East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-06-22
State Law Violations Explained as
Due to Fact it Has Been General
Custom by Officials.
SALES SINCE II $3.50
Law Plainly FOrbids Amy Pecuniary
Profits for DirectOrs-Mr. Brock
Says Hardware Company Often
Sold Equipment for school at Al
most COst--City Affairs to Be Prob.
cd Also.

NOUNCEMENT-In the follow
ing news story the East OregOnian
seeks to present In an unbiased man
ner the facts regarding the sale Of
supplies to the Pendleton schools by
school directors; together with the
law upon the subject, the rulings up
on it, together with statements from
board members explaining the condi-
tons under which the law has been
violated here. The purpose of this
publicity is not to arouse prejudice
against the board or in favor of the
board, but to tell the facts. A sim
liar investigation is being made into
sale of supplies to the city by mem
hers Of the city council. A report
upon that subject will be given to-
morrow.-The Editor.
Since January /, 1911, the Pendle-
ton school district has purchased sup
/ plies. aggregating in cost the sum of
sSl5019 from business houses in
which members Of the board have
been the owners or the directing
heads.
AS ascertained by parties who have
gone over the school accounts these
sales may be summed up as follows:
Taylor Hardware Co. s265O.36
Tallman & Co. ...... 329S0
J. I. Brown .......... l70.0S
Total ...,...,.........S3 S3150.19
In addition to the above the books
show that on March 13, 1912. a $25
payment was made to each of the
then members of the board; C. ],
Smith, J. V. Tallman, w. E. Brock,
E. L. Smith and ]. T Brown On
April of the same year a payment
of $500 was made to c. ]. Smith.
Law Forbids II.
Paragraph 19, page 1897 of Lords
| Oregon Laws says:
19. Directors Not to Be Pecuniar-
lily Interested.-It shall be illegal for
any director. either directly or indi-
rectly, to have any pecuniary interest
in the erection OF school houses. OF
for the warming, ventilating, furnish
ing, or repairing the same. or to re-
/ ceive or accept any compensation for
I his services rendered as a member Of
the board.
The foregoing was adopted in 1901.
The code contains a footnote giving
a decision upon the law in the case
of Wooley vs.. The Plaindealer Pub
Co. The note says:
Under this section concerning pur-
chases of supplies for. school districts
by school directors. no sale of any
thing in which a director may have a
pecuniary interest should be counten-
anced; and therefore in a libel action
for charging a school director with
violation of his duty by selling to his
district articles used in daily routine
though not properly for use in the
erection or for the warming. ventil-
ating, furnishing or repairing OF
school houses, defendant should he
permitted to show in mitigation OF
damages any purchases in which
plaintiff was pecunitarily interested
made by the school board while he
was a director"
The foregoing covers in brief the
subject of how much money has been
| paid since 1911 to members of the
board or their firms and the law up.
on the subject. In the following will
! be presented the explanation from
board members as to how the law
came to be disregarded.
was Generally violated.
In explaining the sale of supplies
to the district, Chairman Brock this
morning made no attempt to deny a
| violation Of the letter of the law, nor
did he plead ignorance of it, He de-
clares, however that he but did what
had been customary in past years not
! only in this district but all over the
eenF, tA,4