The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-19
A BIG CONTRACT.
All State Institutions Combine to Buy
SSOO.OOO Worth of Supplies

The biggest individual contract for
supplies ever let by the state of Kan
sas will be awarded June II, when the
state will spend approximately $780,
600 for groceries, dry goods, meats and
other supplies for all of the state char
table and penal institutions. 1t is the
first time that these contracts for the
charitable and penal institutions have
been let at the same time. By the
new plan, the Democrats expect to
save from $4,000 to 100000 a year.
Twice each year the state lets the
contracts for its supplies. Under the
old plan the board of control bought
for the charitable institutions and the
penal board acted as purchasing
agency for the penal institutions. The
com bined contracts amount to more
than a million and a half dollars a
year. For the charitable institutions.
the contracts were for approximately
million dollars year and for the
penitentiary and reformatory about
$50O,0OO to 100000 a year.
Several months ago Governor
Hodges announced his intentions of
having these supplies purchased at a
joint meeting of the two boards. The
new policy, he believes, will mean a
saving of nearly 100000 a year to the
state.
Supplies bought for these institu-
tions in one year amount to more than
the stock of any individual wholesale
or retail dry goods house in Kansas.
Thousands of tons of groceries, dry
goods, wearing material and miscella-
neous supplies are purchased by the
state. Because of the large contracts
to be let this year, it is believed that
the state will profit by lower bids than
ever before.
Some Items in the Contract.
To clothe and feed the several thou
sand inmates of the state institution
for six months, the state will in June
spend approximately $soo,0ov. In De-
cember q similar amount will be spent
for the winter supplies-in fact the
winter purchases may be little heavier
than those in June.
In order to give some idea of the dry
goods and groceries to be purchased
for the inmates of the state institu-
tionS, a few of the larger items to be
bought in June, are herewith given:
Evaporated apples, 11,700 pounds;
baking powder. 2,370 pounds; navy
beans, 20, 500 pounds; lima beans, $4,000
pounds; catsup 146 dozen bottles; soda, |
I 200 pounds; cheese, 1920 pounds; cof-
fee, 3S,O50 pounds; corn starch, 1880
crackers, 25,35O pounds; cur
rants. $3.50 pounds; figs, 4,7O0 pounds;
1913 barrels and 1856 bags; Cali |
fornia peaches, 352 dozen cans, 22,15
pounds dried peaches; rice, 81 200 |
pounds; raisins, 11,75o pounds; soap |
chips, $1,000 pounds; sugar, 176 100
pounds; tea, 5000 pounds; tobacco, s.
$50 pounds
In the dry goods line, these are
some of the items the state will need |
for six months: Buttons, 631 gross; |
brown cotton, 1920 yards: bleached |
cotton, 1880 yards; combs, 15s dozen; |
IA dozen; crash, $3.50 yards; |
curtain scrim. 1900 yards; curtain |
swiss, 1877 yards; denim, 1900 yards; |
flannel, 14,5O0 yards: galatea, 1900 |
Yards; handkerchiefs, 421 dozen; hose |
1852 dozen pairs; table linen, 1850 /
yards; 42S mattresses; $1,000 pack
ages needles; $500 yards prints; 80
packages pins; 312 gross safety pins;
IT'S rugs; 5000 yards shirting; so |
dozen shirts; 2S4 gross shoe laces;
2 966 pairs shoes; 1900 suits under
wear.
Then there are a few little items of /
meats, flour and meal. They include:
473,OOO pounds of beef, 97,700 pounds
of pork, Sc, 500 pounds of sausage, 1871
200 pounds of mutton, $4,000 pounds
Of lard, $1,000 pounds of butterine,
100000 pounds of flour, 5000 pounds
Of corn meal. $500 pounds of graham
flour, 100000 pounds of bran. The
meat contract is in addition to the
thousands of pounds of beef and pork
furnished annually from the prison
and charitable institution farms At
he Hutchinson reformatory practical
y the entire meat supply of that insti-
.ution is raised on the prison farm.