The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-06-14

At the last meeting or the DOaru Oh
county commissioners, Walter H. Bor-
gen, county auditor, was appointed
purchasing agent for all courthouse
office supplies.
It is believed that this new de-
narture will save anywhere from $1O,-
600 to $4,000 year to the long
suffering county without adding a
single dollar Of expense.
If the expected saving is realized,
then the taxpayers will have to thank
both the county commissioners and
auditor Bergen.
In the past, all office supplies have
been boug ght by the purchasing COM
mittee of the board Of county COM
missioners, Messrs. Fraser, swanstrom,
Naughten and Harvey. Henceforth,
this committee will be relieved OF just
that much work and responsibility.
One great help in saving money IN
the purchase of supplies will be that
thew can be standardized, bought IN
Greater quantity and even in job lots,
at prices especially low.
All supplies, so far as possible, at
least. will be purchased through olos
and that will tend to competition ana
delivery Of goods fully up to speclflca-
tions. ,s.s. .s,.s
In the past, The county commits
s;oners have bought supplies in
dividually and as body, as the hu-
NOR struck them. There was neither
uniformity nor system and, II com.
missioner were bit complaceht VI
careless, some clerk or even dePuty
auditor had ample opportunity to P1ncn
out a profit by steering the order to
some liberal supply house.
For years, for example, the Miller
Davis Printing Co., Of Minneapolis,
has had a strong pull for business IN
the marble-lined courthouse. After
auditor Halden was defeated, the
members of said Minneapolis print
;nu house did their best to induce that
Gentleman to become a member of the
f;rm If NAV be assumed that Messrs.
Miller-Davis took it for granted that
the former autocrat Of the courthouse
had fat roll laid away and they were
anxious to tap it.. They also may have
assumed that Halden yet had court
house pull. But, so far as known, the
foxy former auditor failed to fall for
the Miller-Davis Establishments.
It is whispered among the knowing
bows that former prime minister
Walker, now chief clerk to road engl-
neer Acton, customarily has been en-
tertained, with members of his FAM
iiy, at the state fair by the Miller
Davis interests. If a printing COM
pany tickle a courthouse servitor g
chin by entertainment at a state fair,
It is only natural and even human
that he should scratch his entertain
ers' baeks2by throwing them fat print
ing orders at profitable prices-to
them. s't
Young Mr.. Rich, the boy engineer
from the Mesaba range, who succeeded
Andrew Anderson, for two happy
years the Fabian occupant Of the
county surveyors office, some time
ago placed an order for expensive
blank books with, the Miller Davis
Company in Minneapolis. -. Sd
One day the expressman left big
box at the courthouse. Not knowing
what the box contained, the boys
opened it and found therein, some ex-
pensiye, record books for the county
surveyors office. :..-.,
When the bill came next day, it
called G for $500 or more. One au-
thority expresses the opinion that
books just as good could have been
secured in Duluth, from local printers
and binders, for, about s$400, ,at,7least
20 per cent less than the foreign firm
charged.
Any taxpayer at all of suspicious
nature, might infer that. the welfare
Of q. foreign firm and some hidden
hand in the courthouse was paramount
to that of taxpayers and St. Louis
county printing firms, who own prop:
erty, pay: taxes and locally employ
labor. They and their employees also
possess votes and some of those votes
are likely to change when another elec.
tion rolls around. -. "a ss-
With auditor Bergen clothed with
authority as purchasing agent for sup
plies for the courthouse in the, county,
goods handled by citizens Of the
county and, so fan. as possible, manu-
factured by citizens Of the county, win
be- purchased when they are obtain.
able. a- 4 1.lta - B 8
This new arrangement is expected to
cut off some of the power Of county
superintendent Young when it comes
to supplies for unorgaaized schools.