The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-11-22
From Saturdays Daily.
THE SCHOOL
Amount Already Paid on the Con-
tract.

Having due regard for the public interest
in this matter, and for the fact that the school
building is the property of all taxpayers and
put up at their expense, a representative of
the MINER called yesterday on one Of the
school trustees at his place of business on
Main street, and requested the privilege of
examining the written agreement made with
the contractors by the trustees. The object
of this. was to see whether the amount al
lowed the contractors was divid ed into various
sums-so much for the stone work, and so
much for the brick work. This reasonable
request was deliberately refused, the person
who had that document in his custody stating
at the same time that he had the contract in
his safe, but did not propose to crafty idle
curiosity. He may find the curiosity of the
public rather embarrassing before long. How
ever, the gentlemanly clerk of the Board of
= rustees, Mr.. Fred. Gilbert, was found at his
store, and kindly gave all the in
his power. 1t may be said just here, in ex-
PLANTATION of the statement which appeared in
the MINER of yesterday morning-that first
class work cannot be done for second-class
prices, that if A. contracts with B. to put up
a brick building on a stone foundation
lin a workmanlike manner" for five Thousand
dollars, the contract price will of course al
feet the character of the stone work. The
brick work cannot well vary from a fixed
AMOUNT. The contractor has then just SO
nuch money left for the stone work, and con-
sequently can only spend that much. He
must do the best work that this balance will
pay for, in as workmanlike a manner as he
can, consequently the terms OF the contract
we're asked for, not out of idle curiosity, but
for the purpose of determining what founda-
ton there is in reality for this explanation of
the defective work on the new school house.
Mr.. Gilbert showed us the minutes of the
Board of Trustees at their meeting Of August
s., 1881, when the bid of the contractors Was
accepted. They read as follows:
"August s, lSS1.-At a meeting of the
School Board held On the above date, present
the full Board, the following bids were
opened for adding the south wing:
Howe & Chapman. ........... ..$l1,eGO.OC
Z. G. Thurston, for mason work.. $4,000
W. hOWlauU 80. t,'fo.ON
) }. Horn. ......... ..,.......... II ,oS2.2'
/ Doves q BUCK. lo,ooo.Vl
= On motion Bowes & Buck were notified
r that their bid was accepted. Adjourned
1 There is no evidence in the minutes
o of the exact terms of the contract, o.
that a contract was entered into, tina
S instrument not having been spread OF
b the minute book. The records of the Boar,
show further that two payments have beel
made to the contractors, one of $4,000 o
September 81, and another of $2,650 on Octo
b Der 3rd, 1881. At the date of the first pay
If ment the excavation had been completed; q
l. the date Of the second payment the ston
a work in the foundation wall had been finished
h 1t was just at this time that appropriate actio
might have been taken by the Board, so as /
save the contractors any expense they ma
now incur in tearing Town and replacing. A
"a nearly as we can learn, not having been pc
mitted to see the original contract, it's laI
guage is that the consideration is to be pal
after the building is accepted by the trustee
and that at such and such periods in the pr
\, gress of the work, certain payments shouI
10 be made. 1t is suggested by MIR. Gilbert TIL
the present plan Of repairing, by which Il
n entire insecure stone work, is to be taken OF
la and replaced, will in self provide a fair tie
of its efficacy. If the walls stand duringt til
of process, then they will nc doubt be secure a
no ter it is completed. Let us, with every cit
zen of Butte, hope that it may prove success
full.