Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-30
PHONE QUESTION UP AGAIN
Bell People to Bs Asked to Supply the
High sohool Tree Of Charge.
IYELY OEsATE IN sOARO OWE MAITER
Independent Forces Are out 20 the
Meeting, but the BenI People
Remain Avny-PIumbinE
to He Inspected.

President L. j, Day OF the independent
Telephone company had his forces we'll
lined up at the meeting Of the Board Of
Education last night and succeeded IN frus-
trating the attempt to reinstate the Bell
telephone ia the superintendent and prin-
cipars Offices in the high school building
with President Day were E. II. Merriam
Vice president Of the company; T. II. Keys
w. II. Kimban, DR.. H. b. Jennings. di-
rectors. c. A. Laubach, general manager;
and f. II. Shoemaker, the companys chief
solicitor. The Neb aslka Telephone company
was not represented.
The matter was brought before the meet
ing by Member Shugart, as chairman Of
the committee on janitors and supplies, to
which II had been referred, who recon-
mended that the resolution calling for the
replacing Of the Bell phones in the school
buildings be laid on the table. The report
Of the committee was concurred in without
dissent and then Member Cooper moved
that q Nebraska Telephone company's
phone be installed in the Office OF the SUI
perintendent with extension to the Office
Of the principal The motion was promptly
seconded by Member schoedsaok and the
question was then thrown open for dis
cussion.
Member Hess lead the opposition with a
statement that he did not believe it fair
TO put in a Bell phone when the district
was getting nearly ali OF the other tele-
phones free. Member shugart, who, like
Mr.. Hess, is one Of the stockholders Of
the Independent company. declared his OBJ
iections were based on the same grounds
as those Of Mr. Hess, He contended that
there was no demand for Bell phone in
the high school,, as if there was he would
surely have known II. Il don't see why
we should go to work and push these
people he said. meaning the Nebraska
Telephone company.
Plan for Free Phones.
Member FINLEY declared himself in favor
of replacing the Bell telephone in the high
school and superintendent office as bust
1 ness proposition for the schools. Many
patrons Of the schools used the Bell phones
! and should be given an opportunity TO COM
munlcate with the school management.
1t was not a question Of pushing one COM
pany or the other; It was clearly a bust
ness proposition, he insisted
At the invitation Of President wester-
dahl President Day of the Independent
company took part in the discussion.
! Mr. Merriam suggested that the board
wait a little and then it would get the
phone for nothing, and this President
/ westerdahl declared was good sugges-
| ton 1T is more to the Bell people to
J have the phone in here than II is TO the
school board. he said
At this point in the discussion Member
| FINLEY moved as an amendment to Mr.,
| Cooper's motion that Mr.. Cooper be re-
quuested to confer with the Nebraska
Telephone company and ascertain II 1t
would not put in the phone in the superin-
tendent's and principals Offices free. This
brought Mr.. Merriam to his feet again
with a protest THAT is not the way ia
lput IT, Tell them you don't want It. Vote
Il down right now. II you do this wager
that within five days from now they will
come to you with proposition to put ir
the phone for nothing. That's the proper
way to go about IT," he declared, with some
warmth.
Despite Mr.. Merriam's protest. however
Member Tinley's amendment carried and
the matter was dropped and President Day
and his cohorts filed out Of the room, feel
ing satisfied that they had played another
trump card
Too Much for Boiler Insurance,
When the question Of reinsuring the boil
ers at the Pierce street and North Eight
street schools in the Hartford Boiler In
surance company came up Member Coope
succeeded in having 1t referred to the com
mittee on fuel and heating to investiga te
as he said cheaper insurance and inspec
ton could be secured elsewhere. The dis
trict had been paying 500 a year on tn
two schools with $500 indemnity on eacl
policy and the representative OF the com
pany who was present submitted a prop
osition 10 increase the indemnity TO S1o,o9
, and reduce the premium to $50 on the tw,
; schools.
Mr.. FINLEY called attention to the unsan
itary condition OF the toilet rooms in tn
BloOmer school and at his suggestion
rigid inspection Of the plumbing and sani
tary conditions will be made by the cit!
and county physicians and the plumbing
: Inspector OF Omaha, there heing no sucl
official in this city.
The designations of two teachers, Mis-
Jennie Baker and Miss Mabel Toy wer
accepted and Miss Josephine Foley, Mis-
Jessie F'arlow and Miss Paula Cogshal
added to the teaching force Miss Foley
salary was fixed at so, that Of Miss Far
low at SEQ and that Of Miss Cogshal at S4C
1t was decided to close the schools Fri
day IN order to allow the teachers TO at
tend the meeting OF the Southwestern low
Teachers association at Atlantic that da
and Saturday
The superintendent was authorized {
dive Miss Hazel Baird who was shoi
one point at the graduation, but who Ia
since made II up, a diploma Of graduation
from the high school
Mr. Sohoedsaek. member OF the con
mittee on buildings and grounds, wa
given authority to beautify other scho,
buildings with flower beds as he had don
at the Avenue b school
IL was decided TO connect the Avenue
and Second avenue sch3ol buildings wit
the gas mains recently extended by III
Citizens Gas and Electric company in n
western part Of the city,
Superintendent Cli1ord submitted ii
following statistical report for the mr.,
month OF the school year ending October
Entire enrolment boys 2465; girls, 26i
total $40. Monthly enrolment, boy
2,465. girls, 26io; total, 5,ilO.- Averal
attendance, 400. Per cent OF attendanc
1901. Number cases OF hardness, q
Number neither absent nor tardy, 2SA
Farms for Sale.