New-York tribune., 1921-09-09
School
Seat Pledge Is
Cut to l2,606
10000 New Desks Promised
in June Dwindle Again
as Work Is Held Up on
Two Brooklyn Buildings
Delayed by Indifference
Boards Red Tape HaIts
Plan 20 Speed Up Program
as Opening Day Nears

Mayor Hylan's SPECIFIC promise in
June that $4,000 new seats would be
provided for children in the public
schools when they opened in the fall
underwent another serious shrinkage
yesterday. 1t was learned that the con.
tractors had been unable to complete
the work on one new school and one
new addition. with the result that the
total number of new seats available on
Monday next when the schools open
has been reduced to 1260e, of which
number 348 are for high school Dur.
poses.
The new school which will not be
ready is Public School 81, at Crotona
Avenue and 180th Street, the Bronx.
with . capacity of 1885 seats. The adj
ditlon is at Public School 73, McDougal
Street and Rockaway Avenue. Brook
iyn, with capacity for sos children.
In both cases the lack of school furni.
ture is holding up the completion Of
the school
The ineficiency of the Hearst. Hylan
! Tammany administration is ILLUSTRATED
in the case of the addition to BRYANT
High School, which is under construc.
ton at Radde and Academy streets
Long Island City. The addition con.
sists OF an auditorium, gymnasium
shop-room facilities, and class-rooms
, The contract for this addition was
awarded on May q, 1920. Work on the
addition was suspended on MAY IL last
because of the financial difficulties of
the contractor. The amount Of the
contract is $500,500.
Entire Work Held I'm
AS a result of this situation the en-
tire work has been held up while new
bids were advertised for, because the
surety companies declared that no
agreement could be reached whereby
they could take up and complete the
work
This impasse is the direct result of
the failure to make the surety com
panies party to the contr4ct, as was
done on previous contracts. In his
semi-annual report C.. B. j. Snyder,
Superintendent of School Buildings,
says:
THE Board of Education of the old
City of New York required that the
Suret1es on construction contracts
should become parties of the third
part.
"The delays which ensued in the fin
ishing up of the Evander Childs High
School in the Bronx are now perhaps
to be duplicated in the Bryant High
School, Long Island City.
"In both cases the general contrac-
tors, for financial reasons, stopped
work and the surety companies refused
to proceed. This would not have been
possible under the former metho cd.
which should now be taken up and, if
possible, put into force"
Another reform which has been per-
sistently advocated in construction
work is that of letting complete con-
tracts for school buildings, to include
construction, sanitary, heating, cleo
trical and ventilation work, to single
contractor.
In order to induce the board to un-
dertake this reform Mr.. Snyder's bu-
reau drew such contract for the pro-
posed new Public Schools 1873, 1874 and
1876 in Brooklyn. These contracts re-
Gently were awarded to the T. A. Clarke
Company for $2,317,000. and they are
the first of. their kind in the history
of the Board of Education. 1t was ex-
tContinued en- page thres)