Evening star., 1921-10-17
BACKS S1Q,0DQ,O|)D
PROGRAM FOR D. c.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Senator King Willing to Vote
for Outlay After Talk
by Superintendent.
CONDEMNS PIECEMEAL
METHOD NOW IN FORCE
Cr. Ballou Tells Subcommittee of
Senate District Committee
There Is No DELAY.

Willingness to vote for a Slo,oOo.0oo
program for school buildings in the
District was expressed by Senator
King Of Utah today after hearing the
statement by Supt. Ballou of tn.
public schools before the subcommit-
tee of the District committee now in
vestigating charges of delay in the
erection of school buildings OH the
part of the District officials.
,, Senator King said that he preferred
| to see the adoption of an adequate
building program to meet the present
and future needs of the District
rather than the piecemeal method now
! adopted by Congress for school con-
struction.
! II should be willing to fight il Out
with the appropriations committees
of both houses to put through a real
ly constructive school building pro-
gram for the District" said the Utah
Se,,a,
Senator Capper of Kansas. chair
man of the school Investigating COM
| mittee, declared il was a crime" the
way children are handled in the
schools here. He indicated that he
| would favor such a program as pro-
posed by Senator King.
Dr. BaIIou's Statement.
Dr. Rallou told the committee that
the children were packed into the
| schools last year up to the garret.
and that this year. with an addi-
tional 5000 children. the conditions
were very serious.
He insisted that there had been no
una avoidable delay in the preparation
of plans for the new school buildings
appropriated for by Congress on the
| part of the board OF education.
municipal architect or the District
| Commissioners. He said that all the
officials have done their best to en-
| pedite the construction Of these
| schools.
| Senator Capper said:
| Congress is TO blame. because il
did not make appropriations to meet
the needs of the schools long before
| this"
| The meeting of the subcommittee
this morning was informal in char
| acter. the opening Of the investiga-
| tion asked by Senator King.
Suggests Joint Effort.
| Senator King suggested during the
meeting that it would be wise to ask
| the House District committee TO ap
point a subcommittee to act with the
Senate subcommittee in making the
I
/ so that d united effort might later be
made in both houses to OBTAIN the re-
| lief required.
i Senator Capper announced that h,
would take the matter UP with the
/ House District committee.
| AT the meeting today were the
members of the Senate subcommittee.
/ Capper. Cameron and King; Dr. Bal
| lou, Principal Hart of the Eastern
/ High School and Mrs. c. NJ. Cnlpman.
representing the Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs.
/ Dr. Baliou discussed the situatioA
| with regard To the new Eastern HIEn
School, Tor which the original ap-
preparation WAS made seven years
ago. That appropriation was SioV.OUv.
: Inc war came on. with mounting
/ building costs, and il was found i'm
| possible to erect such structure for
| anything like that sum of money.
Congress. he said. finally increased
! this sum to S1.5tU,0uu. He said tina
the final detailed plans for the East
ern High School had not been COM
pleted up To April 5. this year. when
! the electrical engineer of the District
| wrote him regarding certain matters
i in connection with the wiring OF the
building. He said that the request fer
| information was promptly answei eI.
Merely skeleton Plan.
/ The plan of the Eastern High
/ School, which he saw last fall, he
said, was merely the skeleton plan.
He insisted that the board of educa
tion was not the cause of any delay
in the erection of this new high
school. He also gave the municipal
architect clean bill of health. de-
claring that he had proceeded .s
rapidly as possible with the facili-
ties and force at his disposal
| DR.. Baliou pointed out that the office
| Tot. lit &c
| ranged as to keep the force busy
| throughout the year rather than TO
permit Of the handling of a rush job.
! The superints ndent said that the
board of education was all ready to
act promptly in the case of school
| buildings whenever the appropria-
| tions are supplied by Congress He
said that the authority of the mu-
! nicipal architect as to cites and con-
J struction of the school buildings was
complete
! The final contract fer the Eastern
/ High School. he said. is not yet let.
nor have the contracts been let for
| any of the buildings provided for by
Congress in the so-called emergency
program put through this year. He
sa i'd that the money had become avail
able about July /. and that it was eN-
! pected that the contracts would all
be awarded by December l and the
buildings completed by September.
1892.
! Decided by Congress.
| Senator King asked about some al
legged delay in connection with an as
sembly hall for the Phelps School.
| Dr. Ballou pointed out that Congress
|, had gone on record as opposing the
construction of assembly halls at this
| time and that the officials. in con-
| formity with this' determination. had
| not acted in the Phelps School as
sembly hall matter.
| DR. BaIlou took occasion to say that
| the Junior High Schools certainly
should be provided with assembly
halls.
Building costs in the District. DIR.
/ Ballou said he had become convinced.
were not greater than elsewhere:
He spoke in reply to suggestion of
Senator King that the building con-
tractors here were set of prof1teers.
Dr. Ballou pointed out that during
the last six months building costs
| had decreased from 30 to 40 per cent,
| which, he said, was an encouraging
sign.
Referring to the need for new
schools here. DIR. Ballou said that Il
congressional commission in 1908
| made a survey of the schools in the
| district and recommended the imme
date abandonment of twelve build
ings OF these, he said, two are in
use today. The same commission
recommended that eight other school
buildings be abandoned as soon a.
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