The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-08-01
County Did Not Lose

l. 1t is admitted by all persons who
claim to have knowledge of the
| transactions, that the county secured
the four trucks at competitive prices
and at as low prices as anyone else
could expect to buy them, and that
so far as is known, the amount paid
to the Bingham Motor company did
not add anything to what it cost the
county, and the service rendered by
them is a help to both the county
and the Salt Lake firm that shipped
them.
1t is also admitted that firm that
will furnish men and tools for days
at time to unload and operate and
teach the operation of machine is
Justly entitled to be paid for it, and
the delivered price of all machinery
includes the cost of such service
whether they get it or not, and when
there is no local representative to
look after it, the purchaser generally
suffers more or less loss by it.
We believe that if local firms make
anything on goods bought by this
county, and without making it cost
the county any more, it is an advant-
age to the county to have that much
Of it's money kept at home; especi-
ally do we think it is well, when the
local firm renders service to earn
the money
Granting that the order given to
the Bingham Motor company for
trucks was for the market price, and
that they were afterwards bought at
the market price, the only difference
would be that Salt Lake firm made
the 10 per cent commission and gave
a Bingham county firm less than half
of it. If the Bingham county firm
had handled the order it would pro-
badly have saved some time, it would
have saved the expense of sending
the county attorney to Salt Lake, and
he rest of the commissions, amount
ing to $1,000 would have belonged to
a Bingham county firm instead Of to
a Salt Lake county firm. In other
words, our county treasury gained
nothing and lost nothing by cancell-
ing the first order, and the individ-
uals composing the Bingham Motor
company lost $1,000.
City Council Bought Sprinklers
A few weeks ago the city council
wanted to buy a new sprinkler and
r. G. Bills and o. Buchanan both |
prices, with the result that |
they were about evenly matched, and
they tipped nickles to see which |
should fill the order. 1t fell to Mr.. |
Buchanan, and he was a member of |
the council and when it was sug-
gested that he was on both sides of |
the transaction he cancelled the
orders the city bought it directly |
of the house he represented. We are
not informed whether he received |
any payment for looking after the
shipment on it's arrival or not, but
il he did not, the community lost |
however small, in its
efforts to keep it's purchasing powers
on clean basis, for no sane person
wants its home people to work for
Hardware Dealer Serves City
Mr.. Boyle has been a member Of
the council for number of years,
and is one Of its most active members
in looking after the interests of the
city. He has a hardware store, and
the city often buys goods of him, not
trucks nor tractors nor sprinklers,
but nails, screws, door-locks,. engines,
hose and other things, and a
committee of which Mr.. Boyle is not
a member, audits and allows the
bills. 1t the city were not permitted
to buy goods Of him or from his
store, 1t would be in effect filming him
for being on the council and giving
the city the benefit of his activities
and his Judgment. He would either
have to stay off Of the council or