The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-11

The statement of the treasurer for
the last month of the fiscal year was
presented. 1t showed q balance of $751;
iO0.4l, of which $1,372.57 is the gem
eral school account; $32,50S.97 in the
building account, and $j3 5lS.S7 in the
sinking fund.
The board started the year with S217,-
1925 in the general school account;
S32, ,175 to be added to the sinking fund
and $72,jOO in the building account.
The item of $32,17j, of course, does
not figure materially in this reckon
ing, as it is simply set aside to pay
off bonds The remaining $3.50, ,2372j,
however, does. 1t represents what
the board has spent, minus the bal
ance Of S33,SS154.
All but $1,372.57 is represented in the
building account. Last month $4,000
was borrowed from the West Side
bank to meet current expenses Of the
general account. Last night Chair
man Evans of the finance committee
called attention to the fact that all
of the $4,000 was spent excepting 81,
3I2.5I and that bills aggregating $22,-
600 were approved and awaiting pay
ment. His committee was authorized
to borrow another $25 900.
TWO BILLS RETURNED.
Controller Howell supplied a sample
brick of how some of this money was
spent. Two bills that the board had
passed and submitted for the control
ler's counter-signature were returned
with the signature wanting.
one was for painting a school fence
1t charged fourteen days labor at So
day and one hundred and sixty
pounds of paint at II cents a pound,
total of $166.S0. The only comment
the controller made was: Union
wages for painters are % cents an
hour, which for ten hours would be
50. So"
The other bill was for pointing and
whitewashing the walls of a school
building. The charge was 245 hours at
441a cents an hour. At the bottom
| of this the controller wrote: This
work was done by two colored men
who did not receive over 50 a day"
Mr.. Shires, of the building commit
tee, which recommended the payment
| of these bills, explained that on motion
of Mr.. Langan, seconded by Mr.. Casey,
| the board last winter adopted a rule
|
be employed on school, work. and this
being the case, the committee felt itself
called upon to allow the union scale of
wages for this work. AS to the 441z
cents an hour for pointing and white
washing, he said the man who did the
| job informed the committee that forty
| Of 4ilA cents was for plastering and
| the other Az cents for whitewashing
| The 40 cents represented the plaster
ers union scale of wages plus the
| profit.
| Man. Langan and Mr.. Casey denied
| the statement that they fathered such
| a rule as Mr.. Shires referred to and
Mr.. Casey challenged Mr.. Shires tc
| show on the minutes whore any such
| rule had been adopted The rule that
was adopted on their motion, they said
| was one requiring that the union label
should be placed on all printed matter
used by the board.
| BILLS REFERRED BACK.
| The bills We're referred back to th6
| building committee. Mr.. Gibbons want.
| ed to refer the matter to Attorney
| Reedy, the boards solicitor. to ascer
| tain whether or not the controller haG
the power to veto bills
IF he has the right, ! admire hin
| for exercising it," said Mr. Gibbons
but / think he has no such power. To
| my mind he is acting a little fresh"
| Mr.. Jennings argued against this
saying that there was no legal ques
tion involved as yet; that the onl!
thing to ascertain was whether tn,
bills were or We're not excessive. o.
| his motion the bills went back to tn,
| building committee.
| Another new building is to be con
structed. 1t is to take the place of tn,
present No. in the Twelfth ward, anc
is not to cost over 100000. at least i
was "resulved" that its cost should no
exceed that figure.
| AS the chair was about to procee,
with the reports of committees, MI
Walsh arose and, with Just wait
minute" read from slip Of paper: "
move that a new twelve-roOm building
be erected in the Twelfth ward to TAX
the place of No. g"
The leaders of the dominant factor
made an effort to have the matter re
erred to the building committee bu
Mr.. Walsh wouldn't have it that way
| He had been turned down by success
i've building committees for three year
and proposed to get his building now
| without the committees assistance.
He made a motion to lay the refer
ence motion on the table and it car
ried with such a vociferOus AYE" tina
| the opposition did not call for al
vision. The original motion T. bUi
the new school was then put. 1t carrie
by the following vote:
| Ayes - Messrs. Francois. OMalley
Casey, Roche Zeidler, Walsh, Jennings
schrefer, Langan, Gibbons, Leonard
| Davls-l2.
Nays-Mossrs. Shires, Evans, Ma.
Neuls, Jayne, Phillips, Barker Schwas
..
WHY THEY OPPOSED.
Nearly all the members who vote
| against the motion said they recognize
= the necessity OF a new building thert
| but felt the district could not stan
the expense, this year, after havin
erected two new buildings and an ad
dtion to a third.
Mr.. Walsh moved that the cost of tn
building should not exceed $500
room as the rule the board prCscribe
Mr.. Barker offered as an anendmcr
, that this should include heating, ver
tilating, grading, architects fees an
every other expense connected wit
the building. Mr., Walsh accepted I'll
amendment and the motion passed
Mr. Walsh also succeedd in having
motion passed directing Archite,
James Feeney to proceed with IL
plans. Mr.. Jayne wanted this matt,
left to the building committee bl
| when Mr.. Walsh protested that I'll