Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-25
COUNCIL SQUELCHES'
NEW SCHOOL PLAN
Summit School Board Rejects
Bids After Defining Of
ficIals' Attitude. SO.


SUMMIT, May 25.-Members Of che
Board of Education received sothe-
thing of a jolt Saturday night when
a plan which they have been quietly
perfecung for the purchase of high
school site and the alteration OF the
East Summit Public School to p"r-
nit Of the addition of the class
rooms. was effectually squelched by
Mayor Francis II. Bergen and the
members of Common Council.
The School Board met to receive
proposals for the East Summit
School alterations. Mayor Bergen
and the members of council had been
invited to attend and all responded
with the exception of Councilman
James T. Adams, who is out of the
city. For the alterations these bids
were received: Franklin w. Helms,
masonry, carpentry, timing and ven
tilating, Sc, 1854; Kelly & Boland, ma
sonry, 81, 399; Corbett & Clark, Madl-
son, masonry, carpentry, metal work
and roofing, $4,000; A. V. Johnson q
Co. New York, general contract ex-
elusive of electrical work and paint
ing S9,s44 M. Chrystal, heating ana
ventiiating, $1,281; M Chrystai.,
plumbing and gas fitting, 500, ana
steam heating $1,7S2; Thomas j: Col
few, carpentry and timing, $o'lfS;
LANES G, Ovens, carpentry, metal
work and slate roofing, $4,000; Charles
w. simpson, fire escapes and INSIDE
6reproof stairways, $3.50. and John
r. Croft, plumbing and heating, Sl'-
$50. and gas fitting, $12O
Following the indication of the UNI
fa vorable attitude of Mayor Bergen
and the councilmen for an approprla-
tion for the work this year all plds
were rejected and its plan called OH
for this year. -,
After the bids had been read, Presi-
dent James Crodwell announced that
the hoard meeting would adjourn into
n meeting of the whole on the state
Of schools. While the law PROVIDES
that the school board meetings shali
be open to the public the local ooard
has found it convenient when IL Is
desired to shut out the reporters
and go into executive session as a
committee on the state of schools.
Thos has been the practise OF the
board invariably when matters OF
onv Importance are to be discussed,
and. accordingly, the representative
Of the Evening Star, who was the
lone scribe in attendance at Satnr-
day nights session, was Obliged 10
absent himself from the meeting
room. -
However. after the session of the
committee on the state OF Schools got
under way, unhampered by the pres
ence Of the reporter, 1t dldnt take
long to lay the school boards plan TO
b,lv this year through a BOND issue
the land located on the westerly size
Of Maple street, between the new L.
M. C. A. and Free Public Library
buildings. and which is owned by the
Summit Home Land Company, LOT
about $50, 900.
While they gave no expression to
tteir views the attitude of Mayor
Bergen and the majority of the coun-
cilmen present on this proposition
and the proposed alteration of the
East Summit School was sufficiently
apparent to cause the rejection OF
| all the proposals for the remodeling
J of the school and the dropping for
| this year, at least, of the propositions.
| When Mayor Bergen was seen yes
| terday he declared that while 1t Is
no doubt wise to prepare for the
future in the maatter of providin q
high school here, he is opposed 10 q
bond issue this year for the purchase
of the sit. The majority of the
councilmen, the mayor believed. are
of the same opinion, and this has
been learned to be a fact. The mayor
also believed the cost of the school al
teratlons, as shown by the bids re-
| ceived, to be entirely too high, and,
anyway, there does not seem to DE
| such an urgent necessity for addition
al classrooms at present, although 1t
may be necessary to rent additional
rooms before the eend of the next
school year. Mayor Bergen and the
councilmen have been making every
effort to curtail the expenditure OF
money this year to avoid an increased
fax ratae which has been predicted
would reach 1920 per 500 valuation
this year.
1t is pointed out that urgent neces-