The Washington herald., 1921-01-16
HARRISON URGES
PRICE PROBE OF
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Proposes Construction of
Additional Class
rooms.

An attack by Senator Pat Harri-
son, of Mississippi, on the District
appropriation bill for its failure to
remedy school overcrowding. de-
layed passage of the measure by
the Senate yesterday,
In offering an amendment appro-
priating about si,64O.OOo for con-
struction of ten buildings, Senator
Harrison demanded that IL contrac-
tors are overcharging. their conduct
should be denounced and not be al
lowed to stand in the way of proper
housing for the children of Wash
ington, thousands of whom are un-
able to attend school at all, and
other thousands are being cared for
in easements, corridors and on the
part-time system. If the District
Commissioners asked for appropria-
tions for the erection of buildings
at exorbitant prices, he said, they
were unfaithful to their duties.
Harrison's amendment proposes to
reduce the appropriations asked for
buildings by about 20 per cent, and
to hold the contractors tsA Areason-
able terms or throw ythesr& &ut" and
bring others here froEa ef efseities.
Many, New Buihdiass bvsSeJ.
The amendment provide
For haufp ppfp,r -
junior high school upoR tsj north
of Taylor street andf Of Four
teenth street, s160.00R; kotal cost
not to exceed y40O, ,0OS.
For beginning the ION of a
of Gage, Emery and lexington
schools, not to exceed $500, 600.
For beginning the erection OF a
sixteen-room building north of and
in the vicinity Of Lincoln PARK,
100000, at a cost, not to exceed
For the erection oflan eight-room
extensible building adjoining the
Buchanan School, $3.50, 900.
For the construction of an eight
room addition to the S. ]. Bowen
School, S160,OOO.
For the erection of an eight-room
extensible building in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the Mott School,
$3.50, 900.
For the erection Of an eight-room
addition to the John Eaton School,
$3.50, 900.
For the erection of a four-room
building to replace the Smothers
School, $4,000.
"a
addition to the Lovejoy School,
$3.50, 900.
For the erection of a four-room
addition to the Monroe School, $780,
000.
Civic Centers Delayed.
The subcommittee amendment
providing $25,0O0 for the payment
of expenses of community forums
and civic centers in school buildings
and for lighting and equipping the
buildings. payment of janitor serv-
ice, secretaries, teachers, organizers
and clerks and including main
tenance of automobile, was laid over
for action tomorrow.
An amendment proposed by SEN
ator Curtis, chairman of the sub
committee, provided $4,000 for the
preparation of plans and specifca-
tions and employment of personnel
as follows: Eight-room addition to
the Mott School, eIght-Foomy addi-
tion to the John Eaton School, six
teen-room school building in the vi
cinity of Lincoln Park; Junior high
school near Taylor street and Iowa
avenue, and a four-room addition
to the Mott School. This amend
ment was withdrawn pending action
on that offered by Senator Harrison.
sharp debate occurred when
Senator Harrison questioned the
.thorQughness of the subcommittee
investigation of school construction
elsewhere. He wanted to know II
buildings in other cities at a third
the price Of those proposed here
were-uere shacks or were as sub
stantisl as those for Washington,
and was shown photographs of
those in Denver which members Of
he committee said indicated that
the buildings were much more de-
sirable than those in Washington.
Asks Raise for Jnnitors.
Senators Harrison and Walsh, of
Massachusetts,, asked that the nav
of janitors in the sixty-nine smaller
schools of the city be Increased from
SEQ to $500.
Senator Smoot replied that janitors
were mere laborersS that prices were
declining, that the salaries would
be very seductive later on, and op-
posed increasing their pay without
giving the same consideration to
other employees. Senator Curtis said
the subcommittee had gone into the
question thoroughly and did not
think the janitors should be favored.
, Senator Harrison.s proposal that
drivers of automobiles and other
vehicles be properly licensed under
the laws of the States surrounding
the District and not required to oh.
tain additional licenses or tags, was