The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-08
The V. NJ. I. Printing.

TO the Editor Of The mes-Dispatch:
S.r,-My attention has been directed
to an editorial in The Times-D Dispatch
of Wednesday, August 3, entitled Tho
v. NJ. l. Report" / have read the
article with great deal of interest.
and found myself during Its perusai
wondering where you secured your IN
formation. The printed copies OF the
report have only recently reached my
office, and owing to an unusual de-
mand upon the time of the clerical
force l have been unable to distribute
them according 10 my usual custom.
With the exceptio of few directed
by myself TO the members OF the
board of visitors, no copy has been
sent any one. If your information
was received from the firms who
failed to secure this contract 1 shall
be pleased. with their consent. to pun-
lish all bids received for this work
The figures will show very plainly the
reason that n Virginia firm did not re-
ceive the contract.
You rightly state that it is "a little
matter a very little matter The
amount involved was less than $25
The principle. however, is the
same, the amount involved being large
or small. I entirely agree with you
that. all things being equal. State
institution should give its patronage
to contractors within the limits OF
| the State. This policy has been uni
| formly enforced here. not only in this
| office. but in all departments OF the
| institution In the case OF the annual
report, bids were sought from various
printing houses throughout the State,
and prior to this year they have not
a1c aHNypa
pened that patron of the school to
| whom printed literature had been sent
| throughout the year was, the president
| of the Queen City Printing Company.
| or Charlotte, n. c.. and in line with
! his business he requested permission
| to offer a bid for the annual report.
| Permission was cheerfully accorded
him. and his bid proved to be the
| lowest of those offered. His COM
pauy secured the contract.
| The policy uniformly pursued OF Civ
| ing our contracts to the lowest bidder
with bias towards Virginia concerns
| in all cases where bids are equal, Il
/ believed to be not only good policy
but good business procedure. The
| Virginia Military Institute Is con.
Quoted primarily in the interest OF the
| people of Virginia and not in the
| interest OF q class. our dppIopIldtAol
and other fixed sources Of income
combined amount only to one-third OF
| our annual disbursements. We have
! practically no endowment and we
s1ave to be exceedingly careful The
institution is the only institution II
the State that gives board and room
rent absolutely free to a number o.
virginians. and yet our annuity !:
the lowest with the exception OF one
and that receives an equal amount
! Of any institution fostered by tn,
State. We give. of course. tuition
| free to all Virginia students. BY rigi'
economy throughout the past year
we have repaired the waste place
made by war. restoring the building
that were burned by General Hunter il
his raid down the Valley in 1854, re
eauipping our scientific department
and refurnishing our library, whic
was entirely destroyed. The institu
ton is now on modern basis in al
most every particular. and all of thi
has been accomplished largely b
means of funds taken from on. ow
| treasury. The governing authorize
OF the institution have never been ex
acting in their demands upon tn
i state Treasury. fact generally recog
nized and commented upon by mem
beers of the Legislature.
! Your kind reference to the institu