New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-15
Fire Menaced
Thousands in
School Rooms
Fear of Disaster Caused SUI
perintendent Snyder to
Urge the Board of Edu-
cation to Take Action
Gary Plan Wins Praise
Present System of Pier
Rentage Unfair to City,
Hubert Tells Probers

After questioning several educa-
tionai authorities on the problems of
fire perils and part-time instruction in
the city's schools, the Meyer legisla-
tive committee investigating the Hylan
administration began its examination
yesterday of the affairs of the Dock
Department.
Murray Hubert, Commissioner Of
Docks, told the committee that the
present system OF leasing piers SIS in
equitable, unfair and Improbable" He
suggested in its stead the elimination
of all leases and the rental of the
docks to the steamship companies on =
wharfage basis, the piers to be open TO
all comers when not occupied, and pay
ment to be made on a fixed scale in
proportion to use
Fire Peril Alarmed Snyder
Charles B. J. Snyder, superintendent
of public school buildings, the first
witness called during the day, testified
that as late as March 18 of this wear
he had written to the Board of Educa
tlon expressing great alarm at the fire
dangers in the schools and demanding
that something be done about it, "The
condition in relation to fire preven-
tion,' he wrote, with the continued
growth of schools and consequent
overcrowding and congestion, causes
me great uneasiness and distress of
mind"
In reply to the charge of Elon R.
Brown, chief counsel to the committee.
that complaints of 1858 violations of
the fire regulations had been ignored
IN the last four years, Mr.. Snyder said
that neither his department nor the
Board of Education could adopt any
fixed policy in relation to the matter,
because the Board of Estimate had re-
peatedly refused to supply funds to
remedy the perils. He said that the
education department at last obtained
S250,000 in April last and that about
$4,000 of this already had been con-
tracted for for fire prevention pur-
poses. 1t was his estimate that s4.-
100000 would be necessary to correct
all the violations complained of He
added, however, that no record has
been kept by his department of the
number of violations.
Praise for Gary System
DR.. William L. Ettinger Superin-
tendept Of Schools. told of the part
time trouble in the schools and re-
lated how the so-called Gary plan of
education arose from method he had
devised to keep the classrooms occu-
pied from $3.50 o'clock in the morning
until 1890 in the afternoon in an effort
to obviate the part-time evil. He said
the Gary plan had never been installed
IN this city except as an experiment
for short time in two schools, and
thought that the experiment was a
valuable one
Commissioner Hubert proved
voluble witness, but appeared inclined
to argue all the questions put by the
examiner. His lengthy answers to ap-
parently simple questions finally
brought Counsel Brown to stand
still, the latter remarking: II don't
dare start you off again for reasons
which don't care to mention"
In the midst of long speech by
the Commissioner. Mr. Brown at one
point in sheer desperation shouted:
mo, no. cot chance to say no.
Brown refused TO listen to further
windy explanations on another occa-
sion the Commissioner compared him
to "his own little girl who wanted to
know the answer to a problem with
out caring to learn how to arrive at
it." To this Mr.. Brown replied: 81
thank you for comparing me to your
little girl"
Dock Valuations Disputed
The Commissioner disagreed with Mr..
Brown on the latter's valuation of the
dock properties as obtained from the
records of the Depar rtment of Taxes
and Assessments. On the basis of
these records the committee counsel
gave the value Of the city docks as
S212,226,575 in 1921, s20i,810.S45 in
1920 and $182, ,046, ,955 in 1917. The Com
missioner thought these were incorrect
because the fi&7res were not obtained