Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-10-02
SUPERVISORS
LET WORK TO
HIGH BIDDER
JEFFRIES COMPANY AWARDED
PRINTING CONTRACT
SOLID THREE IN FULL CONTROL
OF SITUATION
EIdridge for Once Sides with Alex
ander, but When Roll Call Is
Asked He Changes
Front

For three minutes yesterday the dove
of peace lowered over the board OF SUI
peryisors. and George Alexander sec
onded motion put by Supervisor ED
ridge, one of the solid three.
The matter before the supervisors
was the awarding of the contract for
engraving and furnishing the good road
bonds. and when Eldridge moved to
take it under advisement he was
promptly upheld by Alexander, who
added to his second the statement that
"this haste business is all humbug
and that he had for his first object the
interests of the taxpayers.
Then he demanded a roll call. All
right" said Eldridge, then withdraw
NV motion. He wants to put me on
record"
The dream of many that the two fac
lions had reached a common stamping
ground was shattered and the line OF
demarcation between the solid three"
on one side and Alexander and Manning
on the other was again evident.
Nine bids for the furnishing of the
bonds were submitted, ranging in price
from $3.50 to $3775. The bid of w. p.
Jeffries & Co. of Los Angeles was ac-
cepted, but not without the familiar
wrangling so noticeable of late in the
deliberations of the county body.
So frequent have been these wordy
alterations, especially since the pri-
waite sale of the good roads bonds, that
Chairman Patterson took occasion yes
terday to pertinently remark on the
subject.
Let us quit this humbugging," he
said, land do business like men. 1t
has come to point where nothing can
be done without a wrangle, and l am
heartily tired of it."
Awarded to Jeffries Company
Captain Manning's amendment to
the motion of Eldridge, in which he
sought to have the bid of $1735, submit
ted by the Security Bank Note COM
pany of Philadelphia, was lost, three
to two, and the contract was awarded
to the Jeffries company.
When the private sale of the good
roads bonds was made on September
the Jeffries company was intrusted
by the purchasers, James H. Adams &
Co., to prepare the bonds at a cost oS
$2500, and in a letter accompanying
their bid yesterday it was stated that
an expense of $3.50 had been incurred
by the Jeffries people before they were
ordered to desist. A further expense
of $500 was incurred when special Dor
ders were ordered from the Western
Bank Note company, making the total
cost $500. w. P. Jeffries, who is a
prominent Republican politician and
who represented his company yesterday
at the board meeting, stated, however,
he would look to Adams & Co. for this
amount and declared the county was
getting a $500 service for $780, The
bids submitted yesterday were as fol
lows:
American Bank Note company OF
New York, steel engraved bonds, $3775
w. P. Jeffries & Co., steel engraved
bonds with special borders, $2500.
Columbia Trust company, steel plates
$2495.
Franklin Lee bank, New York, stee
engraving. except dates and seria,
numbers, $2395.
Security Bank Note company. Phila-
delphia, special steel plates, $1735.
The Neuner company, Los Angeles
1864 for furnishing and $40 for certi-
fication.
Security Bank Note company, Phila-
delphia, stock plates, $1475.
Union Autograph company, Los An
geles, steel plates with engraved bor-
ders, $3.50.
Merchants Trust company, Los An
geles, no bid, but asked to do the work
and offered to do the certification fol
$780,
High Bid Accepted
The bids range from $3775 down to
$3.50, the one accepted being the second
highest on the list. Why the higher
bid was accepted is apparently unex-
plainable. Chairman Patterson, before
casting his vote, declared he was in
favor of home industries. But two
other Los Angeles firms presented bids
lower by far than the price at which
the Jeffries company agreed to do the
work. A number of samples of bonds
were submitted their appearance meet
ing the approval of Alexander and
Manning, who wanted the matter con-
finued until Monday. They were, how
ever, voted down by Patterson, Ed
ridge and Wilson.
The fact that Jeffries & Co. had al
ready incurred an expense of $3.50 in
preparing the bonds was presented to
the supervisors as a reason why their
bid should be accepted. But, in reality.
this expense was brought about
through instructions from James H.
Adams & Co. following the private sale,
the resembling of which also nullified
any transaction for the preparation
of the bonds. The high class work on
the bonds exhibited by the Security
Bank Note company of Philadelphia,
which was equal to that shown by the
Jeffries firm and at cost of $765 less
than the latter's bid, was what led Cap
tain Manning to advocate its accept
ance.
The district attorney was instructed
to prepare a contract for the bonds
which, it is expected, will be ready
within thirty days.
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