The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-07-12

When Smith refused to give up tho
keys to the store-room, new locks were
put on the doors and he was locked
out. Some one then installed Clarence
Olson in Smiths place. Although .
most worthy young man, Mr.. Olson
was lacking in booh-room and store
room experience. Despite that, he was
paid 1925 a month for a position that
Andrew Smith filled many years at .
wage ranging from $45 to $S5 per
month and whose largest salary was
Sis per month, paid only this ono
year.
The teachers, principals, pupils and
patrons have been compelled to endure
poor service and heavier expenditure
of money merely to please the petty
spite Of Supt. Hoke.
Some months ago, requisition came
before the board Of education for q
big batch of reading tests. Director
Proved opposed the purchase, saying
that thousands Of reading tests were
lying in the store-room, bundled up
and unused. In his investigation Of
conditions in that book room, the Lit
tie Commoner stumbled onto the treas
ure- trove and learned from the book
room employees that the tests were
printed in the public school printery
but that they were copyrighted testsa
therefore Supt. Hoke never had dared
use them in the schools, never having.
secured permission from the publishers
to use them. He had entirely forgot
, ten about the big batch of unused
, tests and none of the other members,
than Proved knew Of their existence.
Supt. Hoke was very much cut up.
over the exposure and it is believed
that he not only blamed Andrew
Smith but picked him as the one on.
which to vent his petty spite and re-
sentiment, not believing that he had.
the courage to fight back.
But, when it comes to principle, An
drew Smith is something of Gustavusz
: Adolphus. As sort Of Lion Of the
!. North, he did not propose to let an,
Importation from the South use him,
for a kicking-pest or foot-mat. He
, hired Andrew Nelson, the eminent
! lawyer, and put up a strong fight for
what he considered his rights.
After that, Supt. Hoke and his
! minions had no use for Andrew Smith.
What has been the Hokian gain and
pleasure has cost and will cost the tax
payers many dollars.
Today, the book room and the store
room are in confusion. Mr.. Olson
came in without training and knowl-
were lacking in knowledge of details
that would have helped the new
custodian greatly.
Some time ago, there was a call for
a quarter-inch cap. Mr.. Olson con-
fessed that he did not know what il
was nor where it was. He handed his
keys to the workman and told him to
hunt it out and help himself. That
help-yourself policy hardly is in line
with LeDuc's promised new system Of
greater efficiency.
Only a short time ago a requisition
came in for some one and quarter
inch pipe with fittings The men were
sent one and half-inch pipe and one
!; and quarter-inch fittings. The pipe
filters wasted day and half before
they got proper pipe and fittings.
An engineer at West Duluth
school waited half a day for certain
, material and then failed to- get it, al
though it was there all the time. He
then and there declared that the school
board could pay Andrew Smith $500 q
month and still be money ahead.
During the summer vacations, An.
drew Smith has done all the book re-
! pairing. Last summer he repaired 49,
600 books, having one man and boy
to help him, only first-class work be-
ing done.
For the first three weeks of this
summer vacation, the book repair crew
was not half way through the high
school books, to say nothing Of the
many thousands Of grade books. This
summer, instead of Andrew Smith, one
man and boy, doing fine job, there
are custodian Olson, Miss Helwig,
truant officer Doughty, janitor Win
berg, Peter Lindsey, Emil Anderson,
julius Anderson and boy-eight en-
ployes where formerly there were but
three.
Only the other day, II is reliably
alleged, assistant Supt. Harwood said:
ct wish the board Of education would
; let me put Andrew Smith back on his
! old job. Whep he was there, I had
no trouble. With him gone, have
nothing but trouble."
. These facts show what it is costing
, the patrons Of the schools to satisfy
{ Supt. Hoke's petty spite against .
. faithful employee who IL not guilty Of
: the things the wobbly educator fears
] and believes.
: When the autocrats 60 and the COM
moners take control Of the peoples
). board of education, such unfair, ineffi-
q cient, wasteful stunts will end, in the
book room and many other places, -
|, well.
|, Then, in the face Of all these con-
ditions, the autocrats insult common
intelligence by trying to make the
: people believe supt. Hoke, is . super
= man. In Richmond, where he was
!: picked up by autocrats Davis, Brewer
and McGnfert, he was q third-rater.
The chattering old Herald squirrel
= A. - -