Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-31
The State Printing.

Th. Watcryilln Sentinel has Il good
deal to say about graft under the "id
state printing law. That law WAS
,naui,uouslv recommended to the
LEGISLATURE Of Main" by ii committee
composed Of Republicans and Demo-
Gratis. and was passed. without dis
sending vote, III Il Legislature conf
poscd of Republicans and Democrats.
The prices which ii fixed were recog-
nizcd as being considerably lower than
the prices paid for commercial prlnt.1.s
throughout the State. IL the printer
who served the State under 1T got the
prices it carried and no more it is
evident that he was not guilty of any
graft" and the fact that the Water
Vile Sentinel stated Sc. would not make
it 50. The Journal never recommended
this law or opposed its repeal. y
committee, representing both political
parties, devoted an entire winter TO
investigating this law and 50 far from
~
unanimously reported as follows:
/. 1T is proper to say here. IN
justice to the printer and the auditor,
that there has been no violation by
either of them of any law % the State
so far as the Investigation has ac-
quainted US with the facts.
> Printing bills, payable out Of tie
general appropriation. that should have
been submitted to the auditor. have
been so submitted. properly audited ny
him. and paid out of the treasury ;,l
statute rates"
>. The overwhelming weight of the
evidence was and we accordingly find,
that under statute or contract con-
tanning no provision 10 the contrary.
printers have right to any savings
accruing from standing type. or from
printing ahead Of orders: and we
further find that when the present
statute was enacted the right of the
public printer to such savings was
considered by the Legislature in fixing
the rates.
In short it was shown that the printer
got precisely what the law allowed him,
however, that the competitive system
would be better than that of having
the Legislature fix the prices and elect
the printer This system was put in
force by the Legislature without a
word nf opposition from the Journal
or anyone connected with It.
The Waterville Sentinel has now
carried off the bulk of the State print
ing Oh a very low bid. The Journal is
very frank to say that it did not want
and could not do the work at those
figures. To do it under such conditions
would. 50 far as this plant is concerned.
involve Il heavy loss. Other leading
printers of Maine have told us the
same. If the Sentinel is able 10 turn
out this class Of work at those prices
with any margin of profit it is certainly
fortunate. Our bid was purely bust
| ness. and not Il political one. While
! worried about our ability to keep our
plant fairly busy during the next two
years on private work. Of which we are
fortunate enough to have a large
volume. We have no regrets over the
loss of this printing. Two years ago
the Sentinel bid off the most paying
| part Of it, the job work. Since that
| time the journal job department has
| had the busiest t%o years in its history
| necesSitating an enlargement of its
| working force. This year the Sentinel
| bids off also the book work. at q very
| low figure The Journal bid the lowest
| figure at which it could do the WORK
with any possible margin of pront
| 1t therefore entertains no regrets con-
| corning it. 1t has never had any de-
| sire to do business at d loss or for the
mere purpose of swapping an old dollar
| for new one. When it has been
unable to get d fair margin of profit on
| the work which it has figured it has
| always been content to let the othc,
70 h4lx-