The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-07-25
STOKER CHARGE
MAY RESULT IN
COURT BATTLE
Tax Official Scores School
Board for Refusing City
Firms Bid.

Possibility of libel suits and a
state tax board probe into activities
of the city school board doomed to-
day as a three-way verbal battle be-
tween agents for a stoker company,
school officials and Philip Zoercher,
state tax board member, increased.
Zoercher charges in letter to A.
B. Good. school business director,
and Russell Wilson, school board
president. that the board awarded
a contract TO the Brownell Company
for a stoker that cost s270 more
than the type on which a bid was
submitted by the Fire-King Stoker
Company. The latter company is a
local concern
Good declared the board opposed
the Fire-King product because the
board found it cost more to install
and equip it than the difference In
the other product.
Good said IL was necessary to IN
stall ash pans and motor enclosures
on the local firms device while the
other was equipped.
Denied by Kimmel
F. r. Kimmel, vice president of
The Fire-King Company, denied this
and declared there has not been
one call for repairs or service on
any of the sixteen devices installed
in city schools"
Good declared officials Of the To-
cal company and Zoercher had
made statements that it might be
necessary to fight it out in court"
On the other hand, officials Of the
Fire-King firm we're emphatic in
their statement that they were go
ing to find out a lot" and Zoercher
said he might have the matter
probed through a special inveSti-
cation.
The complaint against the con-
tract awarding was made by Theo
Hopewell, general manager of the
Fire-King firm, TO the tax board,
over awarding the Brownell COM
pany the contract for a stoker in
School 40 recently.
Surprised at Letter
We have to do the work" Good
said. With the BroWnell it is all
done before we get the stoker. The
Fire-King carries a separate ad-
justment for coal and air. while the
other product combines the two in
one move, so the custodian of the
building knows that when one lever
is pulled the machine does the rest.
Il feel that a letter, written by
public official and given to the press
for publicity and notoriety. before it
is delivered to the person to whom it
is addressed, does not warrant an
answer"
Good said he was working for the
board and would do as directed
Wilson said he was surprised at the
letter, adding the board can run
the school affairs from this end"
Referred to Tax Board
Good said the bids we're referred
to the tax board and no complaint
was made. 1t was known Good was
with tax board members Thursday
afternoon and he said he did not
know of the letter at the time nor
was any statement made by tax
officials.
I had hoped that when the new
board went into Office We would not
have these controversies and that
the thing uppermost in the minds
Of the school commissioners would
be the interest Of the taxpayers"
Zoercher wrote.
Two hundred and seventy dollars
seems a small item but 1t seems to
me that public officials ought to
save wherever they can"
Some of my friends who did not
want me to take the interest that I
took IN the campaign are laughing
at me because of these things"