The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-22
CHARLES S. MARTIN
A LITTLE CARELESS
Member of Board of Education
Is Not Particular About
Coal.
BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED
FOR LACK OF HEAT
Some Funny Things Take Place
That Are Very Easily
Explained.

Not content with supplying the city
schools with half OF the coal used during
tho past year. which in itself Was an eva
sion OF tho law. If not direct vio-
latiou Of it. Charles S. Martin, member
of the board Of education from the First
ward was not very particular about the
quality of the coal which his company
furnished ana as "a result several OF
The school buildings were closed down
for BRIEF periods during the cold weather
last month and this month because OF in
sufficient heat.
Althoueh the Bamberecr Coal company
secured the contract for supplying the
schools with coal during thc.past year. il
is a we'll known fact that The Martin
Goal company has furnshcd at least
half Of Ih" coal used. This fact is
pretty generally known by number of
The members OF the board, and people
who live near the school buildings de-
seen hauling coal To the buildings much
more often than the Bamhcrgcr wagons.
That tho board would permit such an
apparent evasion OF The law has been
subject of much uniIvorablo comment
among tho public in general The law
is such that Martin could not come out
in The open and secure the contract for
his own company, so in order TO eradc
The law he apparently had some UNDER
standing with the Bambergcr company
before The contract was awarded, TO the
contract TO furnish at least half OF the
supply.
Board Must Have Known.
That the board must have known that
Martin Has selling coal 90 the schools is
evidenced by the fact that the janitor
ut one school at least was instructed
and authorized 10 give his orders for
coal direct Ia the Martin company. Dur
ine the. past year the board OF educt-
tion paid ont for coal the sum of SiS.
5o0.,l From the books of the board is
would appear that the B5mhcrGcr COM
papy received all Of this money. but, in
fact, AT least half Of 1t went 10 the Mar
Tin Coal company.
Complaints were received during the
past TWO months about the quality OF
coal sent TO the schools and the records |
show tha, a number of the buildings were |
closed down because of insufficient heat |
due to the poor quality of coal used,
% On Decsmhcr T. The p, Fremont school
count of Insufficient heat. On December |
L. the Lincoln school was closed for |
nearly a halliday because OF insuiflcient |
heat, the report from the principal OF |
tho school showing that the temperature |
was rs degrees and lower. On Novcm-
hcr 10 one room in the Lowell school was
dismissed on account Of the cold. ON /
January IL the Lonsfcllow school was |
closed for "A halliday on account OF in
sufficient heat On January the Grant
school was closed for "a short time on
account of the cold.
There arc many others which no doubt
should have been closed on account OF the
coal not giving out the required heat,
but the pupils stood II through by wear
ing their wraps In the schoolroom.
Such state oi affairs is dcplorab bic
and should not have been tolerated. but
the mere fact that Mr. Martin was in
terested In the coal contract no, doubt
had something TO dc with the boards
neglect OF this matter.
Defender fBridwell.
Alr. Martin Was one Of the chief de-
tenders OF George NJ BridWcl the late
superintendent OF buildings, who resigned
before the board had completed the in
vcstiGaIion OF charges of misconduct
view of the fact that Mr. Bridwcl had
charge OF the school buildings and would
be in a position to cover up any COM
plants against the coal supplied by Mr
Martin il IL not strange at all that
Mr.. Martin WAS so favorable TO Rridwell
nor that he took such an active part in
tho whitcwashing which the board gave
after his resignation,
The other defenders OF Rridwen We're
w j Newman and A. q, Giauouc, Both
stake. which they no doubt thought
might he jcopardizcd IL Mr.. Rridwell was
Mr.. Newman had number
of the members of his family on Brd-
while Mr.. GIauquc had very close re-
lation with David Green. who was his
foreman. and Who had monopoly on all
tho cement contracts awarded by the
board during the past two years,
These men are still members Of the
board and have Al great deal TO do with
its affairs, and IL is the present board Of
educs tiop which is asking the taxpayers
sum of 500 600. to be expended on q
new high school and TWO new grade school
buildings.