Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1907-06-28
The No Contract System in Action.

county LOT CHO FURNISHING VI reCUFU
books, such as deeds, mortgages and
other record books used by the county
officers. The amount paid for such
books foots up into many hundreds
of dollars in the course of a year
exceeding by many times the total
cost for other branches of stationery,
for which proposals for bids have been
annually called, in a long-drawn out
list some of the absurdities of which
were pointed out in these columns
last week.
The law on this subject in sec
tion % Of the county government act
reads.
The board of supervisors shall
annually fix the price at which the
county shall bs supplied with Job
printing and blank books. and
each county officer shall procure such
blank books at price no greater
than is so fixed, and certify the bills
therefor to thu board of supervisors.
This is plain enough. And yet for
over decade this law has been total
ly ignored with regard to blank
books, and In a great measure with
respect to printing also, for the rates
have not been properly established
for more than ten years. In other
counties the law is being complied
with, and the Ledger from its ex-
change list is enable to gather the
for such work. The comparison is
not at all to the credit of the county
managers in Amador. 1t shows that
the taxpayers have been called upon
to pay far more under the loose
system here than in counties where
rates have been fixed in accordance
with law. We have before US the
rates established by Monterey county
for instance, and with these we pre-
sent the prices which have been
allowed IN Amador county for the
same class of work, as compiled
from the bills paid, and cow in
possession of the treasurer. These
CLANS extend no further back than
the present year.
The figures IN the Amador column
include the expressage to jackson,
which in itself amounts to quite an
item in the course of a year. The
first show what Amador county has
actually paid, the other what such
supplies would cost in Monterey:
Amador Monterey
6 field enrolment bks s24. 60 81 80
l delinquent roll $500 1880
vol. assessment roll 102.15 1000
The list of rates esta bIished in
Monterey includes some 40 different
kinds of record books.
There are just as many kinds re-
quired IN the conduct of Amador's
business. Assuming that the ratio of
difference in price runs all through
the list against Amador, it may be
imagined how the people of this
county have lost under the law DEFY
ing system pers listed in for so many
years. We will not attempt to
approximate the total We do say,
however, that it Is only a reasonable
assumption that some undercurrent
has been working to prevent the strict
compliance with the law. Governing
bodies cannot be presumed to ignore
a plain law without a motive. Every
bill allowed for these blank books
under the present no-rate system is
illegal. We believe, the supervisors
who have allowed them, the auditor
who has audited them, and the trea-
surer who has paid them. are each
responsible on official bonds for such
payments. If we are not mistaken,
this question was tested in Sacra-
mento years ago. Supplies were OBJ
tanned without contract or previous
establishment of rates, and the claims
were protested. The protest was
sustained by the proper official, and
the firms furnishing the supplies got
nothing. 1t was admitted that the
prices were not unreasonable, but the
law had not been complied with, and
that was a bar to payment.
Not that the county could be re-
imbuIsed threefold for the money so
paid. Probably the treasurer, who
actually paid the bills, is primarily
responsible, although, perhaps, little
to blame for the state of affairs. He,
however, in case of being required to
refund, would fall back upon the
auditor, and that officer could trace
back the responsibility to the super
Visors who allowed the bills.
Now let US see how claims are ex-
amined and allowed when the same
are supposed to be controlled by
contract under the lowest bid system.
Year after year the contract for
stationery has been let, with a long
Iigmarole of articles, large percent
age of which is worse than dead
weight. But how do the prices allow
ed COMPARE with the contract nrines