The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-20
EVIDENCE WAS NOT IN View
Committee Hears Allegations Against
City School Controllers.
Mr.. WITHER'S WEAK CHARGES
Testimony Indicates That Reynolds Bros.
Performed Their Contract and That
the Supply Committee Is limo.
cen; OF Wrong Doing.

The special committee appointed by
the Board of Control to investigate the
allegations made By W. II. Withers, Of
the Withers Paper company, met last
evening to hear evidence, the members
of the committee being f. S. Barker,
chairman, T. j. Jennings and James a.
Evans.
w. II. Withers attended and based his
charges as contained in his letter Of
October 25, in which he alleged that the
order for tablets which was given to
Reynolds Bros. was distinctly given
for tablets cut "a SO, 40 pound paper"
THE tablets Mr., Reynolds is delivering
are not 4O-pound paper, not even 80
pound, but it is S3-pound paper"
Mr.. Withers then produced his scales
and took l6 sheets out of a sample pad
and showed the committee that 1t
weighed but 80 pounds to the ream.
another pad was selected which showed
80 pounds to the ream, instead of 40
pounds. Mr.. Withers was then exam
ined by the members Of the committee,
and in reply to Mr.. Jennings said that
when the paper was cut down TO the
size required for the pads, it would not
then weigh 40 pounds to the ream but
about 80 pounds. With regard to the
sample pad, which figured 80 pounds, he
stated that he obtained it from the book
binding department of The Tribune
office, where the pads were being bound
for Reynolds Bros. and George f..
Schwenker, the foreman, told him that
they were the first lot to be delivered by
Reynolds Bros. for the School Board;
this sample he obtained few days
previous to Oct %, the date of his letter.
He picked the pad up and asked Mr..
Schwenker if they were for the board
and he replied Yes" but he had not
been to the office since.
Mr.. Withers Makes Admissions.
Questions were then put to Mr.. With
ers as to whether commercial marks
on the paper from the mills were always
reliable. He replied that they were not
in all cases, as he, when in that part OF
the trade, had sent out paper marked
40 pounds which really weighed but 80
pounds to the ream, and this had been
done to suit the requirements of GUS
toners.
John Reynolds here interposed anc
sale. that he had seen Mr.. Schwenkel
who was prepared to make an affidavit
that he had not supplied Mr.. Wither'
with pad and farther could not ac
count for the manner he had obtained
it. With regard to the sample pad sub
mitted. Mr. Reynolds explained tha'
the board was in hurry to obtain the
!!rst supply and they explained to tht
committee that it would be impossible
to procure the paper they required upol
such short notice, and this was under
| Stood but, nevertheless, 1t was 4O-pounC
paper. There was a great waste IL
| cut,lnI down to the size of the pads, al
! 1t was a larger sheet than was required
for the purpose, hence the weight of thu
sixteen sheets would be reduced accord
! inely. There were l,200 tablets of thi
kind supplied and the supply commit
tee was aware of the special circum
stances. At the time, however, the!
did not guarantee those pads, but 1t wa
the best paper that could be obtained
upon the short notice.
Original Order in Evidence.
Frank Megargee, wholesale pape
dealer, produced the original order fo
the paper given by Reynolds Bros, il
which it stated that they were yer,
particular that it should be 40-poun
paper. Mr.. Megargee further eXplaine
that Mr. Withers had reckoned upo
400 sheets to the ream instead of 500, an
had not counted upon the weight Of tn
wrappers and twine. Mr.. Megarge
presented statistics, which showed tina
the pad shown by Mr. Withers to reprt
sent but SS-pound paper, was made u
of paper weighing over forty pound!
Commercial marks of every homes
house were always reliable and he di
not agree with Mr.. Withers in this re
spect.
Three reams Of paper sent from tn
mill were then produced to the commit
tee. The package was weighed show
ing over 100 pounds, little over the n
quired forty pounds per ream, an
80 7-l2 pounds to the ream without legs
wrappings.
An affidavit was produced from tn
manufacturers, the Ticonderoga Papt
and Pulp company, Essex county, !
Y, that 500 reams of 4O-pound papt
had been made to the order Of Megargt
Bros, for this special purpose. Georg
L. Schwenker, of The Tribune office, ha
also made an affidavit that the pap,
used for the first supply of pads was
forty pounds to the ream.
AS these proofs were being advance
one after the other, Mr.. Withers kel
up a running comment, and had donne
his overcoat and hat and started out
the room several times, and did not a.
pear anxious to await the hearing
all the defense.
The committee heard evidence f
over an hour and half and decided
present their report to the board
control on Monday night.