Evening journal., 1888-11-01
the ALMsAoUsE AWARDS.

for the next three months, furnish better
food for the thought Of the tax payers
and voters than for the digestion Of the
paupers The fgnres on the bids are not
marvellous for their size, but rather fer
their lack Of IT, AS these figures stand
no one win object to them because Of
their largeness. IL is their smallness
that creates doubt and investigation on
the part Of all well-informed and right.
thinking persons.
The men who have made these bids aro
also thinking about it, Our local col
umns tell the tale They have made up
their minds not 30 fulfil their contracts.
The reason they assign is this Each one
of these grocers. for example, had been
led 60 believe that he would get the con
tract to furnish all the supplies, those
asked for as well as all the extras, of
which there are usually great many.
But the poor trustees took all
The bids together yesterday and selected
The lowest in each What is the result?
Every grocer is caught" for the supply
of certain articles at prices much below
the wholesale cost Of them even.
For example, Mr.. B. f. O'lIara prom
Used to furnish vinegar at cents gal
lon, when the poorest article in the
market is sold at 10 cents a gallon
canned tomatoes three-pound cans, at
80 cents a dozen, when the article costs
80 cents per carload; Java coffee at 10
cents pound, when the article costs at
least p cents at the exchange in New
York city; fresh butter at Is cents
a pound when the article costs
not less than % cents; soda
crackers at 3 cents pound, when
they cost 6 cents by the barrel, etc, etc.
Messrs. Lynch and Leary who are
going to stand by their contract, have
agreed to furnish granulated sugar for
cents pound, although such sugar
costs II cents at the refinery; Rio coffee
at 14i cents, when it is worth Tag cents
in its green state at the exchanges and
will cost at least II cents by the time 1t
is roasted and delivered at the aims
house; ground pepper at 8 cents pound,
which is one half Of its market price /;
mustard at cents, worth 1S cents
kitchen crystal soap at cents, regular
wholesale price cents etc, etc.
What led these men to make such pre-
posterous offersf They say that they had
expected, each one Of them, to get the
contracts for all the supplies and the
extras, too and on the extras they had
intended 10 put it ON, " il the reader can
understand that slang. But there is
another way, in which grocers who have
in times past furnished these supplies at
ridiculously low figures have not merely
saved themselves from loss, but have even
realized big profits on their sales. This
way has been to furnish, say for example.
10 barrels Of vinegar at 20 cents gal.
Ion, and then render bill and get paid
for 30 barrels, which was the same as 10
cents gallon for the quantity which was
really furnished The man who under
Took to furnish graduated sugar at :
centsap pound, when such sugar is worth "a
at the rehneries, probably intended to add
10 or 10 per centum Of Toms river sand
Sand helpsathe ostrich to digest its un
rocked dinner, why should It not be a
stimulant to the stomach Of the pauper
at the New Castle county palaceY The
man who promises to furnish soda crack
ers at cents a pound, when they are
worth by the barrel, must expect to
get paid for three barrels when he fur
nishes only one.
It is noteworthy fact that no such
mistakes" were made by Messrs. Dickey
d Co., who contracted to furnish the
Hour. They get $3.50, IS, $775. SO. rs.
$500 and SO per barrel for the flour
although the William Lea & Sons Com
Pany sell their fours at prices ranging
from &c. 100 to $4 20 per barrel Messrs
Dickey & Co. are safe.
Is Mr. }. B. Taylor, who has agreed "a
furnish bread at 3t cents pound safer
Let the bakers Of Wilmington sav
whether man can bake bread that i AZ
TO eat, either for an ostrich or a pauper
for 81 cents pound. when
a baker thinks that he ought ~
have cents for loaf ~
bread weighing 1874 ounces. how can
his fellow baker sell 16 ounces at 81
oents1 While we are trying to crack
this conundrum, it is proper to ask Mr.
Taylor where he gets his -four? Who
supplies you with -four, Mr.. TaylorY