Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-16
Waste MUDDLES
SCHOOL FINANCES;
CARRIER ACCUSED
Superintendent Is Charged
With Defeat of Economy
Measure
MAY BOOST TAX RATE

The most serious financial muddie that
the public schools have had 20 face for
nany years has resulted from the refusal
of the Board Of Education 70 adopt proper
1neaapres OF economy. according to Edwin
Wolf. chairman Of the finance committee.
The Board Of Education has legislated
itself into deficit" he said today and
predicted among other future Develop
fnents an Increase In the school tax rate
from fifty TO sixty cents. short-term
loan to tide the educational system over
certain emergency Will soon be necessary,
he said.
TO meet this loan and pay OF sinking
fund charges and other obligations, an In
crease IN tax rate will be required. IL was
Afr Wolf who warned the Board OF Educa-
ticn several years ago that appropriations
ware being made with far too much ease.
The failure 10 heed this warning, he said,
haa Involved the schools in an extremely
serious problem.
At meeting Of the finance committee on
Monday after several hours OF debate, II
was decided that tho old tax rate Of fifty
cents should be continued. To make this
possible however. Il was agreed that the
necessity Of hiring additional teachers in
the future should be avoided. A plan was
evolved whereby the present teaching force
would have been sufficient to the needs OF
the city for.several years.
AN ECONOMY MEASURE
Teachers who were instructlng "part-time
clnsseB' and working only three hours each
day would have been required under the
new plan to teach two-paft time classes. |
serving total of six hours a day. When
objection 10 this plan had apparently been
enminated, Superintendent CARRIER pleaded
tnat u be rejected, In spite OF the hundreds
OF fhouaands of dollars saving that the
reform would have effected
Doctor CARRIER argued that six hours'
work would be too much for the teaehera
EfHt the Dian yvOu1d La fnr
and that the present organization in the |
elefnentary schools would bo disrupted
unexpectedly, he rallied sufficient sup
port from his followers to defeat the econo- |
my measure. Mr.. Wolf said that this |
single change would have saved the ,aY' |
payers more than 100000. The amount |
OF money the defeat of tho plan will |
eventually cost win approximate $1,000, 900. |
The rejection OF this economy measure
ne argued, would lead to n general rejectI,,t,
templated o'e'' .'"-
The situation has been further compl-
Ss.eeu, Sst other members pointed out. by the
Aact tnat the tax rate was fixed Mt fifty
cents, but that the corresponding budgct
uIaited with the idea of economy In mind |
WIN be offset by Doctor Garber's action.
yesterday was the proper time for fixing
.ne ,i,s .ax rate and the figure was determined
Wnen the deficit arises within a few months |
~ increase Will be necessary and 10 a,I-
tnorize this Increase at another time than
mat fixed by statute will involve much
reu tape" Litigation, 1t was said, NAV
30 the result. '
DOOMED TO DEFEAT
William Dick, secretary Of the Board OF
1ducation. has been vested with authoritv
Q oversee all appropriations with the yIew
y cutting them down IL necessary, subject
z nc approval Of the finance committee He
4 e@pected to meet the opposition OF Super
CARRIER In this matter howeyer
.nd the entire program OF economy is said /
Q be doomed to defeat
personal note has been injected into
ae controversy by the fact that the saving
LAn which Doctor CARRIER fought so hard
a. originally suggested by his predecessor
le late Dr. William C. Jacobs. Doctor
acops defeated Doctor CARRIER in the race
" the superintendency. SUPERINTENDENT
acops died a short while afterward fror,
verwork. Doctor CARRIER was then cbnsan
= the place Doctor CARRIER therefore
laeed himself in the position OF having at
lcked the idea Of his opponent and de-
pased predecessor.