Evening journal., 1915-06-08
Janitors' sal.

(The ianitor of the High School, /
who is supposed TO have general SUI |
pervisiOn over all the elementary |
school janitors, receives S3,50O year.
out of which he pays his assistants |
necessary to keep the High School |
clean. Assistants of the elementary |
school ianitors are paid also out OF |
their salaries.)
II is often contended that many of
the janitors hold outside jobs besides
the job of jantor This is so only
in few cases, and in these few
cases the janitcr has been shrewd
enough to hire someone to do the
school work who is inefficient enough
| to accept almost nothing. In most
| cases, however tho janitor is physi-
cally unable to do the work and the
bulk of il falls on the teachers and
! principals "In more than one case the
principal was discovered vigorously
sweeping up after the ianitor, and the
remark Poor old man, | couldn't ask
him TO do IT," was not uncommon. In
some cases the janitOr is so inca
pacitated physically that his wife and
children do practically all the work.
in one case doing It excellently-
Eoften quite the reverse situation is
true. In five cases the ianitors we're
pathetically feeble and deaf. II is not
TO be wondered at that the house
keeping of the schools is in bad
condition.
A few years ago some of the iani-
tors attempted to form a janitors'
union. to demand larger salaries. but
a was unsuccessful as many of tn,
, older and feebler janitors would no
= join
! Out of these salaries the janitor hal
to pay for his own supplies-with the
exception of disinfectants and sand
: for the sweeping mixture which he
J Is supposed to use. As a matter o
I fact nineteen out of the twenty-nint
. Janitors were seen sweeping, and on
of the nineteen. eleven we're using nc
e sweeping mixture whatsoever. All bu
J. two janitors said they had the mix
r. ture, and did use II occasionally. soml
+ regularly. Fourteen out OF nineteer
were sweeping with every window II
= the room down tight. and seven o
! them with plain brooms, the othe
twelve with a soft brush
q Some of the janitors never did an,
busting. Some did it every day, an,
not one had in his possession a feath
e er duster. all using treated clcth
e one of them explaining the viciOusnes
O of feather duster when asked abou
- the kind they used.
" In very few of the schools-onl
n three of the twenty-nine-is the schoo
Il reported as swept all over every da,
e In most. the upstairs is swept on
y day, the downstairs swept the mex
= etc.
J. The washing of windows was, &
e twenty-eight cases. reported as hein
done once in the summer, before
+ school opened. and once in the spring
n The other two janitors said the
|, washed the windows whenever the
+ needed it,"
e The floors we're cared for prett
e much as the janitor chose apparentl.
n except when the principal insiste
+ upon special cleaning.
: The floors and windows and gener
+ al house keeping If twenty-on
d of the thirty schools we're in notice
r ably bad condition. In one case on
}. of the Easements had big piles O
e waste matter: in another case. burn
{ matches we're strewn over the base
d ment and Il was very dirty; in an
? other case the janitor was chewin
{ tobacco and splitting now and thel
= on the floor as he swept
e In nine cases the Housekeeping u
the schools was evidently well an,
: carefully done. The difference be