The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-01-29

tic UO0l " VI CduCaAAOAAy Which, 10
ton with the FIRE department
and the building committee.
"Not Alarming" Says Burns.
Conditions are not alarm
ing" insists Mr.. Burns, par
roting his chief Charles M.
Moderwell, president of the
board, who said the day before the
investigation that "there is no cause
for alarm"
Mr.. Burns said that four schools
had been visited in the first half
day, but he would not publish any
facts about the survey.
If it were found advisable, Mr..
Burns finally yielded, the investiga-
ton will be made public, later. He
said he had not yet given a writ
ten report to the city of the condi-
tions in the schools visited but that
conditions were not alarming.
When asked whether inspecting
four schools in half day was not
"quick work" Mr.. Burns said he did
not think so as the schools were
close together.
No Fire Escapes.
While this withdrawing was go
! ing on The DAILY WORKER Wis
tied another school and FOUND NO
FIRE ESCAPES, as told below.
Such neglect of common safety
precautions, imperilling the lives OF
the children unfortunate enough to-
live in the poorer districts where
the schools are worst, will not go
unchallenged by The DAILY
WORKER.
The sons and daughters Of the
workers must not be in daily peril
of death because of the callous pol
lev of an Indifferent school board.
Labor Unionists Aroused
MANY trade unionists who nave
read the articles in the DAILY
WORKER on fire trap public schools
have said that they will bring the
question to the attention Of their local
unions and ask them to pass resolu-
tions in favor of school building
program that will assure every
school child seat in safe school.
Nick Dozenberg, member Of Lodge
47S of the /. A. of NJ, and A. Over
gard of Lodge 800 of the |. A. Of M,
said that at the next meeting of their
unions they would call the attention
of the membership to the present sit
uation in the schools and ask them to
pass resolutions on the subject.
Lovett Whiteman, of the stan
of the Chicago Defender, said that ne
was glad to see the DAILY WORK
Err call the attention of the people to
the school situation. "In the colored
! districts of the city for the most part
we have comparatively modern
schools because the districts in which
the negroes of Chicago live are new
districts. We have, however, pecu-
liar situation and need. In the schools
in the colored district most of the
teachers are white. and the parents
Uf the colored pupils do not want to
see the introduction of colored teach
ere and thus the gradual introduction
O. i'm Crow schools.
White Teachers Indifferent
The white teachers, are, however,
for the most part indifferent in the
performance of their duty. The disci-
pline in the colored schools is poor
as result. Recently, on the South
side there have been fights between
the teachers and the pupils in two
schools. In the Wendell Phillips
school ony last week a group of pu-
pills fought with and beat up the prin-
cipal of the school.
Rose Karsner, director of the
Friends of Soviet Russia, and of
Workers Germany, said: "From the
facts revealed by the DAILY WORK
Err it seems that Chicago could learn
something from darkest Russia
There the schools are housed in the
finest buildings available"
Worse Than Jails
Harrison George, who has been in a
dozen or more jails and prisons of the
country, said: "The school children
l6f Chicago seem to be in much the
same situation as the people who are,
in prison. Both are housed in rot
ten buildings, and the children are
just as helpless to do anything about
it as are the prisoners"
"By fighting for better schools for
the kids of Chicago the DAILY
WORKER has already justified it's ex-
istence,' Bob Minor, cartoonist and
editor of the Liberator, said.
"That the workers children will get
the worst Of everything from a school
board that does not have a single
worker on it is to be expected. Since
the workers Of Chicago are the vaA
majority Of the people Of Chicago,
and their children must go to the
public schools, the workers should be
members Of the school board. and the
rest should be educators.
''If you will notice the capitalist
papers Of Chicago, you will see they
are devoting most Of their attention
on the question Of unsafe buildings in
the city to the theaters and other pri-
vately owned buildings. It Is plain
that they don't want school taxes
raised to pay for new buildings" he
added.
Visit Ogden School
No fire escapes were found in the
Ogden school at Chestnut and State