Evening star., 1922-01-29
|CAPPER CONDEMNS
| SK|MP|NG SCHOOLS
Policy of Cutting Estimates
for District Education
Called Shortsighted.
PROMISES TO MAKE FIGHT
Senator Says Schools Already Suf.
fer From This Attitude in
Legislation.

VI tHe blStrlCI Oh COlumDl a
heed all the money they can get at
this time, said Senator Capper of Kan
sas, chairman Of the joint congress
slonal committee now investigating
local school conditions, yesterday.
He expressed deep regret over the
ac'ion OF the House in making such
large cuts in the Appropriations asked
1or the District schools, characterized
It as shortsighted policy and indi-
cated that there would be strong ef-
rorts in the Senate to make better
provision for the local schools than
provided in the District bill as re-
ported to the House.
Senator Capper has made a number
OF personal inspections Of the schools
mere and is thoroughly familiar with
the conditions and their needs. When
lhe District bill gets to the Senate
senator Capper is expected to confer
with Senator Phipps of Colorado,
chairman of the subcommittee of
lne senate appropriations committee
WING Wmich nanuleS the District revenue
Dill and will point out to the latter
the serious conditions which now pre-
Fall IN the schools and the false
economy contained in the recon-
mendations of the House appropria-
preparations. A'
Ihe District schools are in a very
serious shape" he said. Their esti-
mates cannot be justly pared. They
heeo every cent of money they can
get at this time. Every penny that
the school officials asked for can be
placed to a good and efficient use
the estimates of the District schools
is short-sighted one and cannot
be defended.
"ShOuId Be Corrected,
This pairing Of appropriations
justly asked for is one of the things
from which the District schools are
suHerlng at this time and it is this
cutting that is, to a large measure,
responsible for the conditions pre-
Vailing today and which should be
corrected at the earliest moment by
Congress.
of course, there is "a great move
on now for retrenchment and econ
omy Ain all lines. l strongly believe
in the policy of economy which has
been instituted, but the cutting of
the school appropriations cannot in
any way be defended as an economy
move. 1t is just the reverse. There
school appropriations. If the prac-
tice of cutting down on the schools
continues as it has in the past Con-
gress will be met with condition
in the District school system that
will be indefensible."
Indications are that the District
schools will find strong advocates in
the Senate when the local appropria-
tion bill gets there. Senator Capper
is expected to make a strong plea for
them on the floor, if the Senate COM
mittee decides to increase the House
appropriations.
Action of the House in cutting the
school appropriations in the face of
the deplorable conditions known to
exist is believed to have prompted the
joint congressional investigating
committee to hurry up the work. 1t
out-of-town educators to give their
views as to what is necessary for
modern school system. in addition to
those who have already testified.
However, the committee has decided
to cut the hearings short and to get
down to a study of the data already
with a view to making a
report to Congress as quickly as pos
sible consistent with mapping out
effective and constructive recommen-
dations for making the local school
system a model one for the country
have testified have placed the blame
for the conditions here on Congress,
and have indicated that the people in
the states would approve anything
that Congress does toward relieving
the conditions here and establishing a
school system that will be the best in
the country, and one which educators
can use for model.
The committee will hear represen-
tatives of the various civic bodies
here next Thursday afternoon, to get
their ideas as to needs here, follow
ing which there will be hearing
from local school officials. This will
conclude the public hearings, as the
committee feels that it has enough
data in the record on which to base
a constructive program, which it will
recommend to Congress.
AS soon as the hearings are con-
cluded the record of the hearings
will be printed and a copy placed in
District committee of both the House
and the Senate. The joint commit
tee, which is composed of the sub
on education of the two
committees, then will hold
executive sessions to study the prob
lem and map out it's report.
The aim apparently is to get the
report to both houses of Congress
promptly, to the end that the legis-
lative branches may have an oppor-
tunity to-take some action promptly.
The committee members now are
fully cognizant of the serious condi-
tions here, and it is expected that
they will make strong effort to
have the two main bodies act as
quickly as possible to relieve the en-
tire situation.