Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-01-20
The County Printing Contract.


made that bid so it has the contrct.
While the News will not now be
the official county paper it will con
tinue to print all the proceedings of
the county board, the treasurer $
statements and the other county
official news. The company took
over the county printing contract
when it took the News from Mr..
Wehrle. The contract had been
let to the lowest bidder before and
the contract secured by Mr.. Wehrle.
The news items mentioned above
were under that contract printed
free of charge by him and of course
the present owners did the same.
You will see that the News will get
little more out of the printing of
the items mentioned now than it
did before. That is 1t will have the
credit of supplying its readers with
valuable matter of news, purely as
a news paper puryeying to the pub
| lie all news of value 10 the public.
Before it got neither cash nor cred
BIT. Except .the tax list the News
will publish all the official proceed
ings of the county officers and
would print the tax list if it could be
done by it as news matter without
compromising the legality of the
tax sales. A way may be found to
do that. Ii such way is found
then it will publish the tax list also.
The tax sale list must be paid for in
full legal rates or the titles are viii
ated. We are of the opinion that
we can print it as news and not in
terrier with the legal publication by
contract with the Globe.
Personally we are pleased that
the News did not get the contract al
the price bid. At legal rates it is a
valuable contract, at something less
than legal rates it is still valuble
for the legal rate is as a whole above
the ordinary rates. At much less
than legal rates it is hard matter
/ to break even. Below that point it
is of course a loss. To a paper
with all the work the Office can do
for private parties there is nothing
in the contract at much below legal
rates The reason being that under
the contract the county printing must
be done when the time comes and it
usually interiors with the Office in
such manner that it binders the
other work and often looses a good
job entirely. To paper with less
work than the shop can do it may
be good way to fill the space, but
with every man about the office
working over time more than hall
of the days in week and the press
running constantly and part of the
time day and night on work for the
business men ofethe town and coun.
! ty, it is to our mind nuisance al
much below legal rates. The busi
uess department did not altogether
think as we did about this matter
but that has not altered our opinion
and the future alone can disclose
which is right from a cash stano
point.
There is another point in this Of
fclal paper business which more
nearly concerns our readers and the
one on which we are also sensitive
The official paper is not as clear t.
comment on the acts Of public Of
fcials as it should be to have the
greatest weight with its readers and
serve their interests as freely as il
should. You will say there is no
accommodation to the paper receiv-
ing the contract at the lowest bid,
but that is where the mistake is
made. The law does not provide
for letting the contract to the lowest
bidder. If it is SO let, it is a con
cession to the papers of the county
under the plea of getting the work
done at the lowest price. The COM
missioners may so let the printing
from honest motives, and usually
that is true, and we believe is true in
this case. II is also popular way
.~1ae :. 80.