Evening star., 1949-04-09
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Meeting 0penTs
On S70,000,o00
School Aid Plan
Maryland Officials
Will Determine How
1t Is to Be Spent
BY fhe Assoeicted Press

BY fhe Assecicted Press
ANNAPOLIS. Nd. April "a
special committee of State officials
is meeting today to start planning
how the money under Maryland S
new $70,000,00o school-aid pro-
gram is to be spent.
Gov. Lane called the meeting
yesterday after the Board of Pub
lie Works voted to defer approval
OF the grants for county school
construction.
The special committee is made
up of State School Supt. Thomas
G. Pullen. Chief Deputy Controller
Joseph McCusker, State Engineer
John B. Funk, Assistant Attorney
General Richard w. Case and the
Governor.
The board ruled against rushing
headlong into approval of grants
to counties for school construc-
ton until the board itself ap-
proves an overall program.
Fund Set Up by State.
Under an administration bill
passed by the 1949 Legislature, the
State will set up a $20,000,000
fund for distribution among the
counties. The State will put up 81
for each SO of county money for
school construction.
A companion measure provides
for a $50.000,000 State credit pool
from which counties can borrow
at low interest rates for school
building.
Baltimore has said it won't need
to use this fund. Whether to
spread Baltimore's share among
the counties is one question to be
settled.
II think that money should be
frozen" said State Treasurer
Hooper S. Miles.
Mr.. Miles said the school board
should draw up overall recon-
mendations and present them to
q special meeting of the public
works board before a penny is
spent.
you can't deal with any
county until the board has estab-
lished a program. Gov. Lane said.
Mr.. Miles disapproved a sug-
gestion by Mr.. Funk that special
committee start sounding out the
counties Immediately as to their
needs.
"I personally am not going to
be responsible for administering
$70.000,000 program until I
know what it's all about" Miles
said.
Hospital Program Started.
The works board got Maryland's
mental hospitals building pro-
gram off to fast start yesterday,
approving four contracts for
property surveys at the institu-
ton. ,u....-.
The job will cost $27,3sS.
Contracts call for Topographic
cal, utility and property surveys
at Springfield, Spring Grove and
Brownsville State Hospitals and
Rosewood Training School. +
The board also approved an en-
largement of the department of
public improvements to handle
architectural and other technical
details of the $20,000,000 hospital
building project. The Legislature
approved an immediate grant of
100000 to get the hospital pro-
gram under way.
In another decision. the board
approved a $125,184 contract for
a new State police barracks at
Frederick. Colwill Construction
Co., was low bidder on the project,
which will include sleeping quar-
ters for troopers assigned to the
station.
S631,430 for Morgan College.
In other actions, the board:
/. Allotted S631, ,43o for a new
academic building at Morgan
State College. Mr.. Funk said re-
visions would save the State al
most 1925, 900 from original esti-
mates.
2. Earmarked $181,123 for
equipment at the projected Deer's
Head State Hospital, about $4,000
for personnel to install the equip
ment and $50, ,141 to link the hos
pital with Salisbury sewage and
water system.
8. Decided to use prison labor
on five new cottages at the re-
formatory for women in Jessup.
4. Set a May / deadline for
salvage operations on the former
naval base at Solomons, which will
be transferred to the Tidewater
Fisheries Commission.
Settlement Offered Architect.
S. Announced the total cost of
State House and Court of Appeals
renovations as $678.420.
6. Offered Architect Bernard
Evander $30,800 as settlement for
State Health Department plans on
O Baltimore project for which
$500,00 was appropriated in 1943,
but for which the low bid turned
QUITO be more than $1,500,000.
z. Rejected a request by Presi-
dent H. c. Byrd of the University
of Maryland that the State pay
expenses for job applicants who
travel from other States for inter-
views at College Park.
8. Awarded contracts totaling
$158,o45 for a central heating
plant at the university.