New-York tribune., 1918-09-16
Baruch Tells Hylan
New York Cannot
Have More Schools
Materials and Men Urgent
ly Needed for War Work,
He Says in Letter
Especial Dispatch to Tie Tribune

Especial Dispatch to Tie Tribune)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15.-New York's
school building programme, entailing
the expenditure of s9,OO0,OOO. must be
subordinated to the demands for ma
terlals and labor needed in more neces-
sary war work, Chairman Baruch of
the War Industries Board decided to-
day in letter to Mayor Hylan.
While agreeing heartily to the neces-
sity Of providing to the fullest for the
education of the children, Mr.. Baruch
points out the danger at this time of
allowing the construction side of such
plans to initiate against. the fulfil
ment of the war programme, which is
seriously threatened by military
demands. He asks that methods be de-
vsed to make existing plants do the
work, instead of building new ones
during the period OF increasingly
heavy pressure on man power, ma
terials, especially steel. and the other
Mayor reads:
"Out Of New York's need for school
buildings, which you have set forth
in your letter to me, dated September
g. there flows condition nation wide,
and which reaches to the very front
Of our battleline. Perhaps few of us
realize the close relationship between
the brick that is set in the walls of
building and The shot that is fired at
the crumbing structure Of German
world domination. Yet the association
is direct and intimate, and it is our
duty to understand this fact. and, un-
derstanding, to act upon it.
because the case of New York is
typical Of the whole country, because
the rule in one case must be and is
evenly applied to all, am glad that
you brought to my personal attention
the matter in which you are inter
ested, since it affords no opportunity
to make plain the extraordinary stu
alton we face and the need for a whole
hearted. unexpected cooperation to the
end OF winning the War.
ut is not too much to say that every
efficiency of ourselves and our asso-
ciates in the war. Every unnecessary
undertaking of an industrial nature de-
limits the scope of our activities at the
front. 1T ties up labor, capital ma
terlals, facilities TRANSFORMATION and
fue the six great elements that form
the base of our economic structure
| There is, at any given time, only
limited amount Of each Of these bases
III
all should be concentrated upon those
enterprises directly connected with the
war. To divert them to other ends, no
matter how fine those ends may be in
themselves, is at this period worse
than crime--it is blunder that
may cost US dear.
Il am graduate of New Yorks
grammar schools and her City College
That fact makes me look with kindlier
interest upon your request, but it does
not and cannot blind me to the neccs-
stiles of the case.
81 would not have you think my
dear Mr.. Mayor, that what I say to you
is to be taken as disclaiming the claims
OF our children to be educated; that
is furthest from my thought What
| do seek is your agreement that at
this grave tine there should be first
in our hearts and our minds the unity
G. sacrifice; the WILLINGNESS to do with
cut that which is not an unacceptable
necessity; to suffer, if so be it, depri-
vation to escape heavier privation; to
make need and not desire our law.
Surely, under your direction, New
York, for the time being. can make
one building do the work of two; she
can devise eXpedients whereby none Of
her young shall be unschooled and vet
70 obstacle be placed in the way of the
war programme She can, and will do
what other of our cities and states
have done in abandoning plans for new
roads, for new structures and kindred
developments. which widen the gap be-
tween our limited supply and the ever
increasing demand arising from our
needs.
"To postpone your enterprise in
such way as to work no hardship and
do it cheerfully and willingly and in
the spirit Of the unfailing courage that
animatcs our forces at the front, for
whose welfare the sacrifice is made, is
to set an example that will be tonic
and stimulant to the rest of the
country, which rest of the country
Will be no slower in responding to
the civilian order of the day: He
serves best who saves most.
There is still one more thought
that wish to convey to you and that is: :
Even were the War Industries Board
able to see its national duty as coin
Gliding with your request, my reply
would still have to be no, for the sim
pie reason that it is not physically
possible for me to release the mate
rails you ask for because there are no
free supplies of these materials. un-
less-and this is unthinkable2vou
would expect that they be taken from
the very vitals of our war-making ma
chine. And this applies with equal
force to the heavy demand on man