New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-09
Schools Will
Put $4,000
On Part Time
Construction Delay Causes
Lack of Buildings; Many
Pupils just Entering Also
Will Suffer a Handicap
Registration Under Wav
Expect Relief i'm December;
IL Houses To Be Ready;
Teaching Force Adequate

Registration of new pupils began
yesterday in all of the city,s public
schools, with a strong indication that
n large part of them, as we'll as an
proximately $4,000 old registrants, will
be denied full-time instruction for the
first few months of the school year.
which opens Monday. Not one of the
twenty-five new buildings and addi-
tions which were to have been ready
for occupancy this fall has been COM
pleted.
DR.. William L. Ettinger, superin-
tendent of schools, said yesterday that
the completion of these buildings
would require from at least sixty to
ninety days more. with one or two cx-
ceptons. He declared that only under
the most favorable conditions would
the housing situation be relieved suf-
flclently this year to provide full-tme
instruction for all Of the city's $4,000
school population.
Failure of the contractors to COM
plete the new buildings by the time
specified, DR.. Ettinger said, has been
due to unavoidable circums tances, such
as the difficulty in obtaining mate erals,
general labor shortage and the ne
cesslty of re-awarding contracts in
order to meet radically increased costs
he declared, had created situation
which probably would require several
years to completely adjust.
Big 1921 Building Program
twenty-five new buildings and addi-
the summer months" he said, "and on
top of this is a big building program
for 1921. Obviously it will take
very extensive program in the near
future to catch up. 1t may require
years 70 bring about complete relief.
Our obstacles have been the same as
those involving every kind of building
All Of the schools in operation at
the close Of the last school year will
be opened for classes Monday. Many
Of these buildings, however, are from
fifty to sixty years old and it is i'm
possible to get the maximum amount
of service out of them, DR.. Ettinger
said TIE classrooms are small and
inadequate to care for the increased
registration.
According to Building Supcrintend-
ent c. B. j. Snyder, it has been with
the most utmost difficulty that the De-
partment of Education has placed even
part of the recently authorized re-
pair work under contract. The old
buildings will have to be utilized re-
gardless Of the need of these repairs.
School officials said that of the con-
gested districts, the lover East Side
and the Brownsville section of Brook
Ign, present the greatest problems.
Added to the long standing congestion
Of those districts is an increasing
alien population resulting from the re-
moval of wartime restrictions on i'm
migration.
Mr.. Snyder estimated that twelve of
the buildings to have been ready Mon
day will be completed by December.
These will accommodate $4,000.
Those buildings nearest completion
arc Public Schools No. 20, Brooklyn. a
1orty-e ight-room structure, and No. 8,
Queens, thirteen-room school at For
est Hills.
The elementary schools, officials be-
lieve, will show an increased rceistra-
ton of $4,000 to $4,000 pupils. High
schools are expected to have an in
crease of 5000 or more Enforcement
of the compulsory school law will add
about $4,000 to the enrolment figures.
Teachers Report Tomorrow
The teachers will return to duty to-
morrow. Registration will continue to-
day and tomorrow. The preliminary
work of registering and transferring
pupils is being carried on by the prin-
cipals and school clerks. Registration
In the evening high, trace and ele-
mentary schools began last nirht, No