the
letter on the subject to the board of
education of December 10. 1907. every
year the Commissioners have transmitted
every item of the board of education
estimates and have called the attention
of the appropriations committee to them
and then in their own estimates have
adopted so much OF the board of educa-
ton estimates as they could recommend.
''They have recommended every fire
protection estimate ever submitted by the
board Of education most Of these esti-
mates having been prepared in conse-
quence OF reports made by the chief of
the fire. department to the Commission
ers and transmitted to the board Of edu-
cation.
In Book of Estimates.
ANY one who will read the items in
the Book of Estimates will see that no
estimates have been submitted by the
board of education during the past two
years for fire escapes. fireproof STAIR
ways, fire extinguishers or any similar
items except for the continued installa-
ton of the telephone fire alarm system
begun on the commentator of the fire
department in 1901. The Commissioners
could not initiate any public school esti-
mates under the law. They can only
make mmendations on those SUBJ
mitted by the board Of education. Now,
as always. the Commissioners will recon-
mend to Congress any fire protection es-
Inmates that may be transmitted to them
and they Will continue to call the at
tention Of the board of education to any
facts reported TO them by the chief OF
the fire department or other District Of
fetal that call for such estimates
over appropriations the Commissioners
have no control and can only do their
best with them after they have been
made. Finally, the Commissioners will
cooperate with every effort to improve
the conditions. whether they are due to
lack of estimates or lack of appropria-
tons
To Be Considered by Board.
The report of Supt. Stuart regarding
the safety of the school buildings in the
event Of fire will be considered at the
next meeting of the board of education
Capt. Oyster. president of the board, to
whom the report was submitted. will pre-
sent it to the board and call for their
opinion as to what should be done 1t is
expected then that the ways and means
committee will take the matter in hand
and make estimates and recommends
lions to be submitted to the District Com
missioners and to Congress. providing for
the remedying of the dangerous condi-
tions. 1t was learned from a board MEM
Der today that the board will take active
steps in the matter.
Capt. j. +. Oyster. president of the
board, maintains that the board was last
year alive to many of the specific condi-
tions now complained of and their esti-
mates for appropriations for the year
covered many of the defects. But the
board estimates amounting to ST. 1854 .OOO
he says. were cut by the Commissioners
to $4,000 when submitted to Congress.
THAT is where the whole trouble is,
the president stated. Our estimates were
cut $9O0.G00 Yet we regarded our figures
as conservative. in view Of the conditions
in which We found the school buildings"