Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-23
SCHOOL, BOARD AWARDS
SUPPLIES CONTRACTS
Experts Report Submitted to
Retute lntimation Steam Boil
ers in Schools Are Unsafe.

The opening of bids for books and
supplies. arm chairs. culm burning
crates. portable buildings. the ever
present janitor problem and increasing
the power of the Superintendent OF
Schools provided plenty of business nj
She meeting of the Board of Educa-
tion last night.
When the bids for books and sup
plies were brought up. Shermer
Stradley attacked the form of the
specifications. declaring that bids Were
asked on books that were actually out
of print and obsolete and that bids
were asked on IA times the cras'on
required. as the specifications askeS
. for bids of S21 gross boxes. while Mr.,
Stradley claimed that 327 gross sticks
We're required. He stated that bids
were asked on 2Ssi2 gross pencils and
- dozen waste baskets and claimed
that the latter number was too large.
After a long list of about twenty
bidders had filed estimates on books
and supplies. the entire matter was re-
ferred 10 the Superintendent of Schools.
DIR. Washburn made a motion that
the bids be referred TO the superin-
tendent in connection with the sec
retary and that they have them tab
ulated with recommendations that the
lowest bidders be awarded the con-
tracts at a meeting next Monday
night. DR.. Palmer was included on
the committee, as DIR. Washburn said
that in the list of supplies there were
n number of chemical instruments
that were not required at all.
Haywood Wakefield were awarded
the contract for supplying thirty chairs
at $6 each.
Oppose Culm- burning System.
When the culm-burning CRATES were
brought up for action. verbal tilt
took place on the floor of the meeting.
After a motion that the contract be
awarded to the lowest bidder. Shermer
Stradley arose and objected, declaring
that he felt that the expenditure might
OF might not benefit. and he suggested
that the money would be better spent
III used in replacing boilers. He said
he would not vote for the measure un-
less the boilers in the schools had been
approved by a heating engineer.
DIR. washburn asked if il had been
decided TO test out the culm burning
system in any particular school and
when informed that the high school
had been selected for the test, he re-
quested information as TO why this
had been done.
George Rommell replied that it had
been decided TO make the test where
the greatest quantity of feul was used,
where a greater saving could be eff
fected. He said that $50 tons of hi
luminous coal lis used in a year at the
high school and that with the culm
burning plan, saving Of about 81 a
ton is made, as the coal used now
costs sI0.5O a ton, while the material
used in the new system costs $3.50 a
ton.
Boilers in schools Are Safe.
Mr.. Rommel bitterly assailed any
one making the statements that the
boilers OF the schools of the city are
unsafe. He defied any one TO prove
that they are unsafe and asked if the
people wanted unsafe boilers to ex-
plode and kill thousands Of children.
lie said no man would take the respon-
sibility of declaring that the boilers
were satisfactory unless they We're.
lie said that he had been familiar with
boilers for about fifty years. including
those with a pressure Of from $50 to
ls5 pounds.
a report of the Hartford Steam
Boiler Inspection Company was read,
showing that an inspection made of
the high school boilers on July 5
showed the boilers to be in good con-
dition and that their approved pres
sure was 80 pounds. Mr.. Rommell
added that never more than so pounds
Is used in these boilers.
Sherman Stradley said that he evil
IDENTIFY had been misunderstood and
that the point he made was that the
money would be better spent by re-
placing old boilers with new boilers.
The Delaware Heating Company was
awarded the contract for the install
lafion Of the system at the high school
for s3,51s. William d. Shellady sub
mitted bid of s3.7o0. There were no
other bids.
The Minner Holmes Company was
awared the contract for six portable
schools at a bid of SLIPS each. The
Armstrong Company was high with a
bid of s13.94o- Frederick G. Krapf
submitted a bid of $4,000 for the six
buildings
The question of repairs being made
to q number of schools resulted in the
board adoptinRa motion that bids be
advertised for to make repairs in total
and on separate items DR.. Washburn
declared that the report submitted,
showing where repairs were needed,
was very unbusiness like.
a resolution was adopted by the
board releasing the Manufacturers
Association from making any further
payments in accordance with an agree
ment entered into recently. whereby
they were TO give $1,000 year for
the teaching of vocational training.
DR.. Washburn who offered the resolu-
tion said that the organization had
taken this action, owing to the Legis-