The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-24
III WAS A SPICY SESSION
School Controllers Tell Tales Out
OF School.
MAKE SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS
The Proceedings Last Night Betokcn That
the Ensuing Year viii Be an Ex-
cccdingiy Lively One on
the school Hoard.

1
be safe for u year at least. Judging
from the proceedings it is quite appar-
cnt that the opposing factions are keep
ing Il close watch on one another's do
| inss, and that they will not hesitate
to speak out in meeting if any infrac-
tionS of duty are discovered.
I The old power and the new regime
got into a little wrangle over the bids
for heating No 10 school, and before
the thing was over with some pointed
remarks We're made. So warm did the
wrangle become that it looked at one
| time as If there would be some very
interesting disclosures.
These heating bids We're opened about
two months ago and referred to the
building committee. but no action was
| taken ON them until after reorsaniZa =
ton, when Mr.. NotZ, in whose ward
the new building IL located, succeeded
in having the new building committee
given instructions to report on them,
providing that there was no legal OBJ
stacle. An opinion was asked from the
boards solicitor, II. a. Knapp. and h"
advised them that the bids remained in
force. notwithstanding that the COM
mittee in whose hands they were was
out of existence. The new committee
therefore considered the bids last
Thursday night and decided to reject
all the bids and To recommend that the
committee be empowered to advertise
for new bids. They gave as their rea-
son for this action that they could
not arrive at an Intelligent award he
cause the bids were for different sys-
tens.
WANTED A PARTICULAR SYSTEM.
They proposed to have some particu-
lar system specified in the advertise
ment and to compel all bidders to base
their uroposals ON this system. a mo-
ton to adopt the committees recon-
mendatiOn was made. Mr. Welsh asked
for the solicitors opinion on the legal
ity Of considering the old bids and ii
having been read he moved to amend
that in consideration of the fact that
the Sm-ad Wills bid was from $i"4
to Sl,3l6 lower than any of the others
that they he awarded the contract. Mr..
NotH moved as an amendment to the
amendment that the contract be award
ed to Hunt Il Connell Mr.. Wormser
advised that the recommendations Of
the committee should prevail. 1t was
Il mistake. he said, that the board did
not specify what kind of u system was
wanted.
Mr.. Welsh rejoined that it was a
pretty late day to raise a question of
that kind. There are eight or nine
schools In this city fitted up with the
SmcadWills system and they are Civ
ing perfect satisfaction. he added.
Mr.. Langan suggested that as Il mat
ter of economy that the bid of y. +.
a. NJ. r. Howley ought to be considered
above any of them and advised that
the matter should be referred back to
the committee. Mr. Jennings asked for
the reading of the bids. Secretary FEEL
lows announced them as follows:
Smcad wills. hot air. $3.jj0: Dudley
Engineering company. steam. 5.164;
l.. T.. Il NJ. r. Howley. steam. S3.9S4;
Hunt 4 Connell, steam. So. 1872 and s4,54S.
Mr. Schriefer then called for the
reading of the advertisement. saying
that he understood that the old build
ing committee had been i'm the habit of
awarding contracts to the Smead-
Wills company without advertising for
bids. When the advertisement had
been read Mr.. Welsh. with an amable
smile. arose and said that the COM
mittee had been asked within the last
sixty days to award Il contract with
out advertising for bids. but had refus-
ed to lend itself to such practice.
And" he added. 1--WE will become per-
sonal, Mr.. Schriefer. if we are forced
to it
JENNINGS WANTED TO"KN NOW.
Mr.. Jennings called attention to the
fact that according to the question he
fore the hOusc the members would he
called upon to chose between Il high
bid for hot air and high bid for
steam. lie was not prepared, he said.
To vote on the motion as ii stood. First.
he would like to understand why the
llowley bid, which Is the lowest steam
heat bid by over $500. should he disre-
garded
Your inquiry is the very best of
reasons" said Mr.. Wormser I'VE
don't know what the difference is be-
tween these bids because they are ON
different systems. Let us lay both
amendments on the table and pass the
motion to reject all the bids. This
was done. not single vote being
recorded against it.
The next item in the building COM
mitt'e's report also raised an odor.
1t was that new teachers desks be pur-
chased for Nos. IL and ~ schools. 1t
developed that the old building COM
mite" had purchased those desks
without warrant from the board Mr..
Welsh. who was chairman of this COM
mittee. explained that it was custom
AIRY FOR the committees to purchase
such articles without consulting the
board and that the committee was
merely following the established pre-
cedent when it purchased the desks.
Chairman Mitchell gave the present
building committee to understand that
If any such thing happens during his
administration that some one wouId
be hauled over the Goals
The supply committee also had a rod
in pickle for Mr.. Welsh and his col
leagues on the old committee. They
discovered that the old committee had
purchased shades for No. ~ school and
had not made any report of il to the
board, 50 they brought in recnmmen-
dation that the supply committee b,
authorized to purchase the aforesaid
shades
HAD TO ADMIT AGAIN.
MIR. Welsh had to again admit having
acted without authority from the
board. I'VE may have been led into
error explained Mr.. Welsh. I'm his
most sarcastic tones. "by the custom of
the High school committee. which |
understand has given out contracts for
S2,nm without consulting the board"
Yes. said Mr. Wormser. but we al
ways renorted such matters to the
board afterwards
We would have reported too" said
Mr Welsh. but we were dissolved be-
fore we had an opportunity"
Another wrangle occurred over an
old bill of Sl2.07 of Howley Bros. for
extra work on The contract for pluc-
ing speaking tubes in No. 30 school.
The old regime knocked the bill out