The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-01-07
$1,000 Wasted BY
THE COUNTY BOARD
PUBLICITY SERVICE SACRIFICED
TO CARE FOR THE ST.
CLOUD TIMES
TAXPAYERS PAY The Freight
p. N. LAIR ELECTED CHAIRMAN
BOARD-COUNTY OFFICERS
BONDS ACCEPTED.

The St. Cloud county commissioners
met at the County Court house Tues
day and formally organized by elect
ing P. N. Lair chairman of the board
to succeed Little Joe" retiring men,
Der. 1t had generally been assumed
that Val Herman of Holdingford
would be the chairman, but there was
no chance.
The most important matter to come
before the board on the opening day
was the bids for county printing. Two
bids were received-the St. Cloud
Times and the Sank Centre Herald
bids. The Times was coupled with
Der Nordstern and every newspaper
in the county outside of St. Cloud
was associated with the Herald.
The Times bid for publication of
the financial statement was legal rate
while the bid of the Herald was for a
total of 80 cents a folio for three in
sertions as against $1.45 for the Times
Last year at legal rate this job cost
the taxpayers $1,668.95. Assuming
that the statement will be at least as
heavy this year as last, the Herald bid
would have saved the county $633.05.
The Times bid contemplated the pub
fishing of the statement in the Daily
and Weekly Times and Der Nordstern,
while the Herald bid proposed to cir
culate the statement in the Herald,
the Melrose Beacon, the Freeport In
formant, the Albany Enterprise, the
Holdingford Advertiser, the Brooten
Review, the Belgrade Tribune, the
Paynesville Press, the Richmond
Standard, the Cold Spring Record and
the Kimball Kodak, besides circulat-
ing 500 copies in the City of st. Cloud
and 25 each in a large number of the
inland towns.
The Herald's bid for the publication
of the commissioners proceedings and
the proceedings of the county board of
equalization was one-third less than
that of the Times and the circulation
proposed was the same as in the fl
nancial statement. The bids on the
rest of the work were identical.
1t is reasonable to assume that the
saving on the publication of the pro-
ceedings of the two boards coupled
with the financial statement would
have meant approximately $1,000 to
the taxpayers of the county; not only
that but a very large majority of the
taxpayers would have an opportunity
to know what the county board was
doing. Fred Schilplin in his talk to
the board unblushingly made the
claim that 10000 copies of the papers
included in theTimes' bid would be cir
culated throughout the county with
all the county advertising. Of course
anyone knowing anything about con-
ditions realizes full we'll that no
county seat newspapers can cover the
county as completely and as thorough
iy as can and do the combined local
papers. Of course this hot air was
simply bunk.
The board wrangled over the ques-
ton all forenoon, but headed by Chair
man Lahr and backed by Val Herman
who heretofore has been deadly en-
envy Of the Times, the third man was
won over during the noon recess. The
ballot was secret.
Little Joe" was busy as little bee
in behalf of the Times, working on the
side lines, and it is assumed that Fred
has promised him the postoffice again.
1t is claimed by a number that the
Times quietly "harpooned" Joe during
the recent campaign. 1t was said that
Joe and the Times "broke" again dur
ing the summer and Joe was quite
peeved. Joe just loves dearly that air
postoffice in St. Cloud, and Editor Mac
Donald of the Times is his chief op-
ponent for the job.
Fred's past record indicates quite
clearly that he is the best little prom
User in the business, and it is cur
rently reported that he has thrown
down his friends on numerous other
occasions. If the mere promise of
the postoffice again to Little Joe'
could cure his "peeve," promising be-
ing one the easiest things in his YER
satile repetorie-why, of course.
But then, what does service and the
mere saving of $1,000 to the tax-pay-
ers amount to when the master cracks
his whip?