New Britain herald., 1919-09-13
LITIGATION LIKELY
 ON SCHOOL QUESTION
Architect Crabtree in WranSle
 With School Board

result between the school board and Architect Walter r. Crabtree was made evident at the monthly meeting of this board yesterday afternoon. The dispute is over the payment sad to be due to the architect for plans and specifications he prepared for the NO- cational high school. It furthermore appears no adjustment has been made with him because of the addition&l work done by him on the foundation of the pre-vocational gra nlmar school made necessary by the settling of the building. The matter came to light when the finance committee presented a list of bills for approval yesterday, among them $794.33 for plans and specifications for the heating system at the Vocational High school, drawn up by MT. Crabtree. It was stated that MT. Crabtree was commissioned to prepare plans for the preVOcauonal grammar school but that while the school board had provided an addition al $500 for sinking of the tounda- ton deeper than usual. the architect said that he would stake his reputa- tion as an architect that the founda- tions. had been sunk deep enopgh. Afterwards, however, cracks appeared
  was put to extra expense to strengthen the foundation. For this reason the school board withheld the payment of the fee for the vocational high school plans The board voted to separate the item from the rest of the list of bills and after approving them voted to table the Crabtree item until the next me meeting.
 Autn
 The board voted to Superintendent Holmes the sum of $200 for the maintenance of his automobile for the past year and $250 for the coming year. This covers the time when the car is used for school duties. The money will be taken from the mis- cellaneous account The board voted that in the absence of MT. Traut, MT. Pease of the finance committee be given authority to sign checks.
 New school Site.
 Property belonging to the estate Of Patrick and Julia CarmOdy at the end Of High street will be sought by the school board for a new school Tn the north part of the city. The territory contains about four and one-halI acres and is we'll adapted to sCnoOl
  ing a clear title the school board may have to resort to condemnation pro = ceedings. First, however, they have voted to make an offer of $12,0OO to some of the heirs to secure the site.
 The report of Dr. Fromen relative to the health and sanitary conditions at the schools did not conclude the con- .diton of the Smalley school. He was asked to have the committee report later on this and he said he would. It appears that plumbing done in the school covered the plumbing require ments at the time it was done. Prln- cipal Holmes who had to go to Boston in regard to hiring some new teachers to take the place of those who had resigned could not he present and left q note that because of the criticism regarding the Smalley school the chil- dren were to be removed from the two basement rooms in question and placed in the Elihu Burritt school.
 The question of whether the board should pay for the services of two teachers for a month in which they did not work came up. Two teachers had been engaged for a year and had been paid on a monthly basis. They took the twelfth month for vacation ana dShSu pay LOT lildl HlDlilu llG matter was referred to the finance committee to examine and report.
 Other Business Matters.
 The election of the following even ing school teachers took place: H. s. Hall, principal of the evening trade school; Charles Campbell, principal of the evening high school: Edward F.. Weeks, Harold E. Dempsey and Harry Vessels, principals of the ele- mentary evening schools.
 The resignation of Miss Grace Ham, ilton was accepted and the employ ment of Mrs Helen Gerrsh,. Mrs. John Pinches, Jr., and Beatrice Por- ter as substitute teachers reported.
 Bills to the amount of $4,799.02 were approved for payment. Expenses of the trade department of the voca- tional high school in July and August l was $3,449.71; lights, $272.66 and the cost of material for work done for the school department was $454.75.
 The appropria ton balance to date is $27S,243.07. The attendance report 1 shows an increase of 342 over the | same month a year ago. The attend. | ance report is as follows