Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-10
BOARD SELLS SCHOOL BONDS
Entire Issue Goes to Highest Bidders
on Combination Bid
HARTE GETS THE CONTRACT
bidder for the Erection Of the
New wing 60 the high
school.

OF sstoWb worth OF school uondS ana
awarded the contract for building the north
and west wings Of the high school building
to J. "a. Harte Of Omaha
The Harris Trust and Savings company
Of Chicago and the W. r. compton COM
pauy Of st. Louis landed the bond issue
with a joint bid Of s3S7.675. while Harte cap
tured the high school job with a bid OF
S31300l made on revised specifications.
which include the omission OF many specl-
fications in the original plans
Bostwick Sears and Williams opposed
both the bond sale and the letting Of the
/ contract for the school building Bostwick,
who is a member of the finance committee.
refused to concur in the report advising the
sale to the high bidders
lie contended that the bonds should not
be sold in one block as the money was not
needed In such a large amount Instead
/ he suggested that the bonds be sold to he
! delivered in blocks as the money was
/ needed. Williams tried to block the sale,
arguing that the Board OF Education was
simply tossing off $3.50 Of the peoples
money in interest, which could be saved IL
! the board would use judgment in the mat
| ter Of disposing of its bonds.
Sears backed up the minority report say
! ing that this was an inopportune time for
/ the deal and also that the board did not
: need all the money in one lump. lie con
/ tended that much of it would lay in the
bank drawing but per cent interest while
the bonds would be drawing AZ per cent.
| Courtney Boosts for sale.
! c. r. Courtney, chairman Of the buildings
! and grounds committee, advised the sale
to the high bidders at this time saying
! that the contract for the erection Of the
high school could not be let until-the bonds
were sold. DR.. Williams took exceptions
| to the statement and was backed up by Ed
| Baird, attorney for the board, who gave
! his opinion that the contract could be let
| irrespective of whether the bonds had been
sold. But Baird told them that they should
lknow where the money was coming from
Courtney admitted that 1t might have
| been better to sell the bonds in blocks of
smaller amounts, but said that he thought
the board had gone too fag to back up at
this late date.
The arguments waNed warm at times and
charges of bad judgment were made Sears
! commended that the finance committee
should have advised itself on the bond
/ situation before it made a recommended
/ ton Of the sale.
In the face of the protests the board
ordered the sale by division of ten to
three, Bostwick, Sears and Williams vots
ing against.
The differences over the bond sale were
but a forerunner to the developments re,
sarding the letting of the contract Bost-
wick led the opposition after Richardson
/ had demanded that the revised specfica,
! lions be read to the board. Architect.
! Aatenser who drew the plans was called
on to explain the elimination from the
! original specifications He told the board
| members that the botany and zoology
rooms were eliminated as was the finishing
OF the entire fourth floor, The manual
training rooms In the basement are also
cut out as is the finishing Of this floor
Other eliminations are the central court
which was shown to have been covered
A 200 kilowatt engine ana boiler, vacuum
pump, feed pump, elevator grading Of lot
and building Of the sidewalks, wood fixtures
in the book room, tables and cases in the
| art rooms and laboratories electric wiring
the substitution Of standard floors in the
entire building and all the repairs in the
south and east wings
Cost More to Complete.
whats the use OF letting a contract on
such specifications" quered Bostwick
I We are supposed to finish the building
and here We are authorizing the e,lpendi,
! ture of s37SOOO when It will cost more than
$6oO,Oo to complete the building"
Sears contended that the bonds were
issued for the purpose of finishing the
building, while the present specifications
! only called for the beginning of the work
! we agreed to turn over a completed
building" said Sears. Under these speci-
J hcatons we are beginning a structure.
which additional funds in large amounts
J will he 10
IF these eliminations We're not neees.
sary what were they put in for in the
trst placer Sears asked of Iatenssr.
For the Information OF the board" re-
/ torted the architect
/ Inc report OF the committee giving the
contract to Harte prevailed by the Same
vote that carried the bond sale.
A resolution, directing all contractors
to buy Omaha made goods, received n
( severe jolt. Richardson offered the meas-
ure AFTER Henry Gering, representing the
'"ahs Manufacturers association. appeared
and requested the school board 10 Inv go
pies from local concerns. Gering contender
mat such action would tend to incraa 40
the population Of Omaha Courtney an.
posed the resolution on the grounds TIA,
II was TOO broad and suggested thar fl bs
referred for one week
Richardson finally agreed TO the most
ponement after it developed that it would
be voted down
letter from the Visiting Nurses as.
ISOLATION. Withdrawing the offer to ,ut
nurses at the disposal Of the board for
trial medical inspection was referred 10
the special committee to which the offer
was referred.
Applications for places as census enum.
orators were received from Mrs Jessie
Christie, Mrs. Martha A. smith. CAROLYN
Reed Brooks, Mrs. c. Christensen ana
Mrs. J. e. Gamble. They were referred Ia
the judiciary committee
4 ----===
Peru Wins from western
PERU, Neb., 'ApriI g-.Snecial, m.
Peru normal base ball team opened the