Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1892-06-02
ROTTEN.

: numDeT 1--WE tdkiuS ouuiCiCho Ah'oiSo' ~
the expenditure of their money? 1t does
not seem so to disinterested observer.
+ The HERALD wants to bring few facts
home to them, and ask for their honest
opinion.
At the time of the letting Of the con-,
tract for heating the school house the
HERALD found it necessary to remark
s. that, in its opinion, thieving swindle
had been perpetra ted upon the taxpayers
Of the district. The reasons for that
: opinion have been augmented instead
= Of diminished.
A review of the actions Of the board
& will show better than anything else can
: the ground for this belief:
The contract was let without calling for
bids. While the power of the board to
- do this is not now brought into question,
= still, where so large. an expenditure Of
money was involved, the dishonesty Of
the proceeding is apparent when taken
into consideration with the other facts.
The board decided upon a particular
systsn Of heating, aad s Ms5h2at giving ON
For our present purpose, the meitts of
the different systems OF heating do not
-.enter at all into the question. What we
wish to ask is: Suppose, even, that the
board were right in selecting this, the
Smead system, if their object had been
the good OF the district, would they not
have advertised for bids for putting in
this system, requiring bonds from the
successful bidder that the work would he
properly done?
None OF these things were done.
Ihese are reasons enough to bring into
question the good intentions OF the board;
but the record Of the boards proceedings
further justifies the statement that the
whole procedure has been thieyinp
: swindle perpetrated upon the people of
this district.
Upon the record book of the district are
recorded the following minutes:
Aberdeen, WASH, Apl. l6, 1892.
At the special meeting of the board
heed this date in the Office of Director
Owen. Present: Directors Owen and
Wood. Mr.. Wood acted as clerk. On
: motion of Director Wood contract was
made and agreement signed in duplicate
with The Smead Warming and ventilat-
ing Co., Of Denver, Colorado, by J. M.
abbot, agent, and one copy fled with the
clerk of this district. Adjourned.
CLERK. Chairman"
No statement is made in these minutes
OF the nature of this contract, whether it
is for ten dollars or ten thousand dollars.
1t purports, however, to be fol- the sum of
thirty-eight hundred dollars. In addi-
ton to this amount, it has been decided
that to complete the contract will reouire
an expenditure of at least fourteen hnn-
bred dollars more, or total of fiftv-two .
hundred dollars to heat thirteen thou-
sand dollar house.
1t will also be noticed, from the above
minutes, that the clerk was absent from !,
the meeting and only two of the directors {
were present. 1t was known that the
otner director, Jacob Weatherwax, was .
expected in town the next day, but SO :
important matter could not wait! :
A peculiar feature of this meeting was :
hat although the law requires the clerk
o give notice of all meetings Of the board
II directors, the clerk gave no such notice
II this meeting, in fact he states he knew i,
Nothing of it until afterwards. The state il
uperintendent Of education has, by i'm +
'lication, ruled that the clerk must give O.
UGH notice, unless all of the directors h
hould be present. a.
The copy of the contract in the hands v
the clerk is dated as Of the fifth of W