Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-12-12
THE PRINTING CONTRACT

Some pertinent facts about the county printing.
On December 8 the board of county commissioners for
Carbon County opened the bids for the county printing
contract for two years, beginning January l. 1888 and end
ing December 81, 1896. This was in pursuance to an adver-
tsed call for bids, and there were two bids submitted.
The Carbon County News submitted a complete bid, and
the Picket Journal submitted a bid which was far from be-
ing complete. When the bids were opened, it was evident
on the face of it that the bid of the News was considerably
the lowest bid. After considerable discussion, the board
of county commissioners finally deferred action until Mon
day, December IL.
Mr.. Charles Draper submitted the bid of the Picket
Journal and contended that the bid Of the Carbon County
News was too low to be considered, claiming that the News
had violated the Graphic Arts Code. The publisher of the
News commended that they were submitting their bid in
compliance with the Graphic Arts Code and the state law.
The Carbon County News has had the county printing
for the last s years, and it might be well to give here some
figures for comparison. The first contract of the Carbon
County News for the years 1928, the News has been
paid $9,51199. The second contract of the News for 1929
80, the News has been paid ~$10,649.26. The third contract
of the News for the years 1892, the News has been paid
$685. 90. The fourth contract of the News for 1933-34,
the News has been paid or will be paid when the contract
is completed, $8,091.67, making a total of $37, 23888 for
the eight years.
Prior to 1927 the Picket Journal held the contract for
county printing. We have taken for comparison the s
years preceding the News contract. For the years 1919
and 1920, the Picket Journal was paid $16,36650. For the
years 192l22 the Picket Journal was paid $~13,372.20. For
the years 1924 the Picket Journal was paid $40, 791 90,
and for the years 1886, the Picket Journal was paid
$11,148.67, ora total of $~53,678.57. Comparing the figures
of the News with those of the Picket Journal, it is found
that the News has saved the taxpayers of Carbon County
the sum of $~16,439.69, or an average of $2,O54.96 a year.
1t will be noticed that the contract of the Carbon County
News has been progressively lower each contract with ex-
ception Of the years 1928 when a large quantity of office
was bought by the county and during these
years the county ran a large number of legals of tax sales
which ran the cost up above the average years, but not as
high as the lowest contract of the Picket Journal for any
two years.
Each year the Carbon County News has submitted a
more complete bid, and the bid submitted this year is the
most complete and the best bid that has ever been submit
ted to the county. 1t has been, and is, the policy of the
News to give the county and the customers of the News the
benefit of any savings that can be made on account of mod
ern equipment and experienced workmanship. This we
have done and this we are doing in this bid. We are not
finding any fault with the county commissioners in being
cautious in matters involving this amount Of expenditures,
as they are spending the taxpayers money.
Had Mr.. Draper been successful in getting the commits
sioners to throw out the bid of the Carbon County News
and accept the Picket-Journal bid, Carbon County would
have paid more for their printing in 1886 than they
have in any two years during the last 16 years. The News
is offering this saving to the county and in doing so is not
violating the Graphic Arts Code or retardng President
Roosevelt's program for recovery.
In view Of Mr.. Draper's past record of over-charges and
Implications of bills and his incomplete and high bid, it
can hardly be expected that the county commissioners will
consider the Picket Journal the most suitable to do the
county printing.