Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-25
May Not Open at End
of Holiday
Vacation
Board Severely Censures
Naughty Coal
BarOns
New Buildings May Remain Closed
officials Threaten to Buy In Open
Market and Cause Heavy
Loss to Contractor

Notwithstanding denials of coal COM
pany officials, there is a coal famine in
the public schools, and a very serious
one. Such alarming proportions has it
assumed that the board of education
found 1t necessary to adopt a resolu-
tion last night threatening the coal
company with dire penalties if d suffi-
cient supply was not furnished at once.
Following is the recommendation of the
finance committees:
"On account of the failure OF the Dia-
mond Coal company, which holds the
contract Cor furnishing the coal for the
current fiscal year to this department,
to furnish coal as needed and ordered
by the department, the purchasing
committee has directed the secretary
to notify the said contractor that un-
less the necessary amounts are fur
nished at the buildings specified in the
acquisitions heretofore given the said
contractor this board will purchase the
necessary amounts in the open market
and charge to the said contractor the
difference between the contract price
and the price which the board is COM
PEELED to pay in the open market"
Schools Out of Coal
The trouble with the Diamond Coal
company is of long standing. Accord
ing to the terms of the boards con-
tract, the company promised to deliver
the coal at such time and place as the
board should designate. BY verbal
agreement of the company, they pron-
ised to have all the coal in the bins
by october 15, but this has not been
carried out
Requistions for coal were placed in
the hands of the company October l.,
and since then they have supplied all
the coal desired in a very few schools
only, while the majority of the build
ings have had to go on short rations.
Some schools are now out of coal and
it was stated at the board meeting
last night that they could not be opened
January . unless more coal was put in.
Representatives of the board learned
that the company had several cars of
coal standing in the yards and they at
once demanded that the schools be sup
piled. The barons, however, viewed the
matter in different light. They We're
getting several dollars more ton than
the school contract called for and they
could not see why they should give up
this extra profit, even to keep several
hundred children in school; but they
had reckoned without the board. In
accordance with the above resolution,
Secretary Averill notified the company
of the state of affairs yesterday after
noon, with the result that Mr.. Kellum
of the coal company promised that the
matter would be attended to at once,
as he would have all his available force
on next Wednesday and could handle it.
The board in action is really a de-
termined body Several years ago
similar case arose, coal was bought on
the outside and the contractor had to
pay a bill of hundred dollars.
Foreman Downey stated last night
that about twenty schools were almost
out of coal, or had none at all, among
them being the Hobart, Logan, Euclid,
Thirtieth, Thirty-ninth, Fifty-second,
Main and Second Street buildings.
When schol opens January all the
new schools will be opened with the
exception of the Loretta Street school,
which, it is said will be ready for oc-
cupany by March. and the Loretta
street, which will be completed by Feb
ruary /.