The Jewish South. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1893-1899, 1899-01-13
4 sbrewo RcnmanIan.

AuCSocs
told to-day by an Englishman who had lived in
tern Europe for twenty years, and it was sug-
led by the rather time-worn remark that he must
shrewd man who could outwit Jew in a COM
cial transaction
The Russian Government preparing to make
lew railway extension and had need of a large
ber of railroad timbers, to be delivered atOdessa
advertised for bids on the contract for supplying
so carloads of the timbers and it specified that
~ government would haul the material to Odessa
.61 the timber country, which is far inland, pro-
ling for that purpose ten trains of forty nine trucks
2ome twenty speculative men in and around
sssa nut in bids On the day set for the letting of
Is contract the bids opened They ranged
5n go to 105 kopecks all except one bid put in by
oses Ravinszk for So kopecks timber, or if that
not the correct figure, about one-half of the next
owest bid The other bidders Disguised and
he government representative was perpexed. He
aid to Ravinszk, You are the lowest bidder and
ou are entitled the contract but it is nonsense to
bid SIS kopecks You cannot get the wood and put
q on the cars for any such price"
IF do not" said Ravinszk 81 then will be the
oser / have deposited my money guarantee
md can give you good security. As am the low
st bidder have right to the contract"
It was awarded to him. heother bidders scoffed
III
ew patient and deprecating gestures and told them
hat his business was his own.
He sent his son-in-law upinto the timber country,
and in the of few weeks he notified the rail-
way officials that the 400 carloads of material were
ready for shipment The government dispatched the
ten trains of fort s-nne each, and the tmbers
were brought to Odessa, where the government IN
|spector went to look them.
He found some of them short and some Of them
long None of them had the stipulated width, and
instt ad of being nea Il trimmed thexwere practically
the rough The inspector refused to accept any OF
them.
In vain the contractor begged and pleaded. He
was ruined man 1t would bankrupt him to go
and get another 400 carloads
"You have taken the contract, and You must
carry out the terms of the agreement, was the gov
ernment's reply.
tThen will send my son to the timber country"
,aid Ravinszk He is careful young man, and will
Zee to it that the tbers of the right length and
the right width and trimmed neatly"
So the son went up into the country and shipped
down in good time 400 carloads Of the scrubbiest
logs he could find, all too short. The ten trainoads
were condemned instanter by the inspector and
dumped out at Odessa.
Then was the contractor broken hearted. He
wanted to be released from the contract. He offered
to compromise the government to keep the money
which he had put up as a forfeit His appeals were
unheeded He must either deliver 40 carloads OF
tmbers of the kind described in the contract or else
his sureties would be brought into court
Il will lose all my money, but will do as prom
ised" said the Jew. This time will go myself and
measure every timber. The government shall be
satisfied
He kept his word Carefully directing all the
work. he had 400 carloads of timber sawed and
trimmed and shipped to Odessa. where the inspector
promptly inspected the lot In due time the Jew re-
ceived the contract money. but of course it did not
Il represent his outlay.
He lost money on the contract. On the contract
yes But how about the $50 carloads of excellent
had all fhe