Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1908-10-29
THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS
PRESENT A PLAIN STATEMENT
Giving a Sample of the "Fairness OF
the Audubon County Journal Con.
corning Bids for County
Supplies

Journal made certain statements in an
alleged appeal For Fairness con-
corning certain contract which the
Board of Supervisors had with the
Carroll Blank Book Company for the
year 1908.
The facts are this contract of Audu-
bon county with the Carroll Blank
Book Company was for such supplies
as were listed in McClurg's catalogue
such as pencils, paper, ink and gem
eral Office supplies not including books
or blanks. The said Carroll Blank
Book Company agreeing to discount
any article mentioned in said cata-
logue forty per cent from the list price,
being ten per cent lower than any 9th
err bid. This fifty per cent discount The
Journal mentions from McClurg's cat
alogue is wholesale price made only
to dealers. Audubon county not be-
ing dealer, in the commercial sense,
could not secure this discount Last
year the county paid the list price
This year The Journal in its own pub
lished ststement says that it offered to
discount last years prices on articles
included in this said contract eighteen
per cent. AS matter of fact as stated
above the Carroll Blank Book Com
pany discounted it forty per cent, thus
making net saving to the county of
twenty-five per cent. That is to say
Audubon county, according to The
Journals own figures, paid twenty-five
per cent less for the articles purchas-
ed Of the Carroll Blank Book Compa-
ny than the same articles would have
cost If purchased from The Journal at
their alleged offer. If The Journal has
not better case to present to the read
ing public than this, we would like TO
have some more of it.
1t might be said here that the con-
tract ofAudubon county with the Car
roll Blank Book Company is the only
contract which the county now has
with any house for supplies. Now let
us analyze these bills for supplies pur-
chased by Audubon county, published
in the said issue of The Audubon Coun-
ty Journal:
Since this contract was made there
has been purchased of w. w. WEIGH
and Company seven bills amounting
to 1882. 20 instead of ten bills amount
ing 1926. 50 as stated by The Journal;
Sll9 80 of this amount was for tax
books delivered last fall; S42 GO was
for books of printed form: exactly
sl3 81 was for goods that might have
come under the contract of the Carroll
Blank Book Company and this latter
item was discounted by the Board for
ty per cent from the list price so that
it equalled the contract price with the
Carroll Blank Book Company; and
$67.SS was for stock blanks mostly re-
quired by the state law.
Of the item of S277 05 to Fiddlar and
Chambers, $50. 45 was bought before
the contract ofthe Carroll Blank Book
Company was made; 1925 was for
blank books; $S975 was for seventy
one different kinds of blanks prescrib-
ed by the state law; exactly 1915 of
this bill was for articles that could
come under the contract of the said
Carroll Blank book Company, and
the Board cut these bills $7.S5.
There was bought of the LeMars
Printing Company since the execution
of the contract of the Carroll Blank
Book Company with Audubon county
$468. 10 instead of 1915. 60 as stated by
The Journal; of this latter amount
S20l.25 was for printing Primary Elec-
ton supplies, in the form of books;
Sl95. 90 was for books required by the
state law; $40 35 was for blanks and
supplies not contained in McClurg's
catalogues; exactly 1914 was for sup
plies that could have come under the
said contract of the Carroll Blank
Book Company, and these bills were
discounted Sl3 &C by the Board.
la the item of $8l. 10 to the Acres,
Blackmar Company, $l4.00 was for
record book for the clerk; S2S 90 was
for lithographing; $3.50 was for a
transfer binder; SO. 90 was for delin-
quent tax receipt book; S18. 60 was for
blanks; exactly 81 90 was for supplies
that could have come under the con-
tract with the Carroll Blank Book
Company, and these bills were dis
counted 81 90 by the Board.
This is not an analysis of all of the
lists published by The Journalin said
issue, but it is fairly representative Of
them all, and is enough to show the
the malice and the unfairness of The
Journal in it's attack upon the Board
of Supervisors. The Board invites
the public to inspect the records of the
Auditors office and verify every state
ment made herein.
1t should be borne in mind that The
Journal in it's said issue left the inn
preston to the reader that all of the
above named supplies were such goods
as would come under the contract of
the Carroll Blank Book Company
with Audubon county and that the
Board simply preferred to purchase
the supplies of the county in the high