Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-11

men. (See page 557, sec 40, statutes and
amendments to codes.)
The boulevard to San Pedro or right of
way, should not be less than 200 feet wide.
The condition of the tunnel leading to the
court house from New High street is not only
lnsanltary, but its appearance is such as to
create an unfavorable impression on the minds
of tourists and others who have occasion to
pass through it.
known as the 'chain gang should be kept off
the main Travelled highways as much as pos
sible, particularly during the ~hours when chill
dren are on their way to and from school.
Report on Public Buildings
The school houses of Los Angeles city are
kept clean and the whole they are in a sani-
tary condition. Since the Collinwood disaster
OF year ago additional exists and fire escapes
have been provided by the board of education
and these, together with the regular fire drills
which are held in each building, provide per-
maps as much security against loss of life by
fire as can be attended with buildings of the
type of construction which Los Angeles has
built for school purposes. Nothing which has
been done by the board of education was more
imperatively necessary than this remodeling Of
the wooden school buildings of the city, in order
to protect the lives of the children today as
sembled IN them. Criticism because of using
building fund money for these life saving ad-
ditions to old buildings was therefore, not only
Unwarranted, but ill advised and reprehensible
But while the board of education is to be conf
mended for having made the wooden school
buildings under its care as nearly 1reproof as
possible, we regret that this type of construc-
ton is still in use in our city.
At its best wooden school house does not
afford sufficient security against danger from
fire. Hundreds, and in some cases thousands,
of children Of varying degrees of helplessness
in emergency frequent it each school day. The
burning of one school and a holocaust it would
most likely involve would forever Danish the
wooden school house from midst.
Proper foresight would seem to require its
abandonment without waiting for such a les
son. Moreover, the wooden school house, while
its initial cost is a bit smaller is not really as
cheap in the long run as brick, the rein
forced concrete structure. 1t requires constant
repair and after the first year or two of use 1t
becomes shabby and unsightly. 1t is no fit ex-
preston of the civic spirit of great city such
as Los Angeles has become, and it is no fit
habitation for the growing young of such a
community. The board of education has, how
ever, had but little discretion in this matter,
as the people have not at all times given it
enough money to build even of wood the build
ngs which have been required for so rapidly
growing community. While Boston has been
spending S173.9 per pupil for school buildings,
Chicago SIPS. .3S, and st. Louis $109 so. Los Ange-
les has been content to spend but S59.70 For
this amount we cannot hope for the de-
gree of fire protection, comfort, wearing quality
or sightliness in her school buildings as Boston,
Chicago or st. Louis get.
Perhaps the worst feature of the school situa-
tion is the gross OYercrowding of the two high
school buildings. There is neither kitchen
room, locker room, library room gymnasium
room, assembly room class room enough at
the Polytechnic hign school. The kitchen is
crowded into a corner under the stairs, recita-
tiCns conducted in the balconies Of the
auditorium, and the library which is used by
500 students per day, is limited to two small
rooms, one 17x1S and the other 10x12 feet. Such
overpressure of students upon school facilities
as unhygienc, unedueational and unsafe.
The new high school would furnish the needed
relief if it were ready at once and the utmost
diligence should be used in getting it ready,
for these conditions should be remedied forth
with
The plumbing in the old building at the old
Los Angeles high school is longer up to
standard The recent bond issue carried an
item to cover the cost of new plumbing there
and it should be installed at once. The show
ers in the dressing room of the gymnasium of
both high schools are wholly inadequate to the
numbers that must them. The gysnas asium
should we believe. be under a separate roof
and not part of the main building of the
school. Fresh air from all sides is necessary
to it; in addition it should have a sufficient
number of separately enclosed shower baths
and dressing rooms which allow a degree of
privacy to take care of all the students that
use it. That each student should have his
own locker, instead of a fifth interest in a
locker, goes without saying
The crowded condition of the grand jury s
time during the present session has prevented
the personal visiting by its members to the
several school houses in the county. except
such have been subject of complaint, which
latter being confined to a single instance. was
inspected and the premises found in proper
condition.
On Complaints
The grand jury seems to be the peoples
court Complaints of all kinds were sent it
many of them for misdemeanors and violations
of city ordinances, which properly do not come
under the consideration of a grand jury. All
complaints presented were referred to the
grand jury, and those considered proper were
duly investigated by said grand jury as
body. While indictments have been found
yet-by reason of our investigations and by
recommendation of the grand jury-informa-
tions have been filed by the district attorneys
office and some of these cases are now on trail
in the courts.
Our Investigations have satisfied us that
there should be amendments to our criminal
laws, especially in regard to wildcat bank
ing and Misrepresentation in the sale and
exchange of lands Under the present laws it.
is almost impossible to frame any indictment
or information that will hold against a party
who has, under the name of a banking cor
poration, betrayed the confidence of the public
and misused the funds intrusted to his care
Also, 1t is almost impossible to convict parties