The true northerner., 1900-11-30
PAW PAW. MICH. NOVEMBER 30.
Figures Won't Lie.


fully untruthful. Reference to the print
ed proceedings of the board of super
visors for the past 10 or II years shows
that there have been number of years
in which other printing offices in the
county did more of the county's work
than did The True Northerner. The
Courier resorted to its well-known tao
tics of vilification when it openly accused
The True Northerner of overcharging
the county for work performed. The
True Northerner always charged the
what it would charge private customer
no more and no less. The Courier is
right about the county being desirable
patron under such circumstances, having
two to three hundred dollars worth of
work to give to the favored Office.
The Courier says the county printing
was awarded to it at much lower price
than The True Northerner would do it
for-and it is right about it. The True
Northerner wouldn't take the contract
off the hands of the successful bidder at
contract prices. The contract prices
would not enable the employment of
competent help at good wages and leave
any profit on the work. The True North
erner is not running a "cheap-j John"
shop. We do claim to have the best
equipped plant in the county, to employ
the best help at the best wages, and to
turn out the best work at prices that are
fair. If the county doesn't care to be
numbered among our customers on such
conditions, it is privileged to go else
where
The Courier quotes from some old
True Northerper bills. 1t says we
charged Sc per 1000 for note heads, but
in its anxiety to score a point it neglects
to be fair and state that it was S6 for
two lots of 800 each, and So was charged
by us for, 1000 lots-the ruling price in
this place at the time the bills were
rendered.
1t says we charged 1915 for $50 reward
cards, but neglects to be fair and state
that the charge was Sl.50 each for three
lots of 100 and S1.25 for lot of 80, max
ing four separate jobs instead of one,
and that they were printed on 3-ply
bristol board instead of or paper as is
now done.
1t says we charged 50 for 100 jury
cards, but neglects to be fair and state
that it was for two different sets of cards
for two terms of court
If we wanted to use the same kind of
argument we might ask why in October,
1885,, and June, 1896, the Courier charged
$3.50 for envelopes it now makes writ
ten contract to furnish for S275-and
envelopes were worth % per cent less at
wholesale then than now. We might
ask why the Courier formerly charged
50 and $40 per year for publishing sched-
ules of teachers examinations. which it
now does for So per year
The Courier did not then get more
than the work was worth; now it gets
much less than fair price. The truth
is that for political effect the board of
supervisors and the Courier inaugurated
competitive bidding system for the
paltry printing account, and then when
The True Northerner entered the field
and underbid all competitors on a con-
siderable portion of the work, the parti-
san board refused to award it to US. The
True Northerner's low bids were on
classes of work that are not done for
private customers. The True Northerner
does not think it just to make lower
price to the county on commercial print
ing than it will give to any private pa
tron.
Not SO with the Courier. 1t prints
note heads for the county at S275 per
1000 and asks private patrons % to 10
cents more for goods of the same quality.
1t prints envelopes for the county at
s2.75 per 1000 apd asks private patrons
quality.
1t prints briefs for the county for 60
cents per page, and asks private patrons
70 cents per page.
Several hundred dollars worth of
blank book work bought each year from
city binderies is not let 10y contract or
bids by this economical board. These
outside parties, who pay no taxes and
employ no help in this county, are al
lowed to charge their regular and very
profitable prices. If the democratic
supervisors want the Courier to do the
county printing, we believe it would be
the fair thing to do to order the work
done there and then let that Office get a
fair price therefor.
After all this talk, what has the "econ-
omical' board accomplished in the way
of saving in the printing billsY
In the year included in the published
proceedings of the board of supervisors
for l896-7-the last year when an in