The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-27
CLERK IN STORE OF OFCOMMISSIONER GETS CONTRACTS
Norwalk Official, Merchant Here, Is Center of Muni-
 cipaI Rumpus.
Especial to The F,armer3

Notwalk NOV 27.-The same kind of a rumpus that has stirred. Bridgeport many times, is now causing a protest in NorwaIk c. Raymond Hill of Stratford, a clerk in the employ of Harry Rider, a ship chandler at SIP Water street, Bridgeport, has received a contract for school supplies MT. Rider is a member of the board of ed ucation and of the committee on sup plies.
 It is said in Norwa1k that Mr. Hill has received many similar contracts and because of the objection against the principle of the thing it is prob able litigation will be instituted against members of any municipal board prodting by contracts for the city and in favor of an ordinance to that effect.
 Members of the board of education differ as to whether or not there is rule in force. on the board providing against members selling supplies or other things to the board of education. Bernard J. Reynolds, who is also a mem Der of the supply committee, says that there is such 8 rule, but claimed that the sale by MT. Hill to the board was news to him as far as MT, Rider having any connection with it was concerned,
 MT. Rider said yesterday, ''The committee thought that it would be better to have the contract in Hills name rather than in mine." He de- nied being present when the bids were opened
 There were several pretty features involved in the sale of supplies to the city of Norwalk by MT. Hill. The con. tract was let after sealed bid proposals had been received by the committee on, supplies of which MT. Rider is chairman. Hill was unknown to local people and MT. Reynolds and John W. Olmsted, the two other members of the committee on supplies, did not know, so they said, that he was clerk in MT. Riders Bridgeport store.
 The attention of a reporter was at tracted to bills presented by MT. Hill ito the city. Some of them read "C. R. HiH,Y others read "Raymond c. Hill. .'i These bills were turned in on ordinary sheets of typewriter paper and only part of the sheets had been used for the rendition of the bills.
 Ira T. Chapman, superintendent or schools, was called on the phone and asked who R. c. Hill happened to be. He was asked if he knew that MT. Hill was in the employ of Harry Rider, chairman of the committee on sup plies Mir. Chapman said that every thing in~-the board of education was fair and on the level and he preferred to say nothing on the matter.
 MT. Rider was next consulted. He was called on the phone at his Bridge port store and asked how it happened supplies, had sold the board of educa- ton materials through using the name of MT. Hill, his clerk. zFf
 ssThe committee thought it would be better said MT. Rider. He added that he was not there when the bids were opened and thought the trans action was all right. He was asked if he did not know that there was a rule in the board of education which pro-. vided against any such sales and stat ed that he did not.
 ! John W. Olmsted was called on the telephone and asked if he knew R c. or c. R. Hill and he replied that he did not. He was asked if he knew that R. c. Hill, who was awarded the contract for school supplies, was GU clerk in the employ of Harry Rider, and he replied that he did not.
 Bernard J. Reynolds appeared in- dignant when told of the sale of sup plies by Hill to the city. MT. Rey- holds insisted that there was an unL derstanding among the members of the board of education that there was to be no sales by mem bers to the city He was asked if he knew R.. c. HilI and if he knew that Hill was employed by Harry Rider.
 fI didn't know that he put in a bid,'' said MT. Reynolds. we had that matter thrashed out last year and it was understood that members of the, board were not to bid for school sup plies,'' He replied that he did not know that the FC. R. Hill to whom the contract for part of the supplies was made was employed by MT. Rider.
 He was asked if it was fact that the committee had thought that it would be sbetter to. have the contract in Hills name rather than in his own. He said that there was no such thing in his understanding.