Evening star., 1937-10-07
M STREET SCHOOL
|. HEAT DELAY DUE
TO BOILERS RUSH
Engineering Aide Says 1t
Was Impossible to Get
Delivery in Time. .s- p
'EMERGENCY SITUATION
is BLAMED ELSEWHERE
More Thorough Examinations in
Other Schools Reveal Need
for Added Equipment.

Delay in completing the M street
school heating plant in time for the
opening of the Fall term was caused
by the inability Of the contractor to
secure delivery of boilers and other
heating equipments circumstance
over which neither the District Com
missioners nor the contractor" had
any control, Capt. H. S. bishop, As
sistant Engineer Commissioner, de-
clared today.
Coming to the defense of the Com
missioners in the school heating con.
troversy with the Board Of Education,
Capt. Bishop said that, due to the,
building boom, the contractor was un.
able to get the heating equipment
ordered soon after the contract was
let last June "a, thus making 1t i'm
possible for the work to be finished
on time.
Referring to Supt. of Schools Frank
w. Ballou's statement before the Board
Of Education yesterday that funds
for the M street plant were available
July /, 1896. Capt Bishop admitted
that was true, but added that by
agreement with the School Board, the
work was postponed until this Sum-
mer.
LOO Colored Children Out.
. The M street plant provides heat
for the Douglass-Simmons Elementary
and Terrell Junior High Schools. Be-
cause Of the lack of heat, 1,7OO COL
ored children are being kept out OF
school.
Capt. Bishop. who has charge of all
school construction and repair work,
said that in the other schools which
have been closed temporarily at times
this Fall because the heating systems
were in need of repair an emergency
situation" existed This was brought
about, he contended, by adoption of
stricter regulations some months ago,
resulting in more thorough examina-
tions than before and the discovery
of many new peeds in the heating
plants.
THE plants needing immediate at
tention are being picked out and work
is being pushed ahead as fast as pos
sible," Capt. Bishop said.
Pointing out the number of protests
received and the loss of schooling for
affected children, school board mem-
bers were outspoken in their criticism
OF the Commissioners yesterday.
Jibes Efficiency"
This is an example of eficiency
under the Commissioners" lamented
Mrs. Henry Grattan DOYLE, president
of the board.
Henry 1. Quinn, lawyer member
of the board and president of the
District Bar Association, said the
same thing has happened many times
before and pointed out the delay of the
District repair shop this Fall in fixing
boilers in eight other schools, many
OF which were closed temporarily at
different times.
Quinn said he IVES not criticizing
the men in the repair shop, but the
"set-up."
There ought to be a sensible, busi-
nesslike way of handling these mat
ters," he said. I'm wondering if this
is an example of Commissioner eff
ciency"
He suggested the major jobs be let
out to private contractors, for COM
pletion within given time, instead
OF burdening the repair shop with
more work than it can handle; or. as
IN the present case, letting the con-
tract to a private company so late
that the work could not be completed
IN time. 9,s
Speed Efforts Made. ~
DR.. Ballou said the school officers
had used every means within their
power to get action, but had been
unable to do so:
concerned over the loss Of school
ing, Charles D. Drayton. another law
yer member of the board, asked If pro-
vision could not be made to hold
classes in parish houses or other SINH
lar places but the superintendent
declared this was not possible due to
health and fire regulations.
I'VE can't house them in other
buildings, but every effort will be
made to make up the lost time" Bal
lou said.
The superintendent had another
important announcement to make
the Yankees won, 81. There was
some applause among some officials
present, causing Mrs. Doyle to make
the smiling reproach, Il didn't know
we had demonstrations in board
meetings"