Evening journal., 1915-12-28
SOLICITORS 5 School
REPORT Announced
Statement Deals With Every
Phase of Recent Closing
Order
FEAR WORK MAY
INCREASE TAX RATE


President Samuel H. Baynard, at the
meeting of the Board of Education last
night, made public the report made by
City Solicitor Hastin"s at the first meet
ing of the Mayors Advisory Cabinet,
following the school closing order of the
Board of Health. As the report was not
made public at that time, Mr. Baynardl
said last night that he thought the en-
tire proceedings relative to the school
bluddle should be made known. He
stated that Mr.. Hastings had given his
consent to the report being made public.
He said the report was absolutely fair
and impartial from the viewpoint Of
/. every city department.
a.. The report follows;
<t"l have made hasty, but at the same
time, a reasonably careful examination
of the differences now existing amongl
the Board of Health the Board of Edu-
cation and City Council represent
under the law all of these different or
CARNATIONS, all of which have for theirl
respective objects the good of the citi- ,
zens Of the city of Wilmington. Thel
conditions are such. and the differences
are such that some action must be taken
Immediately to settle them. My expert
ence leads me TO conclude that there isl
hardly a possibility of a settlement inl
matters of this kind, unless concessionsl
are to be made, and as a general thingl
concessions have to be made by all The
people of the city of Wilmington at this
time are not 50 much interested in find
ing out what department has been sol
derelict in its duty as to bring about
these conditions, hut If ! understand
public sentiment correctly, it demands
that some remedy be found and that it
be found Immediately. ! take it that
there would not be a unanimous verdict
L upon the question as to whose fault il
is. OF who has brought about these con
ditions. but ] do think there would be a
unanimous verdict in demanding an i'm
mediate remedy. I 10 not propose to
even state here my own conclusions in
this matter if / can avoid il. for I want
10 do nothing that will take from me
whatever influence I may have because
of the peculiar position ] occupy. to
bring about an immediate settlement /
do want. however to state for your in
formation the claims and counter
claims made by these various depart
ments.
There is no doubt but that at the
end of the last fiscal year. the Board
Of Education was short in its funds
$4,000. In order to. get money
enough TO meet that portion Of the
deficit which It was necessary for it
TO meet. it borrowed from this years
funds. $4,000. II had at that time,
unpaid bills. and still has unpaid bills
+ to the amount OF $4,000. These fe-
+ ures are Appropriated This deficit
of $4,000 has been accumulating for
the past three years, as am informed
by the president Of the Board of Edu-
cation
"The chairman OF the finance COM
mittee of the Board OF Education in
forms me that the amount appropriate
ed this year would have been sufi-
cient. including the $4,000 for sani-
tary purposes, IL the board had moi
borrowed from this years funds. the
sum of $4,000 to pay last years bills
81 am further informed by the chair
man of the finance committee Of the
Board of Education, that in his judg
ment, if further sum of $4,000 wai
appropriated by the City Council. thai
the board could pay all its bills FOL
this year, and this would leave tbs
. QtuNil VI RA@fNNNf nNAh6 AAAN HAAAo NOh
h tracted last year.
From a report made about the frs
Of November by the finance commit
tee Of the Board of Education, II es
Inmates a need OF s55.250. This in
ciudes an increase in janitors' salar
les of $4,000, which increase I under
N stand. is not absolutely necessary. II
also thinks that the item of books ant
supplies. which is estimated at S11,
600. might be cut dbwn to $4,000, thu
taking off an additional $4,000. 9Th
& president of the board does not agre
with this.) This leaves a shortage o
SAT. ESQ. Taking from that the S22
y 600 of old bills, leaves a balance O
s25. 900. which would have to be ad
vanced by City Council in order tina
the board might continue its worl
and pay these current bills.
81 have talked with the chair fmal
of the finance committee OF Cit,
Council relative to this whole matter
He contends that the Board of Edu
cation has not for the past two o
thIse years, at least made any ef
fo to live within it's appropriation
that Notwithstanding that it had
deficit OF approximately $4,000 thi
year, II has increased the salary G
its secretary and various other sal
aries outside of the teachers, to tn
extent of about S1.70O; that it ha
never worked under any kind OF
:. budget, but has conducted its affair
in a haphazard and unbusinesslik
81 way: that Council appropriated TO th
Board OF Education all that it though
the citizens Of Wilmington should pa
for that purpose, and sufficient in il
Judgment for the board to properl
run the schools of the city; that th
increase this year of $4,000 wa
made with the distinct understandin
that $4,000 of It was to be used Il
= purposes of sanitation; that Gil
II Council cannot increase its appropr
alton at this time without meeting
deficit at the end Of the year. al
that City Council has no means
meeting such deficit for the reasc
that It cannot issue bonds except f.
extraordinary purposes. The chai
man OF the finance committee Of Il
Board of Education apparently agre'
n in most Of the criticism made by q
L. chairman Of the finance committee
q City Council
81 THE Board of Health conteni
Il that K has been endeavoring for Il
n past three years to get these variol
n schools put In a sanitary condition