The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-06

changed their minds after delega-
ton of coal men had told them what
| was what as to figures IN coal bids. 1t
took them about minute and a half
last night to dispose of the coal ques-
| ton for next year. There was no
delegation of coal dealers on hand.
| They had merely sent in their bids.
| Only four bids were received They
came from the Topeka Coal company,
the Jackson-Walker Coal & Material
Supply company; the Webster-Tul-
| loch company and the Topeka Cold
Storage, Ice & Fuel company. AS
| the bids of the various companies for
the three varieties of coal needed in
| the schools were called off by the
| clerk, each mem Der of the board, and
some with consfdera Bile righteousness,
Jotted them down fon paper. An or
binary mathematician would be trou-
bled a bit at the conglomeration of
figures presented by the bids in his
efforts to ascertain which were the
lowest But a number of the mem
bers of the board are experts in the
coal business and the last bid read by
the clerk had hardly been digested
when Col. Norton moved that mas
much as the topeka Coal company
had the lowest bid on the three
grades of coal the contract be
awarded to it. This motion was sec
onded as soon as it was made and
| carried without a dissenting voice or
| bit of argument. This Is about the
only motion that ever went through
| the board of education without an
extended, if not scholarly, discourse,
| and the subject involved was one Of
the most important that the board is
called to act upon.
| On a report from Judge Carver
! from the committee en- text books
| and supplies a motion was carried
awarding contracts as follows: To the
Hall Lithogra phing company-pen-
ellis. drawing paper including two
! sizes OF water color, two sizes of
| cream manila and two sizes of gray
manila, and the Hoyt toilet paper.
To the Zercher Book company
Pens, pen holders. library paste, ink
and Springfield toilet paper.
| To the Topeka Paper company
Practice paper; heavy news and Plov-
er drawing paper.
| Mr.. Wilson'S last report as chair
| man of the building COMMITTEES was
brief. He told that the work on the
new schOolhouSe for negro children
In North Topeka to take the place of
the old Lane school. as well as the
| work of remOdel1ing the State street
school house and various improve
ments to other school houses which
| have been ordered by the board were
| progressing favorably. He asked that
| Judge Carver, who had inspected the
work make a report. Mr.. Carver did
| SO and emphasized the statements
| made by Mr.. Wilson as to the pro-
greSS of the work on the school build
| ing which was under way Then he
stated that the embarrassing ma
| chine which had been purchased by
| the building committee was also do
| Ing effective work. He went on in a
serious vein to tell how this machine
being operated by three men, could
do the work of twenty men, when Mr..
| Nicholson interrupted by suggesting
| that sit might be used on the mem
bers of the board"
L;
stand up" replied Judge Carver dur
| ing the general laugh which resulted.
None accepted Judge Garver's chal-
lenge. They are a modest lot. these
men on the school board and do not
| rush after honors of this sort.
Judge Carver and Mr.. Gleed were
appointed a special committee with
power to act, to see about the con-
demnation of the two lots of property
in the block sbetWeen Lincoln, Blu
chanan, Fifteenth and Sixteenth
streets. All but these two lots in that
blocks have been obtained by the
board as site for. a. new schoolhouse
in that section of the city and because
of the exorbitant price asked by the
owner of these lots it has been decided
to start these condemnation proceed
inGs, if possible. 1t seems that under
the law for cities of the first class
there is no provision for boards of
education to condemn property. as
there IS IN the. law TOT cities or the
second class. In the law for cities of
the first class there is a provision per-
hitting the common council to con-
denim property for public buildings. 1t
is for the special committee to deter
mine what procedure shall be brought
to get this property. A few members
of the board do not think it is abso-
lutely necessary to get these two lots
for the purposes of the new school
house, although they admit it would
be more desirable If they could be OBJ
tanned.
A report was called for from the
special committee appointed to confer
with the attorney general as to an in
vestiga ton of the operations of the |
state text book commission in its |
award of contracts for the books to |
be used in the public schools of the |
state. This committee has been ap-
pointed on statements made a t pre- |
vious meeting of the board that the |
contracts were let through bribery. |
Mr.. Roudebush, for this special COM |
mittee, was able to merely report pro-
gress.
On the recommendation of the !
building committee, John Hankins |
was elected janitor for the Lownlan |
Hill school building.