The New York herald., 1921-06-18
CRAIG TO PRESENT
SCHOOL SITE DATA
Comptroller Is Not Certain
Whether Shallow Is Stu
pid or Knavish.
PREPARING EVIDENCE
Will Tell District Attorney
of Kings County How
Land Was Acquired.
MAY ASK SWANN'S AID
Cites Number of Cases Where
He Believes City's Interests
Were Not Protected.
NAY ASK SWANN'S AID

|
sent next Monday to the District At
torney of Kings county all the in
| formation in his possession bearing
upon the selection of the Coney Island
school site by DR.. Edward B. Shallow,
| Associate Superintendent of Schools,
| in connection with which the Comp
troller charged collusion at Thursdays S
meeting of the Sinking Fund Com
mission
| The office of the Board of Education
! is in New York county, While the
property in question is located in
Kings county. The Comptroller said
he may submit the matter to District
Attorney Swami of New York county
also so that the two offices may CO.
operate.
| He had his office force busy yester-
day preparing documentary evidence to
be presented. Surveyors will go to
Coney Island to-day and make maps
and prepare other data concerning the
Hugh P. Skelly property, at Neptune
avenue and Twentyninth street, Sc
lected as the school site. and the al
tentative sites on city owned reclaimed
land across Neptune avenue proposed
by the Comptroller.
Holds Up Information.
In addition to the foregoing data the
Comptroller said he has important in
formation, the nature Of which he
would not make public, which no in
tends to give orally to the District
Attorney His only comment was:
IT do not know whether Shallow is
stupid or knavish, but whatever the
case may be, his actions are inexcus-
able"
Among other school site matters
which the Comptroller regarded as Gu
rious were the following:
The Comptroller said he went out to
inspect a school site for which the city
| already had vested title at Avenue +
| and West street, Brooklyn. When he
got there he found a fine truck farm
| in a flourishing state Of cultivation.
| The Comptroller said that the proprie-
| tor of the place frankly admitted that
he was not paying any rent and that
| he would move out and leave the city
flat on its back II it undertook to
charge him any rent.
Another thing the Comptroller said
he could not understand was DR.. Shall
lows recommendation of two alterna-
tive sites in opposite blocks at roth
street and Grant avenue. The Bronx.
since both sites were 20 to q feet below
the street grade. Because the proposed
building would occupy only about one
third of either site. the Comptroller
said. I'VE would have to use ladders to
utilize the rest Of the site" He said
that he had been Informed that one Of
those sites was on sinking ground and.
so far as he could learn. was bottom
less.
Has Letters OF Protest.
He exhibited one Of number of letters
he said he had received from residents
of the Washington Heights section pro-
testing against the action Of DR.. Shallow
In selecting a site for new Washington
Heights school which was entirely out
of the Washington Heights section.
Comptroller Craig indicated that he Is
| giving special attention to change In
| the selection of a site by DR.. Shallow In
| 1919. about seven blocks north OF Acad-
emy street, Manhattan. 1t appeared
| satisfactory to all concerned, but In
| January. 1921 DIR. Shallow recommend
ed another site instead. the new site
being several blocks south of Academy
street on Broadway. The Comptroller
| said that investigation showed the prop
erty was about to be sold under fore
closure.
The city has a school building on
| Merrick road. at Rosedale. which the
Board of Education contended needed to
be enlarged. The Comptroller was In
| favor of acquiring vacant land on either
| side of the city owned site on which the
school building stands. DR.. Shallow. the
| Comptroller said. picked out site on
the opposite side of Merrick road. Puzzled
over that. the Comptroller said he in
vestigated and found out II was part of
r. real estate development. Mr.. Craig
then got the promoters OF an adjoining
real estate development on the telephone
and they informed him that they would
be willing to give the city site out
right IL the city would only build the
school on their property. The Comp
troller told the promoters that he thought
n fair proposition would be for the city
to accept the site and decd to them the
site OF the present school in compensa-
ton when the city ceased to use II. The
| nroposal was not agreeable to the Board
OF Education. the Comptroller said.
In connection with the issuance OF
building permits for the city's reclaimed
land at Coney Island. the Comptroller
exhibited a photograph of n dwelling be-
ing erected in the middle OF a street
filling the roadbed from curb TO curb.
He said that the structure was In T6r-
tieth street. at Neptune avenue. opposite
the Skelly school site. He could not
learn who issued the permit for the
building nor why IL was deemed ad-
..t-.lt. .fto,r 1, dvaIIfpo 20 cioaa m