New-York tribune., 1921-06-23
Hylan Regime
Doubles art
Time Schools
4, April. 1917. There Were
30,462 Receiving Cur
tailed Instruction; 83, ,9Ol
Are on Same Basis Now
Nudd Replies to Mayor
Denial Made of Amy Polit-
ical Motive in Review
of Educational Neglect


csted upon psrt-time basis has
steadily increased and is more than
souble tae general average of 1917.
encial statistics of the Department. of
Education, computed upon monthly
Aasis and completed up to April of this
,ssr, show that in April, 1917, there
tsre 80. .462 pupils on part time, repre-
Snting Ala per cent OF the total under
instruction. while in April of this year
:sere were SS,s01 on part time, repre-
ssntiug l0.7 per cent of the whole re-
&;iving instruction.
The school year runs from Septem-
her 10 June. and the figures for the
other months are in general keeping
with those cited above. They show an
sther phase of the general degenera-
ton Of the public school situation
under the Hyian administration and
explain the desperate measures being
taken by the Hearst Hylan-
organization to cover up the ineffi-
cheney of the last three years by or
csnizing last minute league to de-
mand better schooling facilities and
improve the insanitary conditions which
the schools nave been permitted to
sink into through Indifference.
Nudd Answers HyIan
Mayor Hylans attack upon the or
Plantations which were responsible for
revealing the menacing conditions in
the public schools was answered yes
terday by Howard ". Nudd, director of
the Public Education Association, who
said:
"The Public Education Association is
not interested in getting into a contro-
versy with the Mayor nor in any way
becoming involved in political contro-
versy. 1t is not 8 political organiza-
ton, but solely concerned in present
ing facts regarding the schools that
will assist the public in furthering
their welfare.
In view of the efforts TO capitalize
the present school situation for politi-
cal purposes, the association is more
convinced than ever that the schools
must be divorced entirely from politics
by granting to the Board of Education
through legislative action the degree of
financial independence which is essen
tial to their proper administration and
Development. 1t is unfair to the school
authorities and unfair to the children
to leave them to the mercy of politi-
cally constituted administrations that
drag them through the mire in munich
pal campaigns.
ain the interest of keeping the facts
clearly before the public, we wish to
point out that the Mayor has made
several assertions that cannot be SUBJ
stantiated.
"He refers to this association as
being supported by the Rockefeller
Foundation and rushing behind the
skirts .sf won en- s organizations, whose
1gani2asions' names have furnished
convenient cover until now
"The Public Education Association
is not supported by the Rockefeller
Foundation. It has never received 8
contribution from that organization.
1t is supported entirely by its mem
bers. Mr.. Rockefeller happens to be
enc Of these 200 members, but he has
never given more than a very small
fraction of the annual budget and has
never made a suggestion as to the
character II conduct OF our work. To
say tnat this association Is controlled
by anybody Is untrue, and can be ex-
planned only on the assumption that
his honor wishes to identify US with
certain interests which he is endeav-
0ring to make the public believe are
ne1arlous III purpose"
AStiuH ny he2rSt bufeQ
Mr.. Nudd then stated that the as
soelatlon did not initiate the survey of
the schools which displeased Hylan by
revealing the deplorable conditions in
the schools, anu then adds:
The value and significance of the
report Is Witnessed by the fact that
the Mayors campaign promoters,
through the channels OF the Hearst
press, are using 1t for the purpose of
eofEaInng pubic support 10 his politi-
cal ambitions. 1t is also interesting to
note tnat the newspaper he cites as
sailing TINS association political is
the very Paper-The Evening journal
which is us-ng these dIstinterested
Ahdlngs Tor the Mayors political pur-
poses. Iae plan and program COM
Mittee winch made the survey was or
sSAiZed tas the report states) by the
tn,ationat n'-ti CIVIC Federation, and the
uo44c Education Association was but
.ene OF several civic and non-political
organizations invited to JOIN.
ne ofhcla! figures OF the Depart
meat OF Education regarding actual
expenditures for repairs differ mate
Gi!@lIy from the figures cited by the
mayor. We have used the figures for
expenditures rather than appropria-
Hons' not only because they indicate
wotA actually done, but also because it
mas Deen customary in almost every
aliAlh lstratlon to supplement from
ssiAe TO time during the year, as un-
-sleseen emergencies arise, the amount
oLgtAai!y allotted in the budget for a
gwen year. Mr.. Hylan gives as the
3 amount appropriated by the Mitchell
1liii lhlstratlon Tor repairs in the four
YEARS l9l5-18 S3,983, ,451. SO. The amount
ssssaslly spent during these years was
+ Y''4oo,ioo oo.42, according 20 the Depart
iAehV Of Education. For the last three
seafs OF ms own administration Mr..
5ss!an gives the sum of $7,196, ,939 24.
y The 1all $2,o00,000, the second half
winch mas been allotted to repair
@ofK by the Board of Education dur
lhg the last two or three days-after
W.T. original figures appeared-are fully
spens ny the close of this year, the
sosai sum that will have been spent
aeflng these three years of the Hylan
administration will be $5,429 ,055.08.
Two Factors in Case
In considering this latter sum, how
eF' IL is important to bear in mind
s*o factors: First, that, in view of
sne great depreciation in the value of
sse dollar, the practical effectiveness
~ thiS sum IN meeting the needs of
eae schools is far less than similar
Snount III previous years, when the
Gost q labor and materials was much
.ess. In the second place, it is hard to
see how the Hyian administration can
a s!@!la much credit for this So, 800, 900,