New-York tribune., 1921-10-08
Hylan Denies
44-Hr. Sessions:
Admits Order
Charges ''Tribune" Article
Reporting Instructions 10
W ipe Ont Part Time
i'll Schools l. EsFalse"
Fails to Explain Himself
Confirms the Statements He
Attacks, as Does Letter
of Ettinger He Quotes

Mayor Hyan in a letter to the editor
OF The Tribune yesterday characterized
as false" an article published in The
Tribune October 5, to the effect that
the Board of Education was seeking to
wipe out part-tme instruction in the
elementary schools by placing them on
fourhour double session basis
In his letter Mayor Hylan attempted
to prove his charge by quoting a gen
eral order sent by William L. Ettinger.
superintendent of Schools, to the di-
vision and district uperintendents
urging that pupils on part time be put
on "doublc session full time" The
Mayor does not bring out in his letter
the tact that double session means
two sessions of four hours each in the
schools, one in the morning and one in
the afternoon, with shift in pupils.
Neither does he bring out that the
double session system puts all the chill
dren IN the school on a four-hour basis
instead of merely the 1876, ,1O5 children
VINO were on part time when the pres
ent term opened.
Order for Double Session
The order in question was sent to the
division and district superintendent
on September 22, and reads as fol-
lows ~ Ao'
IN view Of the existing condition of
congestion in the schools, please give
special study to She organization of
schools IN your division or district in
winch pupils are on part time, with a
view to discovering whether or not. bv
the utilization of all available facili-
ties, classes that are now on part
time can be placed on double session
full time. 'o''
"By the close of the month district
superlntendents are requested to for
ward TO their respective division super-
1ntendents statement Of any achieve
ments IN this particular matter and the
olvlslon snperintendents, in turn, are
sequested TO present to me a sum-
married statementsof the same"
This is exactly what The Tribuno
reported. In addition, however. the
article said that the order had been
transmitted to the principals of the
elementary schools by telephone. In
view Of the Mayors letter The Tr;h-
une went further and again confirmed
this fact yesterday from the principals
concerned.
Dr.. Ettingcr was asked over the tele-
phone last night in what manner The
Irlbune's article differed from the
order sent to the division and district
superintendent, but he requested that
ne be given an opportunity to explain
it more fully with a reporter at his
Office.
Mayor Confirms Article Published
The article printed in The Tribune
on October 5 is fully confirmed by the
Mayors own letter, superintendent
Ettinger's letter and the principals of
the elementary schools. The article
did not carry any "scare head" as sug-
gestcd by the Mayor, but the regula-
tion one-column head that is used for
all articles Of its length and i'm
portance. The Mayors letter in full
follows:
"To the Editor of The Tribune: On
October 8, 1921, on your first page, you
carried an article with scare-headng
reading, 'Hylan Board Orders Four
Hour School Day. Principals Get Sc
cret Instructions to Cut All Class
Periods to Double Session Schedule.'
THE article and differences contained
in it are and were false, as appears
from the letter quoted below, written
without any request from me. Decency
requires that you conspicuously retract
the October 5th story referred to by
way of purging your columns of false
mood in at least one instance.
'The letter follows:
"'The City of New York, Office Of the
superintendent Of Schools, October S,
1921.
Hon. John r. Hylan, Mayor Of The
City of New York
My dear Mr.. Mayor: My attention