Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-29
HIGH SCHOOL IS
UNFIT FOR USE
County Superintendent Scores
Morristown Board for What
He Terms Serious Condition.
Especial to The Newark start

Especial to the Newark star.I
MORRIsToWN. Nov. 2s.-Condi-
lions under which High School pupils
in Morristown have to work was the
subject of County superintendent of
Schools ]. Howard Hulsart before the
Morristown Board of Education last
night. DR.. Hulsart was asked his
opinion regarding what the board
should do and in return he gave the
board lecture on school affairs.
you have the richest town in Nor
ris county," he said. yet in some re-
spects you have the poorest school ar
rangements to be found in the county.
The High School management Is good,
but the surroundings are little short
of criminal If had daughter who
had to study in your artificially
lighted study room in the old audito-
rum, I would make such a fuss that
1t would not stop short of n lawsuit.
You are so crowded that you have six
classes on half-time, as many as there
are In all the rest of the county put
together. 1t is q serious situation and
your people ought to get together. 1t
is not for me to advise whether you
should have a high school or a new
grade school building"
DIR. Hulsart said that the school
board should not force the proposition
on the people, If they We're not ready
to accept Neither was it necessary
to have a 100000 building. he said; q
building could be built for $150,000 He
said such a building could contain
possibly twenty rooms, a gymnasium
the size of three or four class-rooms
and an assembly -room. At that rate
the building would cost $500 per
room.
He advised the board against stand
ing in the way of Improvement by al
lowing fractional strife to enter into
the discussion of the situation and its
remedy. If there was some other
means of giving the children proper
school opportunity, he said, 1t should
be considered, and there should be no
standing out for some particular prof.
ect or none. If classes can be taken
from the Maple avenue building.
which now accommodates both grade
and high school classes, and relieve
the congestion in the building. 1t was
all he was officially concerned In.
But If he was taxpayer In Norris
town, he would want something bet
ter
Commissioner w. Parsons Todd
asked DIR. Hulsart If it would be pos
sible to plan a large building and
then build eight or ten rooms for
present use, to which DR.. Hulsart
said there was nothing Objectionable.
Just as soon as a new school build
ing is erected, he prophesied, property
valuations will raise, and he pointed
to Chatham as an example where
Al. M No
Commissioner c. Franklin Wilson
took issue with DIR. Hulsart when the
latter said that after a report on
conditions In the Morristown High
School had been made by the State
inspector and the State authorities
had found nothing had been done
there might be something said by
authorities regarding the matter. Mr..
Wilson pointed out that the board
had committee at work on the
problem Of how to remedy the con-
gested conditions of the schools since
March, and that something had been
done, though 1t might not be tangible
to the State inspector.
MiIe-and-a-Half Walk.
Commissioner Todd made the point
that small children now attending
the Maple avenue building have
to walk mile and a half
to the school, as the other grade
schools In the town are full. DR..
Hulsart said that the lower grades
are most important, but II the town
maintains high school 1t must main
tain it right. He suggested having
plans prepared for a new high school
building, including all that was
wanted, then build the school part of
the building and let the rest of the
things, like q swimming pool, gym
nasium, big auditorium. etc, come
later.
Have meeting, he suggested, at
which "kickng" should be barred,
together with the idea that one par
ticular project must be adopted or
none, and have the situation pre-
scented TO the people in a way that
would bring them together. He was
asked about sites for the building, a
rock on which the new high school
project foundered two years ago, but
refused TO discuss them.
Fire Hose Useless.
Commissioner Todd reported that
In his opinion the fire hose in the
Maple avenue building was unfit for
use. He said the hose was attached
to a standpipe. He asked that his
committee be authorized to replace
the hose. 1t was stated that the hose
was just for show anyhow, and that
there was not water pressure enough
from the town mains to provide an
effective stream in the upper floors
of the building. 1t was decided to
ask the fire chief to test the pressure.
and IL it was worth while to replace
the hose, and IL not remove 1t alto
4al aFa
tinguishers were reported as having
been added to the Equipment of the
various buildings. All the other ex-
had been tested out and
only one round that did not work.
Contract was ordered executed for
installing an electric fire-alarm sys-
tenn in the Maple avenue building and
also to install eleven pairs of fire
doors in that building.
Miss Leila II. Barker, of Maple
wood, was engaged as n teacher to
succeed Miss Ford, resigned, begin
ming January / for two years, at a
salary of $40 per month.
Christian Thompson, William u.
Rogers, George Whitehead and Boyd
Coghlan applied for positions as jan
itors. Commissioner John N. Conk-
ling's committee was authorized to
hire an assistant janitor for the
Maple avenue building at salary of
$50 per month, beginning December !,
for five months.
This brought out the remark by
President Hlnchman that an extra
man had to be hired because of the
yentilating system saddled on the
local board by the State authorities
and in use In the Maple avenue
building.
DIR. Hulsart retorted that the State
had done nothing of the kind; that
the plans had been prepared by the
local boards architect and that the
state board merely approved them
as complying with the law.
The ventilating plant has been a
bone of contention since 1t was in
stalled last year. 1t has not worked
right, it Is asserted, and the bill OF
the architect and his consulting en-