The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1922-06-09
CONTRACT LET FOR
REDSTONE GRADE
Asa Barnes Lost Out to the
Chagrin of Jud Matkins
and His Commissioners
Made Contract Binding.
COMMISSIONERS FIX
MR.. BUTTNSKY

c. T. Hubbard of Redstone upset
the apple wagon for Jud Matkins and
his tools Monday, when he presented
bid for the grading of the Redstone
road. Sure enough bids had been
called for this time for the first time,
but it was all cut and dried between
the boys, including Mr.. Link, that
the work was to go to Asa Barnes,
half-brother of Jud MatKins, who al
ways got these contracts in the
past without the formalities of bids
and last summer, just to keep the
mitts of the county commissioners
clean, the commissioners authorized
County Surveyor Link to let this con-
tract which he did and signed the
same, but the Public Examiner notic-
ed this fragrant violation of the law
| and criticized the same nhis re-
port, so this year the commissioners
felt that they had to make the pre-
! tense of calling for bids But when
the bids were opened there were a
bunch of them running from 1912
cents per yard to 341a cents per yard,
indicating a wide variation in differ
ent parties idea of the cost of haul
ing dirt.
The 1912 cent per yard bid, put in
/ by c. t. Hubbard received the con-
tract but at this stage, Mr.. Link
looked over the bid and discov-
cred what to him looked like "jok-
er" and the minute he mentioned it
the county commissioners came alive
with a jump. Asa Barnes bid was
the next lowest, being for 171s cents
fper yard. He was standing around
waiting for something to happen.
While the commissioners are blind as
a bat to jokers in printing contracts,
they sure come alive when there ap-
pears to be jokers in road contracts
especially when the bid is not Asa
Barnes, Jud Matkins' half-brother's
bid. The shrewd and sharp county
surveyor noticed that the bid was
written in such way as to read
1212 cents per yard for making the
cut and 1919 cents per yard for max
ing the fill, which the astute survey
or figured out would finally mean e
cents per yard for the moving of the
dirt. This declaration created SEN
sation, as it was just farmer who
had made the bid who was not re-
lated to anybody and who had outbio
Asa Barnes. Jud Matkins acteo
pretty sore as nothing makes Mat
ins so sore as jokers in bids, when
the said bid beats his half-brothel
out of contract it is still more sin
full. Hubbard insisted that there was
no joker in the bid, but Ibsen and
Tyler thought with Link there was
and suggested that Barnes and Hub
bard bid again, which happy sugges-
ton was adopted at once. This gave
Barnes another crack at the work and
Ibsen and Tyler are always anxious
+" do som thing for Jud. The new
| bids W. filed and opened and
! Barnes bic was again 171a cents per
yard and Hubbard's was 157a cents
per yard. Hubbard was still low
man. Jud smiled, he saw he was
beat. Jud is a sport if ne is nothing
else. Tyler and Ibsen looked as II
they could weep, they We're so dis
appointed because Barnes did not get
the contract. Tyler especially felt
bad as he knows how nice it is to
be able to turn road contracts over
to his brother every few weeks for
he makes a practice of it himself. The
new bid on the part OF HUBBARD prov
ed that Hubbard was foxy and that
Link had actually ferreted out Jok-
er in a road bid. Mr.. Link then got
busy and drew an iron clad contract.
Howard M. Lewis was not called in,
as Mr.. Link, having a deputy to help
him, felt equal to the occasion and
he did his best. When the contract
/ was ready for signing, big bond for
! the faithful execution of the contract
was required, another obstacle thrown
before the feet Of M. Hubbard. in the
sum of s250.00. Mr.. Hubbard was
mot to be daunted and secured the
bond, signed by Carl Bull and L. G.
Bradstad and is now ready to do the
work at a great saving to the county.
Needless to sag that Mr.. Hubbard
will fulfill the contract in every de-
tail Mr.. Link will look after that.
/ u. S. A. to Christian Hovland,
4