Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-15
SCHOOL INQUIRY
MAY Be SOUGHT
Board of Education May Ask
Study of Charges of Funds
Diversion.

REQUEST NAV he made by members
of the Board of Education. 1t was de-
veloped today to have the House sub
committee holdin" hearings on the
Gasone elective school board bill make
a thorough investigation of charges
made at the hearing saturday night
bv Snowden Ashford former munlcl
pal architect that money in the school
repair fund Is being illegally used 10
complete new school buildings.
1t is understood that some of the
board members resent the 'dist"rted
test imony given by Mr.. Ashford. anu
they would welcome congressional
cogniZance of A policy which the
Board Of Education and the Engineer
Commissioners have been compelled 70
pursue against their wishes. f.ngl-
neer Commissioner Fell ais" came out
with a defense of the diversion today.
The records will show. II is con
tended by Education Board members
that the diverting Of money from the
school repair fund to the completion
of new school buildings was initiated
hv Mr.. Ashford himself in tn" cases
Of the Petworth School in 1927. the
Powell School in 1915 and the f.. '.
Brown School in 1920.
In the case Of the petworth School
i, is said that $4,000 was spent for
heating plant. while the sums USED
in the Powell School and the r.. v.
Brown school were 81 GOO and 5000,
respectively.
Were it illegal for the repair fund
money to be used Ia finish up new
schools. it il contended. this could not
he cited as legitimate complaint
against the Board of Education, mas
much az the board has no authority
over the repair fund except what the
District Commissioners concede them:
Ernest Greenwood, vice president OF
the Board of Education, who mas
headed the committee in charge OF
the repair fund for the board. has re-
peatedly protested at meetings or the
IRA iding Of the repair fund Tor com
pletion of new schools. As result,
the board al meeting several Weeks
ago called upon Maj. Raymond ".
Wilmarth, business manager. to make
mn list of moneys spent from the
renair fund on new buildings over a
fyeyear period II was the view of
the hoard to use this list az an argyll
uent before the House appropriations
committee that Congress should NOT
appropriate pieCemeal for new schoolS'
but give sufficient money not only 10
complete the school, but to grade sur
rounding land and construct proper
approaches.
pair fund had been used to furhish
up new schools ii is declared tha'
many of the new schools now in use
would still be uninhabitable.
An unofficial estimate of the amount
of money taken from the repair fund
during the last five years in the in
terest of new school construction
places the sum at approXlmatelF
$40 900. This is compared with $50.
900 charged Saturday night by MIR
Ashford.
Engineer Commissioner Bell does
not take seriously the Ashford
l'charges.
While Mr. Bell admitted that some
Of the money in the repair fund had
been spent for grading and paving
around newly constructed schools, he
explained that it had been used for
public purposes and he saw no req son
to take Mr.. Ashford's accusations
seriously. ct is Just matter of us
ing money ont of one pocket instead
of another he said.
Col. Bell pointed out that when a
contract ls let for the construction OF
new school no provisions are In
ciudad requiring the contractor TO
grade the ground, lay sidewalks and
plant shrubbery. The ground must
settle before these finishing touches
are added. he declared. and 1t would
be unwise to delay contractor III
turning over new schools, as badly as
they are needed, to put such items In
his contract.
AS the money appropjria ted for tina
building proper has either been used
or gone back into the Treasury II the
contractors price is lower than the
amount available, we have found 1t
necessary to use a part of the repair
fund for the finishing touches" said
the Engineer Commissioner. such
projects 40 closely border repair work
that there hardly seems to he room
for objection"