The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-01-25
School Board Will Use
Coal for Fuel.
RECORD BROKEN LAST MONTH
Short Month But Bill is the
Highest.
Were IL not for the Scarcity OF Coal
In the City, the Burners Would be
Torn out and Coal Used During
The Remainder of School Year.

Have you received your gas bill?
Marion people have received unus-
ually cold weather during the month
of January, and II IS quite probable
that the gas bills will give evidence Of
this fact. The ordinary citizen will
note the increase AMI pay his bill OF
few dollars for the privilege of hav-
ing toasted his feet and warmed his
shins I'm front of a roaring gas fire.
The board of education has received
its bill for the heating of the ten To-
cal school buildings, but the matter Is
not being looked upon so modestly for
the sum of sS52.S4 Is called for and
school was ony I'm session three weeks
during the month at that. The bill Is
the highest in the history of Marion's
public schools.
Members of the board are highly in
dignant and so far Ms the four men,
bers of the board who have seen the
bill are concerned, 1t Is no more gas
for heating the local school buildings.
'Tt Is awful. 1t is terrible" This Is
the way the board members express
themselves. 1t is plain that the board
cannot stand such enormous gas bills.
Each month the amount has been
larger and the limit has been reached.
Were II not for the fact that the
schools were dismissed, one week In
the month the bill for the month
would have been over $1,000. At
future meeting of the board, p. s.
Wilson, superintendent of the build
ings and grounds will be instructed to
receive bids for coal and were It not
for the fact that the supply in this city
Is short at the present time the burn
ers would be Immediately torn out
and coal would be burned for the re-
mainder of the winter. 1t Is said that
the burners could be removed with lit
tie difficulty.
The members of the board realize
that there has been some very cold
weather. The gas bill is just s201.06
higher than IL was for January last
year. The bill for the month of De-
cember 1909 was $617.76 for four
weeks. 1t is estimated that the gas
heating for this winter will reach
over $4,000 and II very cold weather
is experiencer during the next two
months the bill will be even very
much larger.
they figure 1t this way. There are
rooms to be heated and
not more than ten tons of coal would
be needed to heat each room during
any winter. Buying the coal at $3.50
per ton II would only cost $2,125 to
supply all of the buildings during the
entire winter and the chances are that
the coal would not be wasted as Is
the gas and that the cost would be
even less than this figure.
The bills at the various buildings
for the past month of three weeks are
as follows: High school, s163.S0:
Central. $76.S6; Greenwood, $79.s4;
Forest Lawn. $79.50; State street.
$93. so; Oak, $1O9.98; Silver. $3.50;
Davids. $52.12; Olney, $49.50: Lin
coin, SIS .06. The high school build
ing has the largest bill and the OIL
ney avenue building the lowest.
1t Is believed that much gas is vast
ed The members of the board have
urged the janitors to be economical.
but instead. frequently they allow
their buildings to become cold In or
der to have low gas bill. Many of
the janitors turn their fires low when
they leave their building In the even
ings. At this time most gas IL used
over the city and when the supply
is turned off I'm the private residences
the pressure becomes greater in the
furnaces and the heat is often so in
tense that 1t Is necessary TO open the
windows in the morning. II Is stated
that the teachers use considerable gas
for lights when they are not neces-
IL al n
teachers open the windows against the
rules
The matter will be looked into care
fully by the board and action will be
taken soon.