The Daily Missoulian., 1909-09-08
BIDS FOR PRINTING
OPENED
MISSoULA HERALD TRIES TO
CHANGE ITS TERMS AFTER
FIGURES ARE READ.

The county commissioners yesterday
opened the bids for the county print
ing and advertising for the next two
years, and spent the afternoon in dis
cussing them, without arriving at any
conclusion as to the award of the con-
tract. There were two bids one from
the publishers of the MissouIa Herald
and the other from the Missoulian
Publishing company.
The bid Of The Missoulian. which
was opened first, was as follows:
For plain composition. printing pro-
ceedings, legal notices and the like
no charge to the county: for rule and
figure work Calculated printing!. 10
per cent of the legal rate; for legal
blanks. 80 per cent of the legal rate:
for blank books. so per cent of tfle
legal rate.
The bid of the publishers of the
Missoula Herald, the only other bid
submitted. was as follows:
For plain composition, no charge to
the county; for rule and figure work.
25 per cent of the legal rate: for legal
blanks. 33 Ia per cent of the legal
rate: for blank books. invoice price
with 10 per cent added
These bids were opened at noon, and
after the noon recess the commits
sioners took up the consideration of
the matter. The Missoulian manage
ment submitted a statement showing
that the difference in the two bids on
rule and figure work. based on last
years business, would be nearly 5000
in favor of The Missoulian: the diff
ference on legal blanks would be about
$3.50 in favor of the Herald; the net
difference being considerably to the
advantage of The Missouiian bid.
The attention of the commissioners
was called to the fact that the bid for
blank books submitted by the Herald
was really no bid at all. 1t reads lin
voice price with 10 per cent added"
The Invoice price might be anything;
the bid is ambiguous and is really no
bid at all.
Attention was also called to the fact
that all of the blank books manufac-
tured under The Missoulan bid are
made in Missoula by Missoula men.
working for Montana union wages.
The Missoulian operates bindery and
its hid Is the bid of home institu-
ton.
Replying to this, Mr.. Hassler. for
the Herald. tried to amend his sealed
bid by offering to furnish bond that
the cost of the blank books would be
less than the bid of his competitor.
This was objected to as being unfair,
In lea
called for and the bid of the Herald
made no mention of any such bond
The Missoulian's bid was submitted
i'm accordance with the advertisement
of the commissioners; its prices are
clearly stated; ii Is the lower bid In
fact. the Herald has submitted no bid
at all on the blank books. If 1t should
be awarded the contract it would have
to send away for the books, and there
is state law imposing a penalty for
sending county printing out of the
state If II can be done at home.
During the afternoon the commits
sioners called upon County Attorney
Mulroney for an opinion in the mat
ter. Mr.. Mulroney declined to decide
which was the lower bid, but gave his
opinion that 1t would be I'm violation
of the call for sealed bids to readver-
tise. and that the Herald bid for blank
books was not bid at ALL
4 careful consideration of the two
bids as they were originally submit
ted. will satisfy anybody that the bid
of The Missoulian is the lower. To
permit the Herald's bid to be changed
after the two had been opened and
read would be unfair. inasmuch as
The Missoulian's bid was submitted in
good faith and in accordance with thu
call for bids.