The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-07-25
CHANGED THEIR MINDS
Settlement Of the DiscussiOnOn Desk
Contracts.
THE SCHOOL BOARD ACTS !
The Written Recommendation of the
Committee is Rejected Upon a
Change of Opinion Brought
bout by Inspection.
THE SCHOOL BOARD ACTS

a special meeting of the School Board
was held last evening to consider the re.
port of the committee on buildings and
repairs concerning the bids for school
desks which have been the subject of so
much public discussion. The members of
the board in attendance were Messrs.
Ogden, Trezise, Hooks, Edwards, Lee,
Price, Dewitt, Morgan, Conry, Connors
and Manley.
The committee submitted a written re-
port in which it recommended that the
new desks required be purchased from the
local agents (for desks manufactured by a
Bloomsbury company,) O'Neill Bros. The
bids for the desks were as follows {:
O'Neill Bros, SO per desk; j. H. Evans,
Wilkesbarre, $3.50; Max Reese, town, 50. 33.
The desks Messrs. Evans and Reese rep
resented are manufactured in western
states. The members of the committee
are Directors Lee, Conry, Edwards, Man
ley and Hooks.
When Director Morgan moved that the
recommendation of the committee be
adopted Director Hooks stated that he had
changed his mind since the meeting of the
committee and had become convinced from
a personal inspection of the desk recon-
mended that it was not as satisfactory as
it might be, and he moved an amendment
that the desk represented by the Wilkes
barre man be purchased.
Directors Conry, Dewitt and Manley
spoke to sustain the recommendation and
said the desk covered by it was worth fifty
cents more than the other.
Director Edwards said he considered the
western desk the cheapest and that a
guarantee of ten years, or twenty years, if
required, could be had. He said he would
like to give preference to the Messrs.
O'Neill, because they are n~eighbors, but he
think it right for the board to pay
the extra fifty cents.
Director Hooks said he would vote for
the western desk because he believed it was
right and for the benefit of the taxpayers.
In response to a question Director Lee,
of the committee, stated that
when the desk matter was decided Direc-
tors Hooks, Manley and Conry voted for
the recommendation and the other Direc-
tors didn't vote either way.
Director Manley said the chairman de-
clared the motion carried unanimously.
Director Hooks said that was not the
question. The question was which the
Board would take, The Directors were in
session as a whole board, he said, and as
one he had changed his mind considerably
and he didn't care who know it.
After Director Lee stated he believed
that on the night of the meeting the COM
mittee was in favor of the desk recon-
mended, but that an examination of
had caused a change of opinion the
question was put and the amendment pre-
vailed by a vote of Z to 4. The motion as
amended was then put and carried by a
vote and upon Director Conry
for the aye and nay vote Directors
Trezise, Hooks, Edwards, Lee,
Price and Morgan voted in the affirmative
and Directors Conry, Connors, Dewitt and
Manly voted in the negative,
The recommendation that the contract for
the blackboards be awarded to a Slatington
firm was covered by the motion to adopt.
When the bids were called for it was in
tended to purchase 175 desks, and that
made the difference between the highest
and the next highest bidders SS7. so, but
committee subsequently discovered that
were on hand a number Of desks that
could be repaired and made fit for use, and
number of new desks were cut down TO
"a, so that the saving by the rejection of
the recommendation is $40.