The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-14
TEACHERS PROVE
THEIR CHARGES
AT SCHOOL MEET
Estimate Was Padded,
Facts Show

Inc CITY COuuCll cOmmlJLe6 on
schools.
II tell this committee" shot Marga.
ret Haley, of the Chicago Teachers
Federation, that Mr.. Henry referring
to Nelson B. Henry, secretary of the
finance committee of the school
boardD is misleading this committee
of the council, as he did at the meet
ing on Feb. 49,"
II am defending Mr.. Henry" said
Acting President Smietanka OF the
board, because l do not believe he is
liar"
Can't Prove He Is Liar.
II can prove that he u.s." retorted
Miss Haley.
THAT Mr.. Henry does not resent
that is proof, take it, that he is a
gentleman"
THAT he does not resent It is proof,
take It," shot back Miss Haley, that
he can't"
The committee was trying to find
out the truth as to the charge Of the
Teachers Federation that an item of
SO, 100000 in an estimate of expenses.
submitted to the council on Feb IS,
when 1t was sought to increase the
tax rate from 1872 to 2.92 was pad
ding, was true.
Blame II on Printer.
Henry explained that by a typo
graphical error the estimate appeared
as for the year 1926, when 1t should
have been 1927.
The boards business manager, H.
H. Bracket, followed Henry, with the
same statement. The committee, &C
cepting this explanation, then pro-
ceeded to solve the riddle. It was
pointed out to Bracket that, II the
estimate was for 1927, then "a Of the
new schools, out of the Sc which the
item was said to cover, were opened
in 1926 and covered by that years
budget, and would be covered in the
1927 budget, which started with the
1926 figures as a basis, that 10 more
would be provided for by the usual
S2,5OO,O00 which is added to the esti-
mate each year to cover growth, leav-
ing but two forlorn schools to absorb
the $3,S00,000.
May Have Been Duplication.
Yet in answer to the same question,
propounded ten or a dozen times,
Brackets only answer was that the
item was to cover the excessively
sarge number of new schools, Brack-
EFT appeared to be either very poor
accountant or a very good witness for
the board.
Finally, pinned down at last, he ad
mitted that "there might have been
some duplication"
When pressed to say whether, on
his own initiative, he had put in
separate item of over three million,
when it was not customary to make
such additions to an estimate coming
from the board. he testified that he
had acted on instructions from Colonel
Ellicott, the president of the board
and now dead.
Alderman Clark then suggested
that even if the SO schools were to
be covered by the item, which was
clearly not the case, the amount was
excessive. He multiplied the number
of schools by the average cost Of OPP
Grating them to prove his contention.
Mr.. Bracket tried to explain this by
saying that the average cost Clark
had taken did not include teachers
salaries, but operating expenses.
Clark then showed that teachers
salaries were included in the regular
estimate, aside from item added.
Bracket shifted uneasily in his chair.
Henry held one hand to his chin or
pressed two fingers into his cheek,
like fundamentalist minister.
Insist on Polite Words.
. The net result was that, after de-
Quoting for "a schools that were COW
cred by the original estimate, 10 that
would be covered by the S2,5U0,00O,
and the teachers salaries for che new
schools, little was left of the $500
900 except unadulterated padding.
Smietanks objected to that word. AL
derman Nelson said: Call It by a
more polite name If you wish"
But the Chicago Teachers Fedora
ton and Margaret Haley had won
their point and pretty we'll proved
their charges against the board.