Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-27
DISCUSS MERGER
IN SCHOOL BOARD
Cost of Uniting Departments
viii Be Determined First,
However.


gineering. and architectural depart
inents of the Board of Education and
to engage the Bureau of Municipal Re-
search to examine the accounts Of
both departments was defeated by a
tie vote at the meeting OF the board
last night. A motion to inquire as to
the total cost of such work prevailed
however, by a vote of to 3. The
matter was brought up by Commits
sloner Nathaniel King.
/ The discussion indicated that some
members of the board were afraid
that after getting the bureau into the
Board of Education offices 1t might
be difficult to get them out again
without meeting considerable cost.
i President Charles p. Taylor said
something on that head, and Com
missioner Gaetano NJ. Belfatto also
gave his opinion that the exact cost
ought to be known before the bureau
Is invited In.
Commissioner King insisted on the
history of the ease being reviewed
from his original motion calling in
the bureau and the appointment of q
sub committee consisting of Commits
sioners Edgar r. Brown and Thomas
S. McCabe down to the present day.
No action has been taken since the
August meeting. Mr.. King suggested
that the thing to do is to act on the
recommendation of that motion and
engage an expert right away.
Commissioner Frederic l.. Johnson
moved that the committee be in
structed to engage the experts, not
only to go over the figures which led
to minority as we'll as majority
report being made by the committee
which Investigated the two depart
ments, but to give an opinion on the
ACCESSIBILITY of the merging of the
| two.
1--WE are ali to close to this ques-
ton to decide it and an outside
opinion would be valuable at what
ever cost" Mr.. Johnson said. What
will it cost?" asked Commissioner
John Breunig. THE letter from the
bureau said $35 day for possibly two
weeks replied Mr.. Brown. Then he
suggested that the letter be read.
The S35 q day feature was In the
letter and so was the suggestion that
one or two weeks might be enough
time to spend on 1t, but there was an
other clause which suggested that it
might be necessary to go into many
more figures and accounts. II was
an indefinite appraisal of the posi-
BILE cost which the commissioners re-
garded as very vague.
ut is entirely too indefinite said
Mr.. Belfatto. This examination might
be everlasting. There should be a
certainty about the amount we are to
| pay" 1.-The question of cost is q potent
one now" said Mr.. King. IF it
costs as much as $500 or $1,000 the
money might be well spent in in
| vestigating these departments which
spend annually 100000 to 100000.
THE primary question is the ad-
visibility of merg ing the two depart
ments We have all seen the resu is
of expert examinations and what they
cost in our city departm nts. Such
examinations seem never to end.
would ask the secretary to read from
a report Of committee of the New
| York Beard of Education as the re-
suit of such an examination"
Secretary r. p. Argue then read from
| the report of President of the Board
of Aldermen and Mayor-elect John
Purroy Mitchell, Deputy Comptroller
| Prendergast and Mr.. M Her OF the
bureau which recommended that New
York abandon the present plan, which
Includes the two departments under
| one head and substitute what Newark
now has, separate departments. The
reasons given were that the two de-
partments are totally different and
that the heating and ventilating Of
schools is a matter for an expert en-
gineer at the head of an engineering
department.
Mr.. King objected that New York
and Newark have different conditions
to meet. The mot on to engage the
expert had four votes, Commissioners
| Belfatto, Brown, Johnson and King.
In the negative were Commissioners
Breunig, McCabe, Thomas ]. d. Smith
and President Taylor. A motion to
learn the cost had five affirmative
votes, Commissioners Belfatto, Brown,
Breunig, Johnson and King and three
negatives, CcmmisS oners McCabe
Smith and President Taylor.
| A vacant place at the table spoke
eloquently OF former Commissioner
Ambrose Tomkins, resigned, par
ticularly at the time this matter was
being voted upon, for he was great
ly interested in the merging of the
two departments.
When the application of the Play
| grounds Commission for the use of
the Hamburg Place School for a pub
| Nv OetlCC 10 NC blNCl JdnudIl IL, IOI
which an admission fee of ten cents IS
to be charged, came up, one of the
objections was that the Fairgrounds
Commission had not sent in a check
and already owed 524 for the time
they had used the school before, 1t
was also pointed out that granting
permission for entertainments held
for profit is contrary to the rule
adopted by the board.
AS this is public body the per-
mission was granted on two con-
dltions: That the commission pays
/ up the S24 and the cost for this dance,
it being understood that the commits
sion makes no profit out of the affair
This action followed a statement by
Secretary Mason to the Playground
Commission earlier in the evening to
the erect that permission to hold the
dance had been refused because II
was necessary to charge an admis-
sion.
The Parents Association Of the
North Seventh Street Schooi sent q
communication complaining OF the
delay In providing an addition to that
school. 1t was explained that the
Common Council has not yet sold the
bonds and the secretary was directed
to inform the conaplainants that the
bonds will be sold very soon. prob
ably next month, after which the
work will proceed.
DIR. Thomas j. McCabe was appoint
ed member of the finance committee
to fill out the term of Ambrose Tom
kins, resigned. until q successor has
been appointed to his place on the
board. The School for Deaf Children
Will be held in special quarters pro-
vided in the old Normal and Training
School IN Washington street and the
rental of the James Street School
terminate from January Miss Mar
garet A. Day. teacher. was voted