The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-08
BOARD HIT BY
ROTTEN COAL
DEAL CHARGE
Central Hospital Trustees
Revolt on Purchasing
n Agency's Contract.
OTHER BUYS ASSAILED
Protest Meeting Is Called;
Link James Jackson
With Activities.
OTHER BUYS ASSAILED


toisted on the institutions by the
Joint Purchasing Board was voted
yesterday by trustees of the Central
Hospital for the Insane.
Coal $50 rotten that it burned
holes in our boiler CRATES and caused
damage of $50 day to our equip
ment" was shipped by the E. H.
Rolf Coal Company of Ft. Wayne,
which hold the State contract, ac-
tording to Paul G. Davis, an at
torney with Offices at lit Fletcher
Trust Building, and secretary of
the Board.
Not only did the Hospital Board
go on record regarding its coal con-
tract, but expression was given to
other materials and supplies pur-
chased by the board, of which Daily
Mccoy, campaign manager for Gov
ernor Ed Jackson, is secretary.
The trustees state that Governor
Jackson and Mccoy assured them
shortly before noon today that they
would get the kind of coal they want.
Many Carloads Rejected
Under the terms of the coal con-
tract, the hospital on w. Washing
ton ST., is supposed to get Fourth
Vein" coal. DR.. Max Bahr, super
intendent of the institution, and its
engineers rejected many carloads
because 1t did not meet Specifica-
tionS.
In one instance when seven car
loads were rejected they were re-
shipped to the School for Feeble
Minded Youth at TT. Wayne, home
city of the Rolf Coal Co.. James
Jackson, brother Of the Governor,
is head Of that school.
James Jackson was very active in
support of the Rolf company when
the. contract was let. The concern
does not own mines of any kind and
is reported in Ft. Wayne to be mere
ly a Jobber of coal. NJ
Need Different Coal
Differences in the heating equip
ment Of the institutions make
various kinds of coal mandatory.
Under the contract, it is said, bills
of lading must show the name of
the mine from which the coal is
shipped. This then is supposed to be
checked with maps and data in the
Office of the State mine board,
which indicates the vein" of the
mine.
Under agreement with the joint
purchasing board, the hospital
board bought coal in November from
the Ogle Coal Company, which held
the State contract last year.
A better grade of coal was bought
for 81 ton than the contractor
furnished for $206 ton, Davis
said.
I'm November we saved $141 on
coal, not much in itself" Davis said,
"but think of what our equipment
was saved by not having to burn
rocks and gravel and clinkers."
Protest Meeting Called
"That joint purchasing board
sends us stuff that costs more than
we can buy better quality goods
for" Davis continued, "but we sub
NIT to it because we respect the
law. But the coal business got the
best of us and we had to speak our
minds"
That other State institutions feel
the same way about the State pur-
chasing situation is seen in the call
for meeting at the Central Hos
pital Jan. ~.
"The the best interests Of the peo-
pie of Indiana Subserved by con-
tinuing the State Joint purchasing
committee" will be the subject dis
cussed by trustees from each OF the
State institutions.
Davis, in commenting on the
meeting, said: Frankly, we will say
that the peoples interests are not
being subserved and we believed
many others feel the same way
about it."
No copy Of the coal contract is
available at present, said Daley NC
Coy, who explains that 1t has been
sent back to Rolf for some changes
to eliminate the Indiana School Tor
the Deaf.
No Duplicate Copies
Nor has the board any duplicate
copies Of the Shipments to various
institutions. Those must be had
from the State institutions, says Nc
Coy.
When bids were asked for coal,
specifications required that duplicate
copies Of all shipping bills be
promised by the contractor, one to
60 to the institution and the other
to the purchasing board.
The bids also required that the
contract name specifically the mine
from which coal was to be pro-
vided, SO that the quality could be
checked from records in the bureau
of mines.
Members of the board Of trustees
are Bert E. Page, Mellott; Mae B.
HeImer, Tere Haute; Charles 3.
! Jenkins. NobleyIIle, and Paul g,