The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-08
CONTROL BOARD WINS
FIGHT FOR SECRECY
House Kills the Bill Providing
for Publicity of Con.
tracts

Gen. NJ. d. Flower, in the interest of
the building trades exchanges of the
state, made fight yesterday in the
house to save his bill requiring the
board of control to advertise for pub
lie bids for building contracts and to
make the bids public when opened. He
was unsuccessful, friends of the board
of control outvoting him on the floor
of the house. The vote was 80 to 29.
The general legislation committee re-
turned an adverse report on the bill,
and Gen. Flower attempted to have
the committee reversed and the bill
given a place on general orders. The
seventh ward member said that the
present custom of the board of control
OF refusing to make public bids for new
buildings was contrary to sound busi-
ness policy, and opened the door for
scandal He expressed confidence in
the present board membership but
said that the system was entirely
wrong and sooner or later would bring
the board to grief. George E. Perley
of Moorhead, followed with a speech in
which he urged that the antiquated
policy of the board should give way to
an enlightened plan of publicity in
public contracts.
I. I. Ofsthun, chairman OF the COM
mittee, defended the action of the COM
mlttee in adversely reporting the bill
He said it was urged largely in the
interest OF two daily newspapers which
would profit by $4,000 year from the
Incidental advertising. NJ. j. O'Laugh-
lin Of Wabasha, said that the board of
control had saved $4,000 by its secret
bid plan in securing contracts for coal
year ago. 1t had protected the bid
der and saved this amount to the
state.
Unfair Discrimination
Gen. Flower retorted that this was an
unfair discrimination against the priv
ate consumers of the state who would
have to pay the difference. w. A. No
Ian of the committee, also defended its
action. When the vote was counted it
was found that the supporters of the
board of control were in the ascen-
dency. That the senate had previously
killed a similar bill is said to have in:
huenced a number of representatives
into voting TO sustain the committee
report, indefinitely postponing the Flo
wer bill.
The Fraser bill, providing for the
control of telephone companies by the
railroad and warehouse commission, on
which the judiciary committee report
ed adversely yesterday, was referred to
the attorney general for an opinion as
to its constitutionality. The bill was
drawn by w. B. Douglas, a former at
torney general, Ii is said.
st. Paul raised no objection to the
Lennon bill, appointing a commission
to consider sites offered by Hennepin
county for the proposed state home
for INDECENT crippled children, and il
passed. similar bill, giving the same
commission authority to investigate
sites offered by st. Paul people, had
passed the house some time ago.
Friends of A. n. Dare, expert state
printer, jumped on the Adams bill,
abolishing the state printing commits
sion and assigning the state printing to
the board of control. p. A. Gundrud,
chairman of the committee on legisla-
tive expenses, asked that the bill be
rereferred to his committee for
amendment, but this courtesy was de-
MED it. Against the protest of NJ. J.
O'Daughlin that it was unfair treat
ment for any bill, R. ]. Wells attacked
the measure and his motion that the
Adams bill be indefinitely postponed
was declared carried.
Investigate Complaint
The house yesterday ordered the at
torney general to investigate the COM
plant of Representative S. d. Peterson
relating to the claim that a telephone
company had violated its charter pro-
visions by engaging in merchandising
at Springfield, Brown county.
No temperance legislation has been
enacted thus far in the session and
yesterday Niels Jacobson of Rock, tried
TO have his county option bill taken
from the temperance committee and re-
ported to the house. Chairman S. d.
Peterson, who declared he had been
unable to get his committeeman to-
gether, succeeded in having the Jacob
son motion tabled.
The house will vote Wednesday on
Sherman S. Smiths bill to make the
legislators salaries $1,000 a year in
stead of $500 for each session. The
Minneapolis member gave notice yes
terday that he would put the bill, which
has been on the calendar for two
weeks, on its final passage Wednesday.
BY the narrow margin of one vote
the house yesterday passed the Flower
bill, giving Gen. c. c. Andrews, chief