The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-09-09
Selectmen Reserve Decision
as One Member
Is Away
PECULIAR WORDING
OF ONE IS PUZZLE
Mrs. harrington Offers 1901, Includ-
ing Festival Hall-Latchis Offers
S1O0 More than Highest Bidder Up
to and Including $1,000.

SlOO More tnan d1gneSt B1oder UP
to and Including $1,000.
Two bids for the lease of the Auditori-
um were received by the selectmen last
evening in their room in the town hall
building, but because OF question of in
unusual wording OF one of the bids the
selectmen desired more time for consider
alton OF the bids and so made no award
as they had intended to do. Only two
members of the board, S. A. Richmond
and A. ID. Wyatt, were present, and while
| they said they did not wish to delay
the award they might deem it advisable
to await the return of Selectman w. Z.
Stellman, who is attending the knights
Templar conclave in Philadelphia and who
probably will not return until Saturday
night
Mrs. Z. c. Harrington, who has con-
Quoted the Auditorium the past year un-
der lease, and Peter d. Latchis of ID.
Latchis & Son, proprietors of confec-
tionery store in the Park building, were
the two bidders, and their bids were for
both the Auditorium and Festival hall,
rwhereas during the past year Festival
hall has not been leased, Mrs. Harrington
paying $500 for the use Of the Auditors
um alone, for moving pictures and dramat-
ic performances.
Attorney A. p. Carpenter, town counsel,
! was present In the towns interest, Mr..
Latchis was present with Attorney n.
! ID. Clawson, and Mrs Harrington came in
: with Attorney a. F. Schwenk
! Both bids were submitted In writing,
and in response to a query as to wheth-
er there We're to be more bids Selectman
Richmond said that one of the firm of
: Lawler Brothers of Greenfield, Mass, had
: been in town that afternoon and had said
; that he might want to put in bid. Mr..
: Richmond added that the time was up
, for presenting bids and only the two in
J hand would be considered.
The bid by Mrs. Harrington was s., COL,
r with qualifications, and Selectman
, Richmond informed her that her bid
was the higher, but Attorney Clawson
called the seectmen's attention to the
wording of Mr. Latehis's bid and claimed
that the Latchis bid was the higher. 1t
read as follows:
To the Selectmen OF Brattleboro.
Gentlemen:
/, We hereby make the following bid
for the Auditorium and Festival hall
in the town building at Brattleboro.
We hereby bid 500 more than the
highest bidder up to and including
e $1,000 to be paid in accordance with
e the terms specified in tentative copy
: of agreement handed to us by you
!. Yours truly,
: PETER ID. LATCHIS.
d Attorney Clawson argued that according
9 to the wording of the Latchis bid Mr.
d Latchis was ready to pay s3,lo0, or 800
5 IN excess of 5000 and he said this point
S was discussed before the bid was offered
and it was understood between Mr.. Lat
CHS and counsel that the limit of his bid
twas s3,l00. He therefore claimed that Mr.
Latchis was offering S99 more than Mrs
r harrington.
Attorney Schwenk contended that In
the first place sliding scale bid like that
OF Mr.. Latchis ought not to be enter
!" tanned anyway, as bids of that kind Were
not proper and might result to the dis
advantage of the town. For instance per
sons might enter into collusion and on,
# bid 81 900 and the other 500, more, which
$ would make a total of 81, 100 Only defin
= ite bids should be entertained, he said
is In the second place, he argued that tn
l. plain intent of Mr.. Latchis's bid was t.
stop at $1,000
10 Arguments on the bids led to argu
Ne ments ON the general situation in Brattle
Y. boro in the moving picture business At
IL torney Clawson said that competitisl
would be beneficial to the town and rails
Id the standard of the pictures shown AT
II torney Schwenk replied that there wa
1t competition until Lawler Brothers close
II the Empire theatre year ago, and Mrf
harrington added that so far as the QUA
ity of the pictures was concerned she wa
showing absolutely the best pictures made
Attorney Clawson then referred to tn
d. fact that for the picture, Mickey, show
here some time ago, the best seats cos
so cents, while the same picture recent
ia y was shown in another place in the stat
IN for 25 cents. This brought from Mrs. Fal
g. rington the statement that at the tim
she showed the picture it could not b
6. seen anywhere for 25 cents as it was the
so new picture, and that moreover th
prices We're not made by her but wer
made by the owners, who paid her pc
centage for the privilege of showing
here
In the course of the discussion Mr.,
ay harrington said that when she lease
the Auditorium a year ago she wa
given the impression that she woul
n have the privilege of renewal and ths