Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-10
CALLS COLLEAGUES
WORST LOT EVER
School Commissioner Travers
Disguised Over Controversy
With Principal.
BELLEVILLE BOARD DEFERS
ACTION AFTER ARGUMENT
Alleged Denial by Teacher OF
Repuated Statements
Causes Runpus.

slamming his pencil across the
table in disgust at meeting OF the
Bellevine Board OF Education last
night, School Commissioner John j,
Travers declared his colleagues 10 be
.the worst body of men I was ever
among
Mr.. Travers outburst occurred
when Commissioner Davd \. Clear
man. chairman Of the teachers com
mittee. denied that he had told MI.
Travels that Miss Cobb lied, when
Mr.. Travers had told him Miss COBB
had gone to his home in an effort to
see him and found no one at home.
A few minutes previous to this out
break, Mr. Travers accused SuperVis-
ing Principal of Schools George i.
Gerard of telling him one thing out n
the corridor and denying Il the GeNt
minute on the inside.
The fight between Commissioner
TraVers and the supervising principal
Ia the result of an appeal made 10
the commissioner by Miss Diana
Cobb, q teacher In the fifth grade Of
School No 4, in Silver Lake. request
ing advice as to why an increase in
salary was not granted in her behalf
for the coming year. ADVISING MS
colleagues. at a meeting in June, that
il behalf Of Miss Cobb's appeal he
had spoken to Mr.. Gerard, Mr.. TRAY
ers informed the board that the SUI
pervising principal declared distinctly
at that time that Miss Cobb would
not receive an increase in salary.
Mr.. Travers then claimed he re-
ferred the matter 10 Mr. Chairman.
chairman Of thu teachers committee,
and advised the teacher to consult the
chairman He said the teacher found
no one at home at Mr.. Clearman's
residence.
The matter was then brought up at
a special meeting of the board IN
July while the supervising principal
was sojourning at Green Pond. This
procedure was objected to by MI.
Chairman. who thought the matter
should be brought up when Mr. Ger
ard was present, and advised the
board that II the matter was referred
10 the teachers committee. he would
make thorough investigation of the
matter and report the result to the
board at the September meeting. Ac-
eordingly. last night, after a short eX-
ecutiye session on the part of the
teachers committee. the report was
submitted.
Chairman Presents Report.
IEtSEHtittB MS ftpAl l. MI zeal iIAeti
advised the board that Miss Cobb APP
peared before he teachers commit
tee. by rquest on Monday night, and
that the teacher had said there was
no friction between her and Mr.. Ger
ard. and that she had not said that
she was Disseminated against by per-
sonal spite on the part of Mr.. Gerard.
Mr. Travers was Immediately on his
feet. asking who had used the words
spite and discrimination. Mr.. Clear
man said "that it was so stated in
the newspapers and it was from the
papers he had taken the words"
Censurlng the committee for using
the newspaper statements. Mr.. Trav-
ers objected to receiving the report
and contended that Miss Cobb desired
an increase in salary as the result
Of the examination. The report,
he said, showed the teacher had re-
feived the best averge Of any teacher
IN the fifth grade OF all the schools.
Mr. Gerard advised that the report