Mexborough and Swinton Times, December 14.
The New Schools – Comment
In our last issue we gave a report of another lively meeting of our now” famous” School Board. The members of our School Board have got into such a muddle over this question of providing a new Infants School that their doing are now watched with the greatest interest.
At the last meeting Mr Booth and Mr Brocklesby got to very high words. Well, for once in a way I agree with Mr Booth. For the life of me I cannot follow the argument of Mr Brocklesby. Let us look casually at his actions. He is a member of the Board when this question of advertising for tenders is discussed, and when the tenders have been received years he is present at a meeting to discuss the tenders which have been received.
At this meeting he votes that Mr Wortley’s tender be accepted. Then he comes to the next meeting and tenders his resignation because of the enormous amount of money which the proposed school will cost.
That is he votes at one meeting to spend the money and then threaten to resign because this money is going to be spent.
How can you reconcile these actions?
Chiefly owing to Mr Brocklesby’s actions the other members of the Board asked the architect and contractor to meet and see if the cost cannot be materially reduced. This is done, and finally these two gentlemen by making certain alterations in the quality of the materials we use, reduce the cost by £816.
Then Mr Brocklesby, having got over his fit, comes back to the Board meeting, and in his remarks he first states that the reduction is not as large as he had expected, and then actually proposes that the board spend £180 more than the architect and contractor wished.
I wonder who can follow such reasoning as this? I never heard of such inconsistencies. After the last meeting I heard. Mr Brocklesby, and Mr Booth described as the “busy b´s” of the board