The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-02
..LOLLING In LUXURY.
More Porcelain and Nickel Plumb
ing for Poor Farm Residents.
COST OF THIS LAST JOB WAS $3.50
The Work Said to Have Been Done
Before Restrictive Law he
came Operative

| More porcelain and nickel plumbing ha
| recently Ueen done at the Eennepiu .oun
| W poor tafm. II was the general IN
preston last year, Wnen LA-CounIy Com
| missioner vllhln Till I0r 3,1UU was pait
Tor installing Toll Top, porcelain lnet
DathA tuDs, slop sinks anu closets, VIII
nickel anu eDony trimmings, "nhe tnost
IL the sAnurus Duildlng'' as the speclnca
tlons stated Tor the SPECIAL use and pen.
ent or the paupers at Ine county farm
tnat hennepln would not again be looking
lor sucn eXtravagant gOous, wares an,
merchandise, at least not quite SO soon
1t seems now, that the county commits
sloners have ordered and the work has al
ready been done, making an addition tC
the poor farm plumbing pant of two more
slop sinks, three basins, two closets and
one slate bowl, at an extra cost to the
taxpayers Of $50. This last job is said
to nave been executed before the new law
went into effect, requiring county officials
to advertise for all such work. It. was
done by the same firm putting in the
other work.
For those not familiar with that, coun-
ty institution, it may be well to enumer-
ate the extent of what the people possess
out there in the way Of the finest grade
of the most up to- date plumbing. The
equipment is:
Five roll-top porcelain bath tubs, nine
closets with nickel and hardwood finishings,
four slop sinks, three toilet bowls and eleven
basins.
For such work alone the county has
spent during the past year over $4,000.
It should be remembered that last sum
mer, when the first plumbing contract was
let, certain taXpa yers looked upon the
price as entirely too high They took the
same identical plans and specifications
that the county had used, when asking for
bids and with only: one change, that of re-
moving the name of the institution from
the plans, submitted them to three re-
sponsible plumbing firms. The work,
materials, etc, were the same in both in
stances. That for which the county was
to pay $4,000, the taxpayers received bids
as follows: one for $1,7S6, another for
S1,S93 and the third for $3.50, which
were considered very close, for the size
OF the contract. It was not surprising
that intelligent persons, acquainted with
those facts, felt that ordinary business
prudence had not been shown by the
county board, when they closed the con
tract at the price named.
The bill that has just been presented
is. for 500 more, in addition to the above
amount. The same work called for in
this bill. was itemized in the taxpayers
bids, but only required an outlay of $24O.
Another bill for $50 has also been al
lu"eo ny tne county poard IN favor OF
Chas. Wilkins & Co., in addition to the
above amount, also for plumbing at the
poor farm 1t is said to represent the
soutlay for putting in roll top porcelain
lined tubsfor the z"help.'',, go. - -
: Another bill was allowed at the same
time as the others, in. favor of Wilkins
& Co., for $685. for repairs to the stear.
plant at the poor farm, This means that
$3.50 worth of poor farm work has been
ak, ordered=a and done, during the first two
months of this year, "'before the law re-
curing PUBLIC competition in such matters
went into effect.