The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-10-18

lOT DIuS " Dullu LHe t1lBu SCHOOl, lHe
same to be opened September 4,
1911.
Also the entry of September 4,
1911, when it was decided to open
the bids. At that meeting the con-
tract was awarded to the lowest bid
der, Elmer Chapman, Lake town
ship, the amount being $5,675 which
included the cost of installing
steam heating and ventilating plant.
His bid was accepted, l.. G.. BARLEY
was retained as architect at a fee of
$50, ana the secretary authorized to
close the deal with the contractor
Mr.. Magargel then testified that
the contract was made, and that
some work was done by the contrac-
tor. An entry dated August 13,
1909, thowed that at a special meet
ing of the school board it was de-
cided to purchase two-acre lot from
George w. Fielding at a cost of
$210U.
When cross-examined by Attorney
Lee, Mr. Megargel said that five di-
rectors were present at the meeting
when the motion for the erection of
the building now under construction
was carried, three voting in favor
of it, and no votes being cast against
it.
He also stated that printed notices
Of the high school proposition were
prepared and tackled up around the
'ownship. The structure was to be
a two-room building with a base
ment 1t was to have two stories,
end the dimensions were to be 32x40
and not to exceed a cost of $3.50.
Mr.. Megargel also said that he
sent notices in the form of a letter
to each voter in the township in
forming them of the election.
Judge Searle here read from the
new School Code the provision that
mjority of the board must vote
for new school building. 1t does
not now appear" he said, that a
majority ever voted to build school
house."
w. w. Kizer was the third witness
called. He testified to knowing the
location of the proposed new High
school building. 1t was east of the
M. e. church, he said, adjoining the
church lot, and from 400 to 600
feet from the corners. He swore to
seeing the excavations recently made.
OF them he said: " 1t seemed quite
wet where they dug out. 1t was all
filled up with water and water stood
on the natural surface of the
grodnd."
In his opinion man could scrape
out the amount of ground excavated
in couple of days.
saw some sand lying there"
he continued, probably eight or
nine loads. 1t looked as though
there might be three or four loads
of concrete blocks laying there. |
should say there was from 700-1000
feet of lumber there"
Mr. Kizer stated that he had no
school children. He denied having
been one of the parties who made
the proposition to the school direc-
tors that if they would remove the
High school building Il of a mile
down the road nearer to Warden, he
would withdraw his objections, but
admitted that he was present when
the proposition was talked over to
make the school directors an offer
that if they moved the school site
down the road it would be dryer
Also if it was moved down the road
to Warden the other schools could
be taken up and put with it.
Attorney Greene then made a mo-
ton that the petition signed by 14O
residents and taxpayers of South
Canaan township be admitted for the
purpose of making them parties with
the seven plaintiffs who brought the
action against the school directors,
and for the purpose of showing that
the plaintiffs make up a large ma
jority of the qualified electors of
the township. The Court allowed
the motion.
Secretary Megargel was recalled to
the stand and questioned by the
Court. According to Mr.. Megargel's
testimony the meetings of the school
board were generally called by the
president. The regular meetings,
he said, were held whenever it was
most convenient. Special meetings
were called for some particular pur-
pose. No calendar of meetings for
the year was made up. The meeting
in June was a regular meeting fixed
by the Act of Assembly.
Reference was made by the Court
to the new School Code which pro-
Vides that all school boards shall
have specific times and places of
meeting, and shall meet at least once
in two months.
According to Mr.. Magargel all the
school directors in South Canaan
are connected by telephone. He
stated that tine assessed valuation
of Canaan township is $274,6OO.
Attorney Lee asked whether any
one present in the Court House had
copy of the notice of the election
sent out to the taxpayers. No one
had The witness stated that they
We're printedain Honesdale. He also
declared that the building was to be
paid for by borrowing money, and
admitted that the question of issu-
ing bonds was never submitted to
the people. The Court called at
tention to the fact that at the meet
ing when three voted for a school
house and the others didn't vote
the project could not have been le-
gally carried, as the Code provides
that majority of the Board must
vote for it,
The hour of noon having arrived
court was adjourned until p. m.
When court convened in the after
noon Secretary Megargel was called
to the stand by Judge Henry Wilson
TO identify the plans and specifica-
tions of the school building for the