The Washington herald., 1921-05-04
.FOCHT INDIGNANT
OVER ESTIMATES
FORSCHOOL NEEDS
Chairman Says Congress
Must Provide for
Every Child.


The size of the estimates OF the
District ,t Commissioners for the
emergency school building program,
sent to Congress yesterday. proved
a shock to Chairman Focht, Of: the
House District Committee. 1t was
the "smallness" of the estimates.
however, that shocked Focnt.. q
Focht expressed indignation at
the action of the District Commits
sioners in apparently blue pencil
ing" the estimates, Of DR.. Bailou,
superintendent of schools.
Portable schools stilI Needed.
According to Dr. Ballou. who ad-
dressed the Parent-Teachers' Asso-
citation at the Brightwood School
last night, the 100000 estimates
would provide sufficient classroom
space. do away with part-tfme in
structfon and reduce all classes to
level of not more than forty
pupils to a class, but that 1t would
not allow the abandonment OF the
portable schools and rented guar
tiers. b..
uOu see why Iucoc NhseIiSt
people should talk SO big about s5,-
100000" Chairman Focht said. "and
then come up here and ask for less
than 100000 1t looks cheap. They
either didn't know what they were
talking about or they were not tell
ing the truth before. 1t looks like
starting for Baltimore and then
getting OF at a way station"
Wants Seats for All.
Focht declared that the present
Congress has no idea OF going into
the District school business on the
installment plan. He said he in
tended to find out how much was
needed and see that a seat was pro-
vided for every child in the Dis
trict. even IL 1t was necessary to
build an entire building to pro-
vide for one child that was left
over.
Il am going to put the whole
bunch on the griddle," he declared.
and find out what Is required to
cover the whole business. A mil
lion or SO does not amount to any
thing - II there was any truth in
all this talk about school shortage
Walters, of Pennsylvania, a. very
able business man, as the chairman
or a subcommittee to study the sit
uation and 1 know he will make
a good job OF It,"
Fears Lack Of Faith.
Focht said he was disheartened
when he receiveyd tho Commission
ers estimates for less than 81, ,oo0,-
OO0' and took 1t as an indication
or lack Of faith in him to take
care Of the needs Of the District
schools.
DR.. Ballou in his address last
night said the attitude of Congress-
and of individual Congressman was
never more favorable towards the
District school needs but that ultf-
mate action will depend upon the
Committee
Some Of the Washington school
houses are national disgraces," he
said. We don't want schools here
that belong at the foot of the lad
der. They must be the best of the
nation. The country looks to the
Capital City, especially in the mat
ter, Of education, more than to any
other place in the country and Il
is to the national interest that the
District schools be of the best"
Discusses Surplus Question.
The question OF whether the Dis
trict has a s5,oo0,000 surplus in the
FEDERAL treasury was again brought
up yesterday when Chairman Focht
received letter from Henry B. r
Macfarland, civic leader. who in
sisted that not one dollar of Dis
trict tax money could be used for
national purposes without a plain
violation of the spirit and letter OF
the law.
Macfarlsnd cited the organic ac,
or 1873 as upholding his conten-
tions.
Macfarland's letter was written
in reply to a recent statement OF
Focht that he had been told that
the so-called District surplus
amounting to approximately s5,-
100000 was a myth" and a mat
ter OF bookkeeping. Focht said last
night he had received the letter
but insisted that up to the present
he had learned nothing. supported
by concrete evidence. to contradict
hig q q - o.