The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-24
DISTRICT COAL CONTRACT
ONE OF THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDERS
 REFUSES THE AWARD.

ONE OF THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDERS
 REFUSES THE I WARD.
 Bid Was the Lowest for the Whole
 Contract but That Only a Part of it
 Was Awarded to Them-Dcmnnd Back
 Their Certified Check.
 regular meeting of the board of edu-
 cation was held last night. Reports
 were received from committees and &C., cepted, after which John F. McCusker of
 the firm of McCusker & Schroeder ap-
 peared before the board to be heard in regard to the letting of the contract for furnishing coal for the city schools for the coming year. Specifications for bids were sent out by the board some time ago and in those specifications bids were offered by w. r. Gilbert and by Me- Cusker & Schroeder. Contracts for fur nishing a part of the coal were let to each bidder each one of these two hav- ing bid the lowest on different parts of the contract. MT. McCusker stated last night that the bid made by his firm was the lowest for the whole amount of coal to be furnished and that his firm had supposed that the contract was to be let to the lowest bidder on the aggregate amount of coal and not to the lowest bidders for certain portions of the con- tract He stated that if only part of l1l 1,I, Gx,,,, it could not be accepted and asked that the certified check which accompanied their bid be returned unless the whole contract was awarded to them. After hearing MT. McCusker the board decided to consider the question in executive ses- sion.
 In his remarks to the board MT. Me Cusker intimated that there had been an agreement between his firm and MT. Gil- bert that the one awarded part of the contract should get all of it. In execu- tive session the board decided that while it would like to return McCusker & Schroeder's check for $500, it had no authority to do so since under the char ter provision the check was turned over to the controller to be held by him un- til the contract was fulfilled satisfac- torily The building committee which awarded the contract was directed to refer the matter to the mayor to obtain an opinion from the corporation coun- sel.
 The matter of inspecting and weighing coal was brought up for discussion. MT. Harmount thought that in view of the criticism of last year in regard to that eho hot Ia coal was weighed and inspected this year and that special attention should be paid to this detail. Letters have al- ready been sent to the janitors of the various schools instructing them to re- ceive no coal that is not properly l screened. During the discussion last | night the unanimous opinion was ex- | pressed that it would not be expedient | or economical in view of the fact that | the schools are so far from scales. to f have every load of coal weighed by an | inspector and it was therefore decided to have loads taken frequently, without notice to the contractor, and weighed, 1t being thought that the desired result could be obtained better this way than by having an inspector weigh every load on the contractors scales.
 In the open session the board voted to rent a room in the Lowell district for school purposes and to transfer $1,50O from the fuel account to the building account to pay the rent of such room.
 It was expected that an appointment of a supervisor of drawing to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Miss Skinner would be made last night, but as the superintendent has not yet fonnd anyone to recommend for the po- sition the positions still remains vacant.
 The committee on schools reported as follows:
 The superintendent has appointed the following teachers and the committee that the salaries be fixed | at the sum given with each name: An- nie J. Loveridge, unassigned list, sala- rv $500: Grace Roraback, unassigned list. salary $450; Alice G. Ford, Whiting street school $7OO; Amelia Wolff, Rog- l er Sherman school, salary $500; Milli- cent R. McDermott extra Strong school, ] salary $500, and each of the following , 70 the unassigned list: Anna M. Hull, $50; Christine L Dwyer. $500; Mary J. 1reagan, $500; Ella G. Galligan, $500: Charlotte A. Hubbard, $500; Elinor M. Juetison $500; Margaret D. Lambert, BOO: Florence F. Matthewson, $500; Anna M. Mcdonald, $500; Marion M. Murphy, $500: Elizabeth P. Norman, 300; Josephine L. Przelomeic, $500;