Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-30

certainly did not care 1Or IL uiiiesS VIC
were to be in a position to keep to-
gether the force of skilled and expert
enced printers that was absolutely
necessary to properly handle the work
during the stress of the session.
Glass c, it may be here explained,
included the legislative printing. the
simple statement of the fact that, after
| a months advertising, only one hrm
| in Maine was found to submit q BID
for this printing is, perhaps, all the
proof that is necessary to show that
this is the least desirable of all the
States work. This is due to the fol-
| lowing reasons:
1T crowds into three months work
enough for six.
2-It calls for big plant and big
force of printers. 1t is, in fact, the
supreme test of any plant that handles
the State work.
3-The work is very uneven. In the
early part of the session when the leg
| islature is adjourning over from Fri
days to Tuesdays, a big force of
printers must be carried on the payroll
without sufficient work to keep them
employed. In the closing half of the
| session, this same force must be work.
ed overtime and their work supple
mented by overtime work from our
big newspaper crew in order to keep
abreast of the legislative session.
At makes it imperative for a plant
to practically give up its private work
at a time when its private customers
are usually pressing it.
For the foregoing reasons, no print
er has ever hankered for the Legislative
work, and the Journals bid was
absolutely the only one received
by the Governor and Council which
covered it.
We mad, in fact, every reason to be-
that certain parties who claimed to
own excellent printing plants, and
who had had Il great deal to say about
the profits which they alleged the
Public Printer secured from the State,
would favor the Governor and Council
with a bid. We could not foresee that
they would allow this much touted
good thing" to go absolutely begging.
It may occur, perhaps. to thought
full citizens, that inside, they didn't re-
gard this as quite the good thing" they
professed to. Certainly it was very
evident when the bids were opened
that they were entirely willing some
other fellow should have it, a piece of
self-abnegation on their part that
would, certainly, never have been in
evidence if the legislative printing
were indeed the good thing" they had
advertised it to be.
When the bids were opened, it was
found that the News Publishing Co..
which owns a small plant at Bethel
Establishment We're the lowest bidders on
Class A. A united and determined
effort has been made by the enemies
of the Kennebec Journal to make it
appear that the Bethel News was low
er on all the items of this class, but
such was not the case. AS 4 matter
of fact, the kennebec Journal was low
er on some and the Bethel News was
lower on others. The two bids were
as shown in Table A.
1t will be seen that there were r.
items in Class A. Upon nine of them
the Kennebec Journal bid was lowest,
on nine the Bethel News was lowest,
and upon the remaining one the bids
We're the same.
Mr.. Bowler in a recent issue of his
paper in attempting to show saw
ing under his bid, gives what purports
to be the detailed figures on one of
the State reports. In order to show
just how reliable the statements put
out by this gentleman are, we cheer
fully republish them. He says:
1--WE have thus far figured just one of
the fair examples the Report of In
dustrial and Labor Statistics. one of
the 1900 class.
The book contains $40 pages and will
cost. rs awarded to Burleigh & Flynt,
as follows:
21S PIP. plain 10 point. 3l4.216
ems. at 81 cents per thou
sand, SIl63o
PIP. plain s point II, 900 ems,
at 81 cents per thousand Ala
IL PIP rule and figure work,
6!,?l5 ems, at Is cents per
thousand, 1904