Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-03-27

Oruer WIN Beall n 90. Tor a rock
crusher for $1,761.5O, and the crush
er now owned by the county, the said
amount TO be paid out of the funds
of the various road districts as fol-
lows:
District No. 1-- 100000
District No. 2-- 10000
District No. 3-- 10000
District No. 4 10000
"DiStrict No. 5- 361.50."
The minutes then go on to say:
Check was received from Beall &
Co. for $54 go to reimburse the road
and bridge fund for freight advanced
on the rock crusher previously pur-
chased" Your committee is informed
that Beall & Co. knew nothing what
ever about Stewards transaction with
the county in 1911, and 1912, and
that when they discovered it they i'm
mediately offered to pay the freight
the county had to pay. They also
generously offered to take the second
new one, at the amount the commits
sioners had to pay for it.
According to these figures, the
crusher now owned by the County of
Thurston cost the county approxi-
mately $3,061.50 and if the amounts
paid out for repairs, and supplies to
the crusher since are added, it has
cost the county close to $3,50O.00 to
date.
The Gasoline Roller.
Another example of the manner in
which the county commissioners have
handled the county's business is
shown in the county's experience with
the gasoline roller, which your COM
mittee is informed now stands idle
along the Pacific highway between
Olympia and Tenno. The following
statement appears in the county COM
missioners minutes for Monday, Sep
TENDER 5, 1911:
"On motion the board signed the
acceptance of one ten-ton gasoline
road roller purchased from Beall &
Co., of Portland, Oregon, for $2.750
on the following terms: $1,000 up
on acceptance of the roller, the bal
ance April /, 1912, without interest,
the said roller to be delivered F. o.
B. Tenino, and guaranteed one year
against defects of material and work
manship."
An Interesting Comparison.
The statement in the commission
ers minutes of September 25, 1911 is
the first and only mention made of
the negotiations for the purchase of
the roller. No further comment is
made about it in the commissioners
minutes, except the routine list of
cessories. This roller, your COM
mittee is reliably informed, was a
second hand roller. and as a compari
son of the way in which the commits
sioners have handled the county's
affairs your committee is able to state
that on February 13, 1912, six
months later, Beall & Co. sold to Will
son & Bailey, contractors, a ten-ton
roller, new, for s2.S50. delivered at
Pomeroy, Washington, only one hun
dred dollars more than was charged
the county for a second hand roller.
Your committee is also in possession
of the following excerpts from let
ter from Beall & Co. to one of their
agents:
From county officers we expect to
get more money for our goods for the
reason that we have to go to more
trouble and we must hold prices up
to them and city officers. From con-
tractors we want to get the business
and we will make a very low price
in order to get it,
The Traction Engine.
The latest example of the way the
commissioners handle the county's
business is in regard to the gasoline
traction engine, finally bought the
first of this month.
In the commissioners minutes for
June 8, 1913, appears the following:
ION motion the board authorized
the purchase from Beall & Co. of one !
1886 H. P. Avery gasoline traction
engine, the same to be paid for out
of the road and bridge fund, and to
be provided for in the levy for road /
and bridge purposes for 1914. the !
company agreeing to wait for pay
ment until after the said levy is
made"
In the minutes for December 29th !
last, is the statement:
ION motion it was ordered that the
order placed with Beall & Co. on
June 9th, 1913 for one Avery gaso-
line traction engine be cancelled"
Since last June or July, your COM (
mite is informed, this traction en-
CINE has laid out along the Pacific /