Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1921-07-29
SOME ERRORS CORRECTED

The following was printed in last
weeks Rusk County Journal. Why
it was not sent to the News-Budget we
do not know. We have never denied
anyone free space to reply to an edi-
tOrial. In order to be absolutely fair,
we are publishing the communication
in full in order that those who read
the editorial referred to may hear
both sides.
The NewsBudget in an editorial in
its issue of last week says:
'The News-Budget is one of Lady
smiths manufacturing industries. 1t
employs eight people and has a pay
roll of 81 100000 a month. Yet the city
of Ladysmith, after the News-Budget
had spent many hours of one mans
time in going through old files to look
up and get the copy of city ordinances
and their dates of publication, sent to
Milwaukee to get the ordinances print
ed in pamphlet form"
Why was it necessary to go through
the Old files to look up and get the
copy of the city ordinances and their
dates of publication? Chiefly because
the News-Budget has for many years
been an official city paper, and the
present editor and former editors had
published city ordinances in the Off
cial city paper and in many instances
had failed to file with the city clerk
the affidavit of the printer, known as
the proof of publication.
Why were the ordinances printed in
pamphlet form by Milwaukee house
Because the local papers were asked to
file bids, as were also two Milwaukee
printers, and the News-Budget's bid
was higher than the bid of each Mil
waukee printer, being $4,000 higher
than one, and $500 higher than the
other.
The NewS-Budget says further:
THE city demanded lump sum
bid of the local printers and did not
exact that of the Milwaukee concern.
The News-Budget further agreed to
meet the price of any city printing,
house, but the job was railroaded
through the council and AWa&setl to
the Milwaukee concern nWer-t si4e-leSS. y
1t is NOT true tlat' a lump sum bid
was not required 81 the milwaukee,
printers. The copy was sent to Mr..
William III. Johnson in Milwaukee.
who for many years was the foreman
of the NewsBudget, and the letter of
instructions to him contained the fol
lowing explicit instruction:
we wish you to obtain an estimate
from one or two Milwaukee printers
as to the cost of printing 100 PAM
work by the job and not by the page"
How did the News-Budget agree to
meet the price of any city printing
house? After putting in bid con-
siderahly higher than each of the Mil
Waukee houses and after learning
from the city clerk that the job had
been awarded to the lowest bidder, the
News-Budget editor told the city clerk
that he would have met the lowest bid
if he had been given an opportunity.
That is, ne would have two chances
to the others one. Having learned the
lowest bid he would reduce his bid
which was too high. The council does
not let contracts to bidders in that
way.
The News-Budget says: ''The con-
tract was railroaded through the coun-
Gil and awarded To the Milwaukee con-
Germ" Bids were asked from the
News-Budget and the Journal and the
Budget editor took more time to get
in his bid than any of the others.
After lapse of several days all the
bids were received The council found
tho News-Budget editors bid was
$4,000 higher than the lowest bidder
Consequently he did not get the job
and the council let the job to the low
est bidder.
The News Budget further says:
''Thc copy was partly in type, part
ly typewriter. and in such shape that
1t was impossible to estimate very
nearly as to how many pages the book
would make Told that price per
page" bid would not be accepted. fig
uring $500 per page and estimating
that the book would probably run TO
125 pages. the NewsBudget put in a
bid of $4,000. The Milwaukee house
submitted bid of $4,000 for book
of one hundred pages, which was not
lump sum at all but really bid FOR
1915 per page. Their bill for the job
as allowed by the council and paid
was $4,000. The book contains 104
pages"
AS to whether it was impossible TO
estimate very nearly how many pages
the book would make, it may be stated
that the copy was first submitted to
the News-Budget editor. He wanted
several days in which to make his es-
innate. At his suggestion it was then
submitted to Mr.. r. w. Richardson
the editor of the Rusk County Jour
nal. When asked within what time he