New-York tribune., 1920-11-13

November II, 1920.
"Mr. c. B. J. Snyder,
Superintendent of School Buildings,
Board Of Education.
Dear Mr.. Snyder:
AT the hearing to-day before tho
Lockwood Joint Legislative Housin
Committee, the counsel of that com
mittee, after letter had been read
mo the minutes addressed by me.
dated February <, 1919, to Frank y.
Wilsey. vice president of the Board
Of Education, wherein was discussed
the use of terra Gotta or stol C for eX-
terror trim insinuatcd that after the
receipt Of this le0,cr by Mr.. Wilsey
changes were made in the plans and
specifications for new public school
buildings. I am quoting from the
minutes, page LAS of to-day's hearing,
the following transcript:
80. (By Mr Untermyer). And you
mean to say that upon statement Of
that kind OF an interested party YOU
would go on and put the Board OF Edu-
cation in motion or matter involving
millions Of dollars without making any
scrt Of an inquiry?
"A. (By the Mayor. No. wrote the
letter for their information to look
into it.
go. Well, they looked into it and
changed from terra Gotta to limestone
OF every building, didn't they?
"'A. No, not that remember.
go. Do you know whether they did
OF not? | remember.
"A. am not sure they did.
go. You don't know whether they
did or not?
"'A. am not sure whether they
changed or not.
"oh another occasion during my tes
timcuy a letter was read into the rec
ord. addressed 10 me by Mr. John T.
Hettrick. dated March -, 1919. in which
was discussed natural stone or terra
Gotta in connection with the eviction
of Public School 81, the BronN. lmme-
diately after the reading of this COM
munication. the counsel Of the Lock
wood committee intimated that there
was Il change made in the plans so
that limestone was used IN the con
struction OF this building. Win you be
good enough to inform me at once if
there were any changes OF policy made
in these respects after the receipt Of
the letters referred to?
"N CRY truly yours,
"JOHN Z. HYLAN. Mayor."
Snyder's Reply 20 Hylan
Snyder's reply, over which there was
endless wrangling, and which the
Mayor finally gave to the new paper
men when he couldn't get it into the
record, reads:
Terra Gotta vs. Limestone on School
Buildings.
November y, 1920.
Hon john ]. Hylan, Mayor of City
Of New York.
"My Dear Mr.. Mayor:
alleged 10 have been made in plans and
specifications as relating to terra Gotta
or stone ior exterior trim for new
school buildings subsequent to Feb
tuary S, 1919, quoting from testimony
given yesterday before the Lockwood
joint leg slative housing committee,
and also as % change made in the plan
for Public School 81, Bronx, Subsequent
to March -, 1919, so tnat limestone
was used in the construction OF the
building, and asking 10 be informed at
once if there we're any cnanges Of pol
icy made in these respects after re
ceipt OF the letters referred to, has
been received.
"In reply I beg to advise that there
was no ch1ngc made IN the plans and
specifications or in policy with respect
to these matters subsequent to The
dates mentioned.
The policy to be pursued with re-
-pect to the use OF terra Gotta and
limestone was communicated to ma by
Nice-Presidont Frank y. Wilscv, Of our
board, on january %, 1918.
'Air. Wilsey had referred to me for
investigation and report certain com
nunlcatlOns from repre- icntatlVes of
the cut stone industry Of this city on
the subject, upon which | reported
under date January 6, 1919. Copy Of
my report il attached hereto.
prom this you viii note that ap-
proved the claim for the superiority Of
stone over terra Gotta and stated that
1 would not choose terra Gotta for
exterior trim and ornamental. work if
I believed We could meet the expense
necessary to provide cut stone
Further, that the estimated difference
in cost as between the two materials
On q typical school building is about
$4,000, in favor Of the terra Gotta.
Briefly. the practice prior to the war wa.
hat certain portions OF the cxterio.
trim OF 81 building was in limestone ans
others in teIra-cotta
During the war period, owing Il
conditions then existing, this wa,
changed so os to make the terra colt.
an alternate Tor the limestone, lcavius
II to the contractor to choose which h,
+ would use
al the time OF my report to Mr.
Wilsey the plans and specifications fu
Public Schools ~, Brooklyn, and g.
BronN, had been prepared complete o.
this bass.
Bids for general construction Of 81
Bronx. were opened by me on Febru
AIRY H. 1919; chose for %, Brooklyn
on March 9, 1913.
"Iho exterior trim OF both thes,
buildings is Of t"rra Gotta, there being
no limestone used.
"As following the instructions o
Vice Pres dent Wjlsey, specification
for Public School 90 Brooklyn, whicI
had been printed. bat not advertised
were amended under date of Februar,
IS. 1919, providing for limestone in th'
lower part of the building and tcrr
Gotta above.
"lSds for tins Job we've opened by M
or March -, 1919. Plans and specitica
tons as follows were made to suit. II
certain buildings, however. such as ad
dItion to Public School s, Bronx, ad
dition 10 Public School f44, Brooklyn
and other similar structures, the speci
fcations required that the design Of Tn
existing building should be carried out
This, therefore, involved the use 0
- "a |sssfllSS gsSgs g.. g.