Amador ledger., 1907-10-18
Another Flop.

printing for the county. The change
of tactics has been brought about by
the agitation of the Ledger. In the
rule now adopted the board has gone
squarely back on the precedent estab-
lished years ago, after full ventila-
ton of the subject. On the question
involved Amador takes position in
class by itself There is not, we
venture to say, another county in the
state occupying a similar stand. To
explain the peculiar situation it will
be necessary to revert back to the
action of the board over ten years
ago, when the present schedule of
printing rates were adopted. !, Not
outstanding the absurdities in that
schedule. its ambiguity ins many re-
speGts,i and it's totally out-of-dat
character, which has been a theme of
ventilation by the. press for years,
the board, for some reason unknown
to US, has persistently refused or
neglected to readjust the list to con-
form to existing conditions. They
have been content to readopt it year
after year with all its glaring defects,
notwithstanding the plain mandate
of the law which says they must
annually establish the rates for print
ing and advertising.
1t is rule as old as the printing
business itself, that the printer sup
plies the stock for his work If a
business firm orders one thousand
letter heads or envelopes, for in
stance, the printer furnishes the
paper or the envelopes, as the case
may be. If he gives a price, the
material is necessarily Included there,
in. He cannot do any printing with
out paper, no more than a contractor
can build house without lumber
In a printing contract it is not
necessary to state that the printer
shall supply the material, because
that is implied.
But Amador in those days, as a
present, had a way of its own in do
ing things. The Freeman STATIONERY
store was supplying the stationery fo
the county officials. The then dis
trict attorney was close relative O
the preprietors of the stationery bust
ness. So three items of the printin,
schedule were fixed up in this fash
ion = =
Letter heads, u lbs, paper
furnishedf per l0UO 500
Envelopes, 6 in. per 1000, en-
velopes furnished 3.5
Postal cards, per 100, cards
furnished 2.5
Throughout the balance of the lis
nothing is said about supplyin
stock. The evident Interpretation q
this style of doing things was t
throws upon the printer the necessit
of getting envelopes and letter head
from the local firm having the cor
tract for furnishing stationery to til
county. The TONERS we're dealing i
those goods any way why not swee
the Whole business to them by vote {
the board. They we're not dealing
otherskinds of stock required by tt
printer for, county work, and hene
noth1ag-swds - said in the seheduI
about such material, tho printer W;
required to furnish it himself
In accordance with this constru,
ton, tho printing Offices got lett
heads and envelopes from the station
er for years, the stationer putting
his bill for such supplies, and tt
printer charging only for the actu
printing. Any one who is at all COZ
versant with such matters will undo
stand that the prices given above a
simply extortionate. Including II
furnishing of the materials, Il
figures are fat enough, but for prit,
lag only the rates are wildly -extravt
CANT. $
Now shortly after the Ledger vi
repurchased by its present owner ia
matter came up before the board f,
settlement. The Ledger contendt
that the schedule meant that ii
articles of letter heads and envelep
should be furnished to the printe
and urged the necessity of a revisic
OF the price-list to conform with Il
times, and redeem it from its amb
guities. The district attorney WI
present and took hand in the di
cussion. The representative of Il
Dispatch Il. q. Rust turned
somersauIt mentally, and contende
that the schedule meant that Il
printer should furnish the lett
heads and envelopes-that the mate
lal was included in the estabIishe
price. The district attorney. al,
the board, accepted this doctrin
admitting however that the schedn
notwithstanding.
EVer.since that time the Ledger b
been Charging in accordance viii
that decision. But not so the Di
patch The business manager of tn,
sheet has Hoped round to the vie
expressed years ago by the Ledge
and has made an extra charge fC
letter heads and envelopes. In otht
words 1000 letter heads from IL
Ledger has cost the county ST; SUI
piled by the Dispatch the county hs
81 Id -