The Mineral argus., 1885-01-29
PUBLIC PRINTING.

oilice. The purpose OF the bil! l. I,
authorize the governor. secretary ant
auditor of the territory, To constiiut,
n territorial board of printing to con
/ tract for all territorial printing, award
( ing the contract for same to the Lowest
responsible bidder; while the count,
commissioners Of the several countie,
are constituted "a board for the same
purpose, for all printing that the county
is or may he cllargable for. The mate
rial difference between Council Bill
No. and chapter Ill Of the 9th divis.
ion Of the Revised Statutes of Mon
tana is, that the territorial board OF
printing, instead Of using their own
discretion as To whom they will con-
tract with--the statutes falling to re-
quire hids--are compelled to advertise
for and after inspecting all bids or pro-
posals, award the contract to the lowest
responsible bidder; while the county
commissioners pcform the same duty
for each county, instead of ~ mt present,
the governor, secretary and auditor.
Thus far the bill is an improvement
to the statutes as they now stand. But
Council Bill! No. 3 does not stop
here; it goes OF Ia stip~llate in See. IL i,
line ), that the publishers bidding for
the printing of the several counties
shall publish paper nj the COMFY
SEAT, which paper shall have been
established at least one year. What
does that proviso mean? Simply this:
that. in the case Of Neagher county,
although three papers are published
within her borders, but the ONE that
Is located ut the county seat can bid
for, and under this bill. should il become
Il law, receive the contract; which, in
turn means, rs there is but one paper
privileged to put in n proposal, the bid
ding would prove farce, as the
county commissioners would he COM
PEELED to award the contract to the
paper published at the county seat,
giving them the full rates designated
by the bill, when, had the commissions
ers the privilege of accepting the lowest
bid from responsible publisher in any
portion Of the county, nearly fifty per
cent. of rates allowed would be saved
to the county, the saving Of which is
a matter in which all tax payers are
Even in counties where two, three or
more papers are published at the
county seat, this bill lis il now stands,
if passed. will tend to have the several
publishers able to compete with each
other for the work, instead of so-doing,
pool and divide the profits, which
they can well afford to do, as the limit
Of charges will be the frui. of their
scheme, while were all publishers within
the county allowed TO bid, the work
would be done rs satisfactory and the
saving a goodly sum.
The recent discussion between the
and Meagher county
commissioners, relating to the appro-
priation of various funds, together with
he introduction of this bill, ought to
DC argument enough to every tax payer
N the county that they should be able
% ascertain through the press what the
county fathers are doing-at each and |
very session, and mt reasonable cost to
he county.
How many citizens of Meagher Co.
;now what has been done by the COM
nissioners during the past year, or will
,now before the publication Of their
Innual report, next March, which, when
published for the OBLIGATION and en-
ightenment Of the dear people will
'e SO abridged as to be almost incohe-
ent?
What is wanted and the people
hould insist on having, is report of
acb and every meeting Of the COM
verburinI, Immediately AFTER
ach session Of that body. Then their
cts will be fresh aud the citizens able
0 judge of their qualifications and
stewardship. And why should such
Proceedings be published in "a paper
I the county seat regardless Of the
harges9 Surely the doings of the
are public gossip at the
rat Of their deliberations. 1t is the
reat majority Of taxpayers that want
his information and everything equal,