St. Paul daily globe., 1893-08-12
AUDITOR BURNS VEXED
A COMMITTEE REPORT EXC!TES HIM
TO HARSH LANGUAGE.
QUEER STATIONERY CONTRACT

Ject of the Auditors Attack
Expert Printer Koch Explains
Where the Defect Lies-Coun-
ty Officiais to Blame on the
Contractors Showing.
of county commissioners at its meeting
last night.
Commissioner LavaIlee was in the
chair in the absence of the mayor, and
when the report of the committee oh
printing was called for in the regular
order handed the clerk the report of
th"t committee, signed by himself as
its chairman.
The clerk of the board is County
Auditor Burns. and when ha read "a
| resolution accompanying the report that
provides for annulling the stationery
contract, and requiring lie county Of
| ficials to make acquisitions on The board
for supplies to be bid on every two
weeks, the auditors face put on very
severe look and naughty oath escaped
HIM. which was followed by several
other CALCULATIONS mingled with oathS.
Mr.. Burns managed to make the board
understand. while addressing Mr.. La
vallee, that he had stood all the rub
bing in'' he was going to.
Mr.. Lavallee observed that he was not
addressing Mr.. Burns, but had simply
handed in report of the committee on
printing.
Mir. Burns, with an oath and starting
fiercely, retorteu: 81 am talking 10 you,
and L want you to understand it. L
won't stand this. want it stopped
right here, d-n yoii.''
Mr. Lavallee replied by saying that he
was attending 10 his business uy hand
ing in report that had been agreed
upon.
Ene auditor then took OCCASION to give
additional force TO his former remarks
i'll way that made several red faces
around The board circle, and was enter
tanning to considerable gathering IN
the LOBBY.
4 Peculiar Contract.
P. d. Scanneil, Publisher of the Her
aid. L am the stationery contractor. It is
hot my business to hant up the orders
for stationery. The officers should hunt
me up aud make their orders. [ lur-
niSh wnat is ordered. The expert print
er was ask d for d statement, and Mr..
Koch stated that Mr.. Scannell was not
to blame if the officers OF tue county or
dtred goods that are not on
the list mentioned in the con-
tract. The fact came out at tEis
point that goods are specified in the
contract at a certain price which, for
example, may be specified at a cent Or d
few cents. but that in place. Of goods
being ordered corresponding to the
Trade number mentioned IN the contract
an article that is very nearly the same
III character but of Il different number
Is ordered, which the contractor fur
niSles- at commercial rates, which may
be a dollar Or two or three dollars i'll
place ot Il few cents.
Mr. Koch inStanced the case of pens
and scratch blocks. In one case pens
are put in the contract at one cent Il
| gross, and the scratch blocks are bid on
! at SIX cents. The number called for is
not the class OF goods ordered, but in
their place pens OF nearly the same
| style are ordered that cost FROM one to
| three dollars. and scratch blocks that
cost several dollars.
County Officers TO Blame.
In response to question from MIR
| Scanuell it was stated by Mr.. Koch that
the former is not to blame for the goods
| ordered
Mr.. iIavallee stated that the board had
already adopted resolution to prevent
| the county officers from ordering any
| goods except through committee of
the board. He stated further that If the
| contractor will live up to his contract
and not furnish any goods on the order
| of the officials unless the orders 90
| through the board, he would not urge
the reyoking of the contract, which he
| claimed the board a right to do.
Mr.. ScaHnell made anotHer speech, in
which he claimed he was living up to
! his contract.
! Commissioner Hanna-It has come
| down To this. You are not TO furnish
| any more g0OuS on the order of the
! offices. You must get your orders from
this board, otherwise you Will have to
| look to the offices for your pay.
After this the storm quieted down and
| the board proceeded LO the conSidera-
| ton of other business.
The resolution as to printing, passed
at former meeting. was amended in a
| minor particular. The committee on
claims reported number of bills,
which were ordered paid. Michael Lux
| was awarded the contract for improving
| the Rice street road. Jacob Lauer was
! given the contract for grading the Koh-
| Ter road at his bid of S515.
Bids were opened for grading on the
Mississippi street road.
Mr. McCarrOn made a vigorous pro-
test 10 this Improvement on the ground
that there is no money In the treasury.
Several members insisted that this was
| all error on the part OF Commissioner
| McCarrOn.
In the general discussion that fol-
| lowed MIR. McCarron looked up from a
| resolution he was writing to observe
that the chairman did not know what
he was talking about.
The members of the board, including
the chairman. laughed at this sally,
while the chair announced that it would
he a good idea TO have sergeant-at-
arms to attend the board meetings.
Commissioner DAILY put in a resolu-
| ton at this point which recited the fact
that the city had let the Third street
paving contract to foreigner who en-
pluyS foreign la Dor, and that the con-
tractor on the Mississippi street road
should forfeit his contract i'll case he
employs any labor out of RAMSEY
county. This resolution was adopted,
and the contract was awarded to Will
lam g. Mulligan at SIS per thousand for
lumber, 13$4 cents per square yard for
claying. Is cents Tor grading per square
yard, and y cent additional for hauling
dirt more than LOCO feet.
The recommendation of the commit
tee to transfers. 500 from the Long Lake
road to the Barlow road district was
lost by tie vote. By resolution of