Arizona republican., 1914-10-31
BUYING FLOUR
FOR CONv|CTS
At FLORENCE
Arizona Flour, Though Used
by Arizonians Outside the
Penitentiary, Is Rejected
for a Higher-Priced Kan
sas Product.

The inmates of the prison are hu-
namely treated but they should not be
treated so humanely that the treatment
would involve cruelty to the tax pay
ers, especially when the tax payers
could be saved without cruelty to the
convicts Last summer the state board
of control wanted to buy some flour
for the state prison and bids were m
vited on August l, Max Vault of
the Mesa Milling company submitted
bid for 10000 pounds of valley flour at
$29S per hundred weight and for 1900
pounds of corn meal at 1928
On August the Phoenix Flour Mills
offered bid of $3.07 for flour and
1925 for corn meal.
The Walnut Creek Flour Mills of
Walnut Creek, Kansp submitted bid
for the flour of $500 per SO pound
sacks and for corn meal $161 for As
pound sacks.
On August 10 samples were sent to
the prison and on August q, Mr.. Vault
Altered to submit for inspection a sam
pie of Arizona Blended flour such as
had been used before. The following
day, so far as the record shows, with
out the acceptance of the offer of MI
Vault, Warden Sims of the prison
recommended the acceptance Of the bid
of the Walnut Creek Milling company,
whose bid for 9S pounds of flour was
four cents higher than Mr.. Vaults bid
for 100 pounds of flour. Mr.. Vault
lodged a protest on September 16 and
the following reply was directed to him
| by the board Of control:
September 26, 1914.
Mesa Milling Company,
Mesa, Arizona.
Gentlemen:
answering your letter of Septem-
| Der 10th. which was presented to the
board at it's meeting Yesterday; l regret
to note that you feel you have not been
| treated fairly in the matter of the bids
| on flour. because our effort is to be
| entirely fair
There are two sides of the problem
which the board has to meet, and one
is to benefit the industries of the state
as much rs possible by its purchases,
and to this end our ruling it that when
! Il
outside bidder, but not enormously So
we accept the local bid.
q believe that this is the first oc-
casion YOU have had to complain of any
of this business going outside of the
state. This is due to the other side OF
| the question The taxpayers of the
state, as particularly represented by the
State Taxpayers Association, bring
pressure to bear at all times for the
reduction of expenses and, in all fair
ness. it is necessary that we buy sup
plies in such a manner as to deal fairly
on the one side with the Arizona man
ufacturers and on the other side witt
the mass Of Arizona taxpayers. If We
can economic on bread in such a man
ner as to save large expense to the
taxpayers Of the state by purchasing
flour outside of the state the demand
of the State Taxpayers Association, anC
of the taxpayers is that we so econo-
mize When at the prison recently,
was careful to inquire of the bake
iwith regard to the local flour and thu
outside flour being used there. Hi
opinion favored highly the OUTSIDE
flour. However, this is not conclusive
It is necessary to demonstrate tina
there is an actual saving and that tn
saving is so great as to offset the ad
vantage to the state of buying from
local people. Until the test has bee1
finished, it is impossible to arrive a
any conclusion in the matter.
IF, after reading the above, YOU ar
still of the opinion that you have no
been treated fairly in this matter, w
will be glad to hear from you, and /
there is anything that We can do t
! adjust matters to your satisfaction
consistent with our duty to the tax
payers as a whole and to the institu
| tions in our charge, we shall be yer
glad to do it.
Yours very truly,
: "CHAS. r. OSBURN,
Secretary