The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-04
SHUT The DOORS.
School Board Awards Coal Con-
tracts in Secret.
Becomes Tangled Up in Btu
minous Tecbnicalities.
FRED WEBSTER WINS.
Gets Board to Reconsider Its
Mill Coal Award.
Board Votes to Employ Kew
York School Teacher.
FRED WEBSTER WINS.

IA n SAAOOA
Star chamber proceedings were
deemed necessary by the members Of
the board of education last night for
the awarding of the contract for the
coal needed in the schools Of the city
during the coming year. The con
tract was given finally to Webster &
Tulloch to supply al OF this coal. But
this award was not the first one de-
cided on by the board and it was not
made until after a personal appeal for
justice had been made to the board
BY Mr.. Webster. webster was backed
up IN this appeal by several of the
other coal men who had put in bids
They pointed out the manifest unfair
ness of the action of the board in their
first decision, in which they disregard
ed a precedent of many years stand
ing by splitting up the contract be-
tween a couple of bidders and letting
a portion of it for a grade of coal on
which only two concerns had bid, but
which had not been advertised for
when the bids were solicited. and on
which none OF the other bidders had
made q price.
For the first time in many years
the board considered the awarding OF
the coal contract in executive session
and 1t was necessary to hold two of
these secret meetings before the mat
ter was finally adjusted In times
past when the coal contract has been
awarded the concerns bidding have
been permitted to have their repre-
sentatives present while the awarding
Of the contract was discussed by
members OF the board and it has been
f17 fSffaaT n
the contract to one bidder. whose ag-
gregate bid for the different grades
of coal needed was the lowest. But
for the time being last night prece-
dent was thrown to the wind and as
soon as the bids were opened and
read in the presence Of the bidders the
board went into executive session to
consider them on a motion by Judge
Carver.
AS soon as some minor routine busi-
ness had been disposed of the matter
of the coal contract was taken up and
the bids We're made on the basis OF
the amount of coal used last year,
something over fifteen hundred tons,
divided as follows: $50 tons of slack,
5s4 Of nut and s35 of Burlingame-
Nine bids were presented as follows:
w. E. Seotten-Weir City or From
tenac screened lump, S4.2l' nut
sS77; slack. s2s65; Burlingan e,
S3.76s Usage City, SS.s5.
slack. S19s: Weir City screened nut,
$3.50; Weir City lump. $3.65; Burlin-
game. s8.3S: Usage city, 1898.
Jackson Water, Coal & Material
company=slack, $2.10; nut, sass;
lump. $3.75; Burlingame, 1918;
0saee sass: Frontenac mill s2.so.
Topeka Coal company-Weir City
screened lump, S3.44. nut, 1884; mill
coal. s2.20; slack. $1.ss; Usage City
$3.4o.
Lump sass: nut. s2.s3: slack. $2.o3;
Usage City, ss.74; Burlingame, $3.50.
Wear Sand company Frontenac
lump. 1885; nut 1910; slack, $2.1O;
Usage City. 1925
J. ". F. Burlingame
screened lump, s3-So; nut ss.o5;
The Jack. Coal & Mining company
=Burlingame $500.
Topeka Cold Storage Ice & Fuel
compary-Weir City screened lump
s964: nut $2s7; slack. $199; Usage
city. 1855; Burlingarne. $685..
It win be seen from these bids that
only the Topeka Coal company and the
Jackson Water, Coal & Material com
pany put in bid on mill coal and in
the proposals for bids issued by the
board a bid on mill coal was not asked
for In fact none of this grade of coal
has been used IN the schools. In the
bid of the Topeka Coal company It was
49,
run through an inch and quarter
screen.
Although it has been the custom Of
the board for years. as has been stated,
to award the contract for the different
grades of coal to one bidder whose ag-
gregate bid was the lowest the board
made the announcement. after having
been in executive session for an hour
and a half that it had decided to give
the contract for the Burlingame coal TO
the Jack Coal & Mining company and
the contract for the slack and mill
coal to the Topeka Coal company. A
look of surprise and dismay hardly ex
presses the facial contortions of nearly
all of the. bidders when this announce
ment was made for only two Of them
had bid on mill, coal. which had not
been advertised for and after a confer
ence they asked to be heard and their
request was granted after the board had
transacted such other business as was
before 1t.
It seems that IN the executive ses-
sion the members of the board cOnceiv-
ed the idea that this mill coal run
through an inch and q quarter screen
was the same as nut coal and because
the price was so much lower. it was de-
cided to split up the contract and award
the part of 1t for Burlingame to the