Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-03-13

4
| for this purpose. This, in addition to
the same use, will give total of $685.
600 or little more.
''It may be proper and in accord
ance with good business management
to pay the sum of $2,159.34 as archi-
tects fees and fees of purchasing
agents for the purchase of the proper
tv mentioned" says the report, "but
! the committee Is not convinced that
the expenditure of the states fund in
this amount for the purpose stated, is
necessary"
Commission Too Great.
L. e. Harbach of Des Moines was
the purchasing agent who carried on
most of the negotiations for these
purchases, and apparently the commit
tee is unable to figure out just why he
and the architects should have been
paid 2h per cent each of the cost of
tie furnishings.
! Instead of the $4,000 estimate of
the cost of these furnishings, the to-
tai cost according to the several bids
accepted is s43, 1868. The architect
and purchasing agent got S2,159.34, al
though committee visited Grand
Rapids and inspected furniture,
charging $1sS.95 as expenses for the
trim. Advertising for bids cost $2325,
and incidentals brought the total to
S45, $3.50, exceeding the estimate Of
the architect by more than $10.50O
| These facts are contained in the
report, and after recommending an
appropriation of the amount that was
originally contemplated by the esti
mate, the committee report says:
cit may be proper for your commit
tee at this juncture to call attention to
the fact that furnishing and fixtures
| of the new buildings at the college
are of somewhat elegant and expen-
sive variety. The committee believes
that less money might be spent for
such purpose without in any way in
iuring or Gripping the efficiency of the
college in any Of it's departments.
The committee does not pretend to
say that the furnishings and furniture
and equipments of the buildings in
any of the state schools should be
cheap and of poor quality, nor that
the state should adopt niggardly
policy or deal with these institutions
in niggardly manner"
There is now very little doubt in the
minds of any Of the members that the
Board of Education bill will become
law and that after July next a single
board of nine members will have full
control over the three state education
al institutions. The Whipple bill
passed the senate by vote of SO to 9,
after an all day discussion. Those who
voted against it were Allen of Poca-
hontas, Kirkpatrick, Gilliland, Moon,
Nichols, Van Law, White, Whiting and
Wilson A part of the debate was up
On the amendments offered by Allen
and DeWolf the first being substi
tute which provided merely visiting
committee to visit all three institu-
tions and the other being to cut out
the finance committee. Senator Whip
pie presented the matter very clearly
and impressively and after the vote
was taken indicated that his bill had
more votes than he had expected. The
Unexpectedly large vote in the senate
will have a large influence in the
house so that it is practically certain
now that the bill will go through. A
number of the older members Of the
house who were opposed to the bill in
the past are now openly for it. Presi-
dent Seerley Of the Normal college
was an interested listener in the SEN
ate during the days debate. He has
taken no part in the controversy and
states frankly that he is Indifferent to
the bill
The house appropriations committee
called before it members of the state
board of control to demand an expla-
nation of the action of the board in
maintaining printing plant at Eldora
and another at Anamosa. At both
these places the industrial feature of
| the reformatory system has been in
dorsed and part of the plan is to
have some of the boys and men engage
in printing In this way the state
board has had some Of the printing
done which formerly went to others.
The additions to the printing plants
as well as to other workshops have
been made from contingent funds. The
hearing was in secret but it is under
stood that the board and the commit
tee went over the matter fully.
| 1t is by no means certain that prohi-
| bitlon for the constitution is disposed
VI lof tne present SESSION OF the Iowa
| legislature. The vote in support Of
the regularity of having the resolution
go to the committee on constitutional
! amendments was surprisingly large
"a to 8. This is taken to indicate that
the senate expects the committee to
be in no haste about putting it up to
the senate to vote on the question
Those who know say that the COM
mittee is conservative and cautious
The fact that Senator Proudfoot, who
represents the W. c. T. U. forces of
the state on the floor of the senate,
made hard fight to keep it away
from the proper committee would in
dictate that he believes the committee
Supposed to injecting prohibition into
the politics Of the state. He insisted
upon his right to have the resolution
referred to the committee on sup
preston of intemperance and this re-
CARELESS of what the chair might deem
proper and against the opposition Of
the senate itself. President Clarke
was ready to assume full responsible
ity for sending the resolution to the
committee on constitutional amend
ments and would have done so but
for the objection Of Proudfoot. The
l IxNty,