New-York tribune., 1919-05-28
Miss Carpenter, of Women's
Reconstruction Commit.
tee, Asks Mayor to Use at
Once $lO,OOO,OOO Fund
Children's Need Appalling
Hylan Replies That City Is
Now Doing All 1t Can TO
Relieve the Situation

Relief for two of the most distress
ing conditions confronting the com
munity has been proposed to Mayor
Hylan by Miss Alice Carpenter, chair
man of the Employment Department
of the Mayors Committee of Women
on Reconstruction and Relief.
In letter to the Mayor Miss Car
penter calls attention to the immediate
need for more public schools and the
fact that the Board OF Estimate has
appropriated sufficient moneys for the
realization of the school building plans.
By beginning this work Immediately
she points out, the city not only will
be doing great good for the children
of the city, but will provide employ
n:ent for thousands OF men,
Mayor Hylan's reply to this letter
made public yesterday, said the city
is doing all it can to improve school
conditions and to relieve unemploy
ment
School Shortage Alarming
Miss Carpenters letter to the Mayor
follows
Agreeing with your recent state
ment concerning conditions of the
public schools in New York City, our
committee wishes to emphasize to you
the seriousness of the alarming in
crease over past years of children on
part time, and of those who are receiv-
ing no education at ALL due to the fact
that there is not sufficient number of
school buildings to provide the neces-
sary space for them all
We are informed that while a iew
years ago there wer $4,000 children
in New York City public schools on
part time, to-day there are about 247.-
900, or almost q quarter of a million,
either on double shift or part time,
and that there are between 10000 and
$4,000 children who cannot be accom-
modated in the schools at all. | am
sure you will agree that such figures
are simply appalling.
Army of Builders Idle
"On the other hand, the Board of
Building Trades in the City of New
York reports that there are about So
900 men in these trades at present
either totally unemployed OF on petty
temporary iohs which are not allied to
their trades, and which do not guaran-
tee living.
Our committee desires to call to
your attention the fact that the Board
OF Estimate has appropriated S10,000,-
900 for 1919-SS,2 ,25O,0OO for buildings
and S1,750,O00 for sites We feel sure
that you will be in sympathy with the
public demand that this appropriation
for school buildings be put into effect
at once, that the children may have
schols provided for them at the earliest
possible moment and that the serious
unemployment in the building trades
may be at least partially relieved.
eve believe that your sympathy with
the unemployment situation, so often
publicly expressed, and with the chill
dren. who are the hope of the future in
our city and in our nation, will lead
you to take such steps as to provide
the immediate necessary action to re-
lieve this situation.'
Mayors Reply Is Brief
Mayor Rylan's reply reads:
Your letter of May 81 received and
thank you very much for writing me-
We are doing all that we can to i'm
prove the school conditions and to re-
lieve unemployment in this city,
Miss Carpenter said yesterday at her
office, room 701, Hall of Records, that
she believed something would be done
without delay. She considers this dual
project benefitingf as it does both
children and mcn-one of the most
sane of all those proposed for the relief
of the city.