Evening star., 1940-04-08
Urges Brentwood
Site for School
Present Plan for LOCATING
Wilson Teachers College
Meets Opposition
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
At the last session Of Congress, the
Senate passed q bill authorizing $4,000
for preparation Of plans for the con-
struction of q new Wilson Teachers
College on Upshur street between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth streets on parcel
s4-1e6. This bill failed finally because
the House did not concur. The Senate
action was in accordance with former
recommendations of the Board of Edu-
cation, the District Commissioners, the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, the Bureau Of the Budget
and the Secretary of the Interior.
1t was also recommended that the
Abbott Vocational School be located on
site near Seventh street and Florida
avenue In Brentwood. All of these plans
were also approved by the Federation of
Citizens Associations, the Board Of
Trade, the Congress of Parent Teachers
and women's clubs of the District OF
Columbia. I testified in detail before
&SAA. SoAuWN1 SuUCOlIlIIllGUce.
Renewed efforts were made before the
House District Subcommittee this ses-
sion to secure legislation designating the
sites, respectively, for the two schools.
According to the hearings before the
subcommittee, as printed in the records,
there was no evidence submitted Offer
Ing objections to the placing of the
schools on the sites selected sufficient to
justify the House action. It does how
ever, appear that Matthew Woll of the
Committee on Education of the Amer
lean Federation Of Labor sent telegram
March n, 1910, to the House committee
asking that the Abbott Vocational School
be located on the Upshur street prop
erty instead of the Wilson Teachers
College. This telegram, however does
not appear in the printed records
Following these hearings, the House,
In bill H. R. 1909, voted to locate the
Abbott Vocational School on the Upshur
street property and allotted an appro-
priation of $25O,O0O to be made available
Tor use in the construction of building
to cost not more than s50o,0OO. This
completely reverses all authoritative
recommendations in regard to these two
schools
The citizens of Washington do not feel
that Matthew Woll is in a position to
dictate what shall be done with refer
ence to our schools. Furthermore, it has
been pointed out that the Wilson Teach
ers College building is in very bad con-
dltion, condemned, and the administra-
ton is advised to be ready to move at a
moments notice. The present student
oody OF the college is approximately
580, while the enrolment of the Abbott
Vocational School is 2S5. To locate the
Aooott School on the Upshur street
property would place it so far to one
Side OF the center of population of the
students who attend that most of them
would have to be transported across the
city, meeting the heavy traffic both
morning and evening to a great dis
advantage.
In view Of the fact that we have to
look to the Wilson Teachers College for
the training of our teachers, both for the
present and the future, it is vitallv i'm
portant that Wilson Teachers College
be given first consideration in this mat
ter and 1t is hoped that the Senate
Committee will SO recommend, that the
Senate as whole will vote ACCORDINGLY
and that finally the House will concur.
I am speaking not as an individual
only. but as the delegated representa-
tive OF approximately $4,000 of our
Washington citizens.
GEORGE M. GOOCH.
First Vice President Sixteenth
Street Highlands Citizens Associa-
ton.