The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-11-18
COUNTY PRIhTING IS
WORRYING THE Bosses
Panic Stricken Over Probabiil-
ity Of Big Out In Prices
They Look for Relief.
Clean and Unbiased EXPOSE
ton of Past Methods in
Holding Up County.


Holding Up County.
AS the time for the letting Of the
contract for the county printing for
next year approaches. the members OF
the Typothetae are worrying az to the
way in which they viii figure In order
to be able to land it. They are fully
alive to the fact that with all the
labor organizations AMI also ninety-flve
per cent Of the business men against
them, that evidently it 10 up to them
to give a very low figure. They see
the large profits that they have had
during the last four or five years,
swallowed UP in an attempt to land
the work for next year. Influences
are at work they know, that mean
death to their organization and they are
well nigh panic stricken. OF course
they would not admit such g. state OF
affairs really exists, but their "bluff"
is being called every day, and every
demand for the union label (and they
are many ads one more frown to their
A little history in regard to the
county printing may prove interesting
at the time and show how the county
has ben held up in the past. The year
1908 was the year Of the greatest graft.
Bids were advertised for In the usual
way and the various printing Offices
were supplied with blanks. indicating
the probable quantity Of blank books
and printed stationery necessary for
the year. These blank bids were
turned over by the various printers
to Fred LounsberrX for the purpose OF
filing out.
At the first meeting held in January
two bids only were received, one from
the Duluth Printing and Manufacture
ing company, alias the Duluth Typ
othetae; the other from Miller & Dav-
is of Minneapolis. The bid OF the
Manufacturing company was $2505.60.
A strict search Of the county auditors
office fails to show how much the bid
Of Miller & Davis amounted to, and
this is where the fine Italian hand OF
the Typothetae Is shown as Is ev1-
denced by the following resolution,
which was passed on January 3, 1903.
"Resolved, that the office Of the Du-
luth Printing and Manufacturing COM
pany, to furnish the county, Of st.
Louis with blank books and printed
stationery, be, and the same IL hereby
accepted at a rate of 10 per cent dis
count from the Duluth Printing and
Manufacturing company's list on file
with the county auditor for blank
books and printed stationery, and the
contract to furnish said books and
printed stationery is hereby awarded to
said company in accordance with the
terms Of said bid"
The balance of the resolution refers
to the furnishing Of bond, etc.
This seems to be a very strange
way Of doing business and it would be
interesting to know just how much the
bid Of Miller & Davis was. why it
cannot be found en- file, and what
caused the 10 per cent reduction to be
made on the face Of it. The bid Of
the Duluth Printing and Manufacture
ing company seems reasonable but on
turning up the records for that year
| some strange things appear.
Remember that the bid Of the Duluth
Printing and Manufacturing company
| was $2505.60 for all the blanks and
books required by the county. Their
bid alone was accepted. The records
show the following amounts as paid
for printed stationery and blank books
! for the year: Duluth Printing and
| Manufacturing company, $5623.46;
Peachy & Lounsberry, $167I65; J. L..
Thwing, $771.00, a total Of $7066.01.
AS the two firms here mentioned in
addition to the Manufacturing Co.
are component parts Of the Duluth
Printing and Manufacturing company,
it is hard to understand how they were
entitled as individual firms to such a
| large share of work.
| With the original bid at $2505.6Q, it
is hard to understand maybe why the
work for the year should amount to
about three times as much. and prob
/ ably we are not far wrong when we say
that tho county officials were so hound
ed for work that many times orders
were given for larger quantities than
was absolutely necessary. The amounts
paid during 1904 would seem to bear
this out. for only $1as6.e4 was paid for
work during that year.
At this writing we are unable to
tell just how much the work will total
up this year.
It is a well known fact among the Of
flcials at the court house that when
ever work is wanted that Fred Louns-
berry is consulted, but If the work is
not turned out within a reasonable
time, Fred disclaims any responsibility
and refers the official to the office to
whom he has awarded the work.
What do the tax payers of st. Louis
county think Of the state of affairs ?
And such men as these are refusing
to grant a fair and reasonable demand
to their former employees, many Of
| whom have been faithful and have in