The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-28
THE PRINTING CONTRACT.

The Evening Bulletin complains De-
cause Chief Justice Frear has given the
Hawaiian Gazette Company contract
for printing the Thirteenth Hawaiian
Report. for which it's own company had
put in a lower bid: Elsewhere Henry
Smith, Chief Clerk of the Supreme
Court, gives some of the reasons why.
To these we might add the possibility
that the Chief Justice was influenced
by the fact that the Tax Office gave the
Bulletin a contract under tender some
little time ago and had to accept an
inferior Job. The workmanship was
poor and the material quite different
from that called for in the speciflca-
lions on which competitors had submit
ted figures But for lack of time the
Tax Office would have refused to take
the goods. If Chief Justice Frear knew
of this case, and we presume he did, II
would have justified him in not dealing
with the Bulletins job department on
any terms.
Judge Humphreys paper, directing
that persons spite against the Chief
Justice, also complains of the bid and
casually tells an untruth about the
price given the Gazette Company for
its past and present work. The Re
publican is reliably informed it says,
that the price paid for printing the
Twelfth Hawaiian Report by the Adj
vertiser was s2.25 per page. and 81 per
running. column in the newspaper
Evidently the reliable" informant IS
Humphreys himself for the price was
s1.Sl per page. This years price Is
SLY per page and 81 per running COL
umn in the newspaper. The difference
! between it and other bids is not over
$500 as the Republican says but about
I 500, an extra sum any business man
would pay on a large contract to as
sure a good job. AS for the dollar rate
! it is the same as that proffered by the
bulletin, although this paper has more
/ than double the circulation of its even
| ing contemporary and more than four
times the circulation of the Republican
The latter offered to give its space for
nothing and in consequence the space
was properly valued at nothing. The
/ Supreme Court wants its reports pab-
Ilished as well as printed.
Touching the right of the Republican,
or its publishers, the Robert GrieVe
| Company, to expect contracts from tne
Supreme Court it is proper to say thai
the last year that company had the
Report to print it asked s2.25 per page
but was unable to complete the woif
and had to turn it over to the superior
facilities of the Gazette Company. The
next year the contract was given (
us at S1.T per page, price whici
would have held good the year follow
ing save for the war increase in tf'
Icost of paper
In the letter from Henry Smith, clerl
of the Supreme Court, published else
where, that gentleman intimates tina
the cheapest is not always the best. l
The needs another object lesson in poin
he might show the handsome, work
imanlike copy of the Organic Act print
ed by the Gazette Company and tn
sleazy second edition issued by th
Robert .Grieve Company. which wa
dear at any price. The Gazette Com
pany's pamphlet was on book paper
that of the Humphreys establishment
on common newspaper, so badly print
ed and made up that the publisher
were ashamed to put their firm nam
to it.
: On account of the crooked work don
by the Bulletin and Robert GrieS
Companies, the Advertiser, on behal
of the Gazette Company, suggests tina
hereafter, when public printing con
tracts are let a bond be exacted TO
the faithful performance of the work
The Gazette Company will give sue
bonds on demand and if the fakirs ar
compelled to do the same we warran
; that their prices will go up like tn
l mercury on hot day. They cut price
: now for the sake of cheating the Gus
[ toner in the quality of their work.