Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1907-06-21
No 2 toolscap, 16 lbs, per ream
No l best letter cap. l2lbs, per

No 2 toolscap, 16 lbs, per ream u
No best letter cap,. l2lbs, per
ream Ito
No 2 letter cap, best II lbs, ream Sc
No l best note paper, 8 lbs, Ieam &c
No . note paper, 5 lbs, per ream 1c
Now, why this tremendous jump
from 81 GU to 9Oc and l2c for the sane
grade of goods, allowing for somewhat
inferior quality? AS for the No 2.
items, there are no such goods in the
wholesalers price list. They could
not be furnished If called for, and
hence the price tor 16 lbs. coald be
safely fixed at less sum than would
have to be paid for single pound of
the paper of the nearest grade to the
imp osslble article.
The envelope items are in precisely
the same fix. Out of six lines Of
$50 called" sizes and grades, only
two are called for, and these are
priced at fair margin of profit.
The sizes mostly used in correspond
ence are not listed at all, and when
ordered we presume there is nothing
in the contract to govern the charge
therefor. The three lines of No 2.
xxx comprise the mystic" items OF
this line. They are not in the manu-
factureIs' lists. The writer has dealt
in envelopes for many years, but save
in the wonderfully made price list
adopted by the supervisors of Amado or
county, he has never heard of No 2.
xxx Nos. 8 to IA. These goods
dedicated to the unknown manu-
facturer are generously listed to the
county at from loo to loo per 1000.
The lead pencil list falls seemingly
in the same category. lake two
samples: Crooker's recorder pencils
No. "a are offered at loo per gross
But another line Is struggled into thu
bid, which was not included in thu
advertised list, namely, "H. s
Croker Co. pencil No. 217, per gros
$3.50" Judging from the list Anna
dor officials must be very tastidiou
in the matter of pencils. There ar
! no less than ten different kinds list
ed. 1t will form an interesting
branch of this inquiry to find out a
+ the close of the contract year hoy
, many kinds have actually been sup
9 piled, and at what prices. We ven
4 ture the prediction that the 10c pc
gross items will play very insigniti
:, cant part IN the transactions.
t The question naturally arises. VIVA
: is the motive IN stutting the list wit
!, such a mass of delusive stuff unde
a the brand of STATIONERY supplies.
:, Has 1t served any useful purpose il
s the past? Can it be made to subserv
: the interests of Amador county? W
d challenge any one to give satlsfact
9 DRY answer to these questions. w
n cannot follow the dips, spurs an
g angles of the human mind in devisin
this list. But we can see how
s might operate to the advantage O
: one on the inside, and the disad
e vantage of those on the outside. l
o might work as sort of steering ma
3 chinery, to direct the business in
: desired channel. For Instance, tn
. insider will understand that certain
= articles will not be called tor, and oil
: such articles he bids nominal price
t like the 7c per ream and 10c per 100
D envelope propositions. But suppos
t the outsider should bid on the sam
lay out, and should be called upon t,
3 furnish say lone ream No. 2 Iega
cap at 12c." He might respond, :"
3 don't know of any such article. ;
"WeIl, you have contracted to furn
3 lsh it for that money, if it cannot b.
3 had, supply the grade nearest tn,
] reto, but at the stipulated price.
e What sensible business man woult
3 care to butt his head against such
3 possibility?
There is nothing creditable in thi
S thing. 1t is more in the nature of
: farce, than sound business PROPOSE
g tion, as contemplated by the law. l
? is high time such methods we're ex
? posed, and we propose to keep on ex
posing them until the matter j
g placed on "fair- for-all" basis.
s The bidders are not bIamabIe TO
g taking advantage of every Ioop-hol
!, In the advertised list. Any bushes
: man would do so. If the foolIn
r notice is thrust under their nose, tn
e inference is that it is put out to b
e taken advantage of. The supervisor
q body must shoulder the whole blam
s TO this state of affairs. True, they ma
not be directly responsible for CON
q piiing the list, bnt they we're electe
l. to guard such matters and they hay
o failed to do so. Whoever else cor
It tributed to the muss, they must bes
the brunt of the censure.