Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-21
RELIEF
PLANNED AFTER
AN INSPECTION
State Tax Board Visits Build.
ings, Calls Conference
for Tomorrow.

A conference of the State board Of tar
commissioners and the hoard of school
commissioners Will be held Friday after
noon at o'clock when an attempt win
be made to get together on the proposed
bond issue for the construction of ad-
ditions and the remodelling Of old build
ings at schools Nos. 10, SO, 50, and 62.
The conference was arranged yesterday
after the tax board had spent two hours
inspecting buildings now under construc-
ton at School No. 20, Columbia avenus
and Sixteenth street: Arsenal Technica
High School and Emertch Manual Train,
ing High School.
At the close Of the trip it seemed Ger
tain that the members of the tax boart
had made up their minds on sewers
POINTS:
1. That there is a great need for
school buildings in Indianapolis to
relieve the present congested condi-
tons of the public schools.
2 That permanent quarters should
be afforded all grade school pupils
at the very earliest possible moment.
3 That there has been unwise and
extravagant expenditure Of money on
the part of the school board and that
it's buildings are too elaborate and
too costly.
4. That some sort of g bond issue
for schools Nos. 16. SO 80 and 62 viii
be authorized, but not to the amount
of the s847 900 asked by the board
of school commissioners, and then
only after the tax board is satisfied
that the money will be spent eco
nomically and wisely.
TAX BOARD MEMBERS
WISHED To SIZE RITZ
The trip yesterday was taken at tn
suggestion Of the tax board, whose mem.
bers apparently wished to see for them.
selves the buildings which were so FIRE.
QuentIy mentioned as ex, -ples of ex.
travagance on the part Of the school
board during the hearings 20 weeks age
on the remonstTance of ten members Of
the Taxpayers League Of Indiana against
the proposed bond issue Of SS47, 000
The trip was made by John J. Brown
Philip Zoercher and William Hough OF
the board of tax commissioners; Harry
V. Wenger, engineer for the board; Bert
s. Gadd and Charles l.. Barry Of the
board of school commissioners Ralph W.
Douglass. business director, and John NJ.
Rotz of the firm Of Snider & Rotz, en-
gineers for the board.
1t is considered very probable that a
solution Of the problem will be reached
by an arrangement whereby the school
board will advertise for bids on the
buildings, submit these bids to the tax
board and the latter body will then ep-
prove a bond issue If 1t is satisfied the
school city is getting its moneys worth
in the bids submitted.
This is substantially the settlement
proposed by Frederick E. Matson, attor-
ney for the school board, during the
hearings two weeks ago.
OF the three buildings visited yester-
day the first unit Of Arsenal Technical
Eigh SCHOOL more nearly seemed to meet
with the approval of the tax board than
either No &c or the gymnasium, audi
torlum and lunchroom at Emmerich
Manual Training High School
NOTE EXTRAVAGANCE
IN MARBLE STILLS.
At No. %. which is a twenty-four class
room negro school, and is being built at
cost of $3.50. 900, the use of the very
highest grade of maple flooring and
marble window sills seemed to strike
members of the tax board as particularly
useless and extravagant.
When they visited the new building at
Technical High School a few minutes
later. Mr.. Zoercher was quick to speak
of the fact that here there were no
marble window siils and the maple floor
ing was not Of the same high quality
used at No. 70, the negro school.
Where Is the swimming poole" asked
Commissioner Hough at No. &c and he al
most seemed surprised when told there
was none here.
But the greatest disapproval was more
or-less openly expressed at Manual Train
ing High School. The expenditure Of
about SJ2SOO0 for an auditorium, gym
nasium and lunch rooms when 1900 grade
school pupils are attending half day ses--
sions and hundreds upon hundreds ara
crowded into temporary buildings, met
with only partly concealed hostility on
the part Of the tax commissioners.
One of them said: Just think Of
spending all this money here in a way
that will not house a single additional
pupil, when school children are attending
school in old residences and temporary
makeshifts such as we saw at No 49,
1t is believed that some definite arrange
ment will be reached at the meeting Fri
day afternoon by which the work of rem
edying conditions at Schools Nos. Is, 80,
So and 81 can be started at a compara-~
lively early date.