The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-12
Has Been Put in Practice BY the
Beard OF Control.
CAUSED A HEATED DISCUSSION
PAIRING Down Began With the New Buiid-
ing MIR. Notz Is Interested In, aud
lie Strongly Objected to
such Action.


taking Il retros9eCtive view they came
To the conclusion thai the new school
buildings or rather the prices on these
buildings. We're The cause Of the dencit
and here they concluded was the proper
place TO hedge
Heretofore l.. has been an unwritten
rule that $1,000 should be allowed for
each room in a new building. This
meant that a. tWenlve-ioom building
would cost, when heated, ventilated and
furnished. and the grounds graded and
fixed up II little, somewhere In the neigh
bOrhoud of SaO,000. 1t was impossible
for the puwerS- that-wpre to say to :,
North End man that he wasn't to have
as costly Il building as West Side man
and ON condition that this man voted
for that mans building, that man would
return the compliment
Something had 80 be done to bring
about reform and at a confer, nee OF
some of the leaders of the board "
was agreed to launch a movement to
make the standard price for new build
ings 100000 including everything. Plans
had been made for a building for Mr..
Notz. which would cost $4,000 without
taking into consideration the heating
furnishing or the like. This building
was selected as the first victim for the
pairing process and as may well be inn
agined there was a vigorous kick from
Mr. NotZ's quarter.
NOTZ WAS ANGRY.
The gentleman from the Nineteenth
was in an intensely belligerent mood
before the meeting started at all and
when it got through he was threaten
ing to knock the stutfing" out of Mr..
Wormser and making r"nacing visits
to Mr.. Gibbons desk. Gle time when
affairs came to such pass that he was
no longer tolerabe President Mitchell
told him that il he did not come to
order he would take measures TO COM
pei him to. 1t was under the head OF
the building committees report that
the new movement was launched. Inc
report read:
we recommend that the contract for
the heating and ventilation Of NO. lO
school be awarded to Hunt Il Connell.
they being the lowest and best bidders.
THE said firm submitted two bids for
the system one according to the plans
and specifications of the architect for
Si945, and another for $3,99O, to intro
duce a system similar to that in No. IL
with the addition of automatic control
to regulate the temperature. The SyS-
TEN at No. 10 appears to be entirely
satisfactory. and Hunt & Connell guar
antee that they will put in system at
No 10 that will give complete satisfac-
ton We therefore recommend 1t. as
II will result in a saving to the district
as follows: Difference in bids. $3.50;
cost of additional stack under first bid.
$500; total amount saved by acceptance
of second bid, $l,45J.
I'VE also recommend that Hunt &
Connell's bid to put in the Smead sys-
TEN of dry closets for $5l5, be accepted.
they being the lowest and best bidders"
BUILDINGS TOO COSTLY.
Mr.. Wormser, in lengthy speech,
which came like a thunderbolt from a
clear sky upon Inflated MIR. Notz. said
it was time to calf halt on high priced
school buildings. The board, he went
on to say, can not begin to meet the ex-
penditures voted last year, notwith.
standing the 20 per cent. increase in
taxes. There are other buildings need
ed at present and in the near future
there will be q general demand for in
creased facilities from all parts of the
city by reason of the compulsory edu-
cation law going INTO effect. The build
ings that have been going up are too
high priced. 1t is time to call halt.
There is too much gingerbread embel-
lishment to the school buildings. We
can give the same comforts and con-
veniences in a cheaper, yet equally sub
stantial building, and hereafter We
should call for plans for Il building not
to cost over $50 900 when completed and
ready for occupancy. Like education
itself, let the buildings be substantial
but unostentatious. The children wlil
l.. all f,r I,n Il.
well satisfied. Mr.. NotZ took the floor
and said in solemn, slow. measured
tones that he was not surprised. Mr.
Wormser," he continued, warming up
somewhat, had thrown cold water on
everything the South Side has brought
up for years"
Mr.. WormSer interrupted him with Il
point of order that he was personal
and was impugning Il members mo-
tiVes, all Of which Is forbidden in the
rules. The point was well taken ac-
cOrding to the ruling of the chair and
Mr.. Notz took another talk for awhile.
He finally got back along personal
lines and charged that it was not the
cost of the building that was being
honestly considered. but rather that it
was Il move to shelve the new South
Side school for another year
Mr.. WOrmser was called To the chair
ana President Mitchell proceeded to
put himself on record as being in hearty
accord with Mr.. Wormser's ideas. The
board. he said, thought II was doing
the proper thing to put up handsome
ana costly buildings SO that the tax
payer would see something tangible for
his money. This idea if followed out
would bankrupt the district. He cited
the city of Syracuse as being larger
and more metropolitan than Scranton
Yet ii limited the cost OF its school
buildings to Sl,S0U II room. Here they
are limited to $1,000 Il room but when
everything is completed in and about Il
building the cost figures up to $4,000 or
$1,000 Il room. He concluded by NOV
ing that the plans for No. 10. together
with the building committees heating
and ventllating recommendations be
recommitted and that the architect be
instructed to draw up a new set of
plans which would give the district a
building complete and ready for occu-
pancy for 100000.
WHAT MIR. NOTZ SAID.
Mr. Notz again took the floor and
brought out the point that the South
Side was entitled to as good building
as any other part of the city. Mr.. Glib
bons brought down Mr.. Notz's wrath
upon his head by making a speech in
favor of retrerchment. He also be-
lie.ed that the board was spending too
much money for buildings and said
openly and frequently that If he was
elected to the school board, he would
vote against costly buildings There
was no reason he said for continuing n
bad policy because 1t had been begun.
Two wrongs don't make right and as
one of the new members he was not
going to stand by and see the wrong
continued In his ward, the Twentieth.
he has a building that cost only $4,000
but there have been some bright boys
and girls raised there.
Mr.. Wormser, upon getting back on
the floor, took occasion to answer Mr..
MOTIFS previous personalities by quietly
remarking that there was no occasion
for the gentleman from the Nineteenth
to get worked up over the matter, as
the No. 10 building would go up ju.. as
well if Mr.. Notz was in Alaska. Mr..