New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-15
INCREASING LIGHT.

The Bureau of Municipal Research
and its director, Mr.. William II. Allen
assert that they have had an impor'
KANT hand in the school inquiry which
lis now the subject Of controversy.
Thus in the pamphlet six Years OF
Municipal Research for Greater New
York" the bureau says Of itself:
Drafted the resolutions Of october,
1910, for a school inquiry; submitted
upon request detailed outlines or plan
for inquiry to members OF the Board
of Estimate committee; arranged upon
request for conference between the
Board Of Estimate committee and lead
ing educators. Dean Russell, President
iPritchett and others; suggested upon
request list of investigators for con-
,sideration Of the Board Of Estimate
committee; prepared statements for
publication by the committee OF the
board of Estimate as to purposes Of
Enquiry and educational records of In
lvestigators; from June to October,
I1911, conferred upon request with
iexperts on educational aspects Iof the
inquiryl.
From Mr.. Aliens statements in the
press it appears that he saw Professor
Moore when Professor Moore was I'M
der consideration as chief investigator.
All this indicates q large degree Of
lactivity in connection with the inquiry
and probable influence upon its course
from the outset until October, 1911.
when for some reason not yet disclosed
the conferences with the educational
experts stopped. Upon the activities
of the bureau and its director since
that date this extract from Mr.. Al
- lens recent reply to Professor Moore
which appeared in "The Evening Sun
throws more light than anything else
that has yet been published:
No falser statement was ever printed
than that / have both publicly and
privately endeavored TO discredit the
report which Professor Hanus is
making in advance Of publication"
Why, / was in town with half q dozen
schoolmen, when Professor Moore was
on his vacation, trying to save pieces
OF thai report and keep it from being
discredted by just such charges as
Mr.. Moore's report contains.
Mr.. Allen. although he has no official
connection with the inquiry, seems,
then, to have put in a busy summer on
the reports turned in to President
Mitchell Of the Board Of Aldermen by
Professor Hanus and his associates.
The Tribune mentions these circum-
stances because the activity Of the
bureau Of Municipal Research in con-
nection with these reports has been
made the subject Of attack in the
Board Of Education and because the
discussion Of the school inquiry is
likely to turn for the future largely
upon the part which Mr.. Allen and
his associates have had In 1t, and upon
the influence which they have exer-
cised over the attitude Of Mr.. Mitchell
land his associates toward the reports
received from Professor Hanus and
his assistants. To determine what that
influence would be it is well to recall
! that the Bureau Of Municipal Re
search through its publications and
Mr.. Allen through his individual writ
iings have been severe critics of the
school system, especially or It's educa-
tional records. They have engaged in
sharp controversies with DR.. Maxwell
lor his representatives, and they are
commonly regarded as unfriendly to
the Superintendent OF Schools. 1t
would have been generally felt to be
highly improper to put this school
Enquiry officially into their hands. To
tlet them privately shape it or influence
the conclusions Of Mr.. Mitchel's COM
mittee with regard to 1t, II this has
been done, was equally improper.
No matter how honest the Bureau
F, Of Municipal Research and its direc-
tors are or how praisewOrthy their gen.
eral purposes, in this matter the COM
mon belief is that they were BIASED
and should have been kept out APP
parently they were not kept out. Mr..
Allen says he spent the summer trying
TO save pieces" of the Hanus report.
/ II is because bias probably entered
into the saving Of the pieces that the
-.,,tYya In oIyo oopfdaDpa In tho result