The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-08
SCHOOL TRUSTEES MEET
A Lively Time Over the Award
of Contracts.
BENOIFS BID ACCEPTED
He Did Not Include the Heating Plant
and vii Probably Garry the Mat
ter Into the Courts for
Settlement.

The board of school trustees held a
meeting last night, and while 1t was
brief 1t was lively and was a reminder
Of the meetings Ions ago. Every MEM
Der of the board was present except
Morgan. Mr.. Morgan is in the city. but
he has not yet Withdrawn the resigna-
ton he handed in before he left Butte
a few months ago. The only business
Of any importance before the board last
night was the report of the building
committee on awarding a contract for
the erection of the proposed new
school house in East Butte. Mr.. Burke.
chairman of the committee. reported
that the different bids had been exam
ined. and il was found h IA J. A. Rid
dell offered to put up the building com
plete, without heating plant, for szs,3s';
Ohm +. Hogan. building complete. ex-
cept heating and plumbing. sz7,S45; G..
=. Goddard * Co, building complete,
except heating plant, for $34. i42.5O; Loss
& Co.. building complete, with reserva-
ton, X2S, yS4: Lawrence Burke, building
complete, without reservation, S29,5I4;
Moses Benoit, building complete, with
out reservation, S2S,6l The committee
therefore recommended that the lowest
bid, that of Benoit, be accepted, and that
he be awarded the contract for the COM
plete building.
Trustee Linton suggested that it
might be well TO inquire whether Benoit
meant to include the heating plant in
his bid. He had understand that the
bidder did not include the plant. w.
q. Whiteway, an architect, was present,
and said he represented Mr.. Benoit, and
that the latter included everything in
his bid except the heating plant. Mr..
- - "a n
call for bids expressly stated that the
bid for heating should be separate and
should be accompanied by specifications,
and as no such separate bid was sub
mitted by Benoit he supposed that II
would be understood that the bid he
made excluded the heating plant. Trus-
tee Mcdonald read the call for bids and
argued that 1t plainly meant thai a bid
for the complete building should include
everything and he presumed that a bid
der knew what he was doing. Mr..
Whiteway wanted TO make some further
explanation, but President Long said
the board did not care to hear him any
further.
MIR. Clinton said that II there was an
honest Misunderstanding on the part Of
Mr.. Benolt there was sufficient time to
correct the matter, protect the school
district and avoid future trouble. lie
said he had examined the specifications
and they were certainly indefinite and
misleading. No one could tell from the
specifications that 1t was intended the
heating plant should be included in the
general bid, on the contrary, II appeared
to be specially reserved. In response TO
"A question from President Long, Archi-
tect O'Brien said he could have been
reached at any time by any intending
bidder who might have desired infor-
nation regarding the specifications. He
gntH hA RnnainATan "a heating miami a
part Of a completed building.
That seems TO be conclusive said
the president. Il don't consider your
points well taken. Mr.. Clinton"
Mr.. Long said he thought that when a
bidder made a bid for a complete
building" he meant a complete build
ing. II he now wanted to exclude the
heating plant he might just as well ex-
clude the brick and stone work and
say he did not include the plastering or
the plumbing.
Mr.. Dorais said he would like to have
an explanation from Mr.. Benoit per
sonally as to his understanding of the
matter before voting on the adoption Of
the committees report. He understood
tina Benoit would not accept the con-
tract If the heating plant was included
in IT.
The board does not care to hear Mr..
Benoit's understanding further said
Mr.. Long.
Mr.. Clinton insisted that the specih-
alton were misleading and he was in
for rejecting every bid. Mr.. Dorais re-
peated that Benoit would not accept
the contract.
well, we have got 50, 900 of his money
and we can probably use it." responded
Mr.. Long.
A vote was then taken on the motion
to adopt the committees report and
Burke. Long. lane and Macdonald
voted for 1t, and Clinton and Dorais
against 81. MIR. Burke then made a mo-
ton that the clerk send "a written notice
TO Benoit that his bid of S2S,6I3 for a
complete building had been accepted,
and that If he did not accept the con-
tract and furnish a bond by noon next
Monday his certified check of s., zoo
would be forfeited to the school district.
The motion was adopted by the same
p vote as the former one. BY a unani-
I nous vote the certified checks of all the
other bidders were ordered returned 70
them.
Benoit said after the meeting that he
/ would not sign the contract II II included
: the heating plant, which itself would
4 cost at least $4,000, and II the board in
. sisted on its position he would take the
. matter into court.
The building committee asked for and
e was granted further time TO report OF
the Passmore proposition to compromise
"A the old Claims for extras on the new
High school building. The ~janitors anC
supply committee was given further
y time 10 report a list OF ~janitors for th,
next school term.
n Janitor Trip reported that a ganl
r OF bad boys in CenterVille were wreckins
X the school property in that part OF tn,
r district. and that he had been unable 4
{ apprehend them In spite Of the standin.
reward OF SIS.
i have 500 to give TO any person VIII,
can procure a better handspring thar
\ puf In for xI Watches ,laap.1 q "a