State Contracts For 1878-9

Ou Wednesday forenoon the board of State auditor opened the bidg tor supplying the State of Michigan with book and print paper and writing paper and stutionory, and for all the priating and binding roquired by the various departments, for the biennial term commencing Jan. 1, 1878. There was spirited general ootnpotition, and the average prioo was very low. Papers of all kinds were never furnished at so low a rate. The binding is at very nearly the low figures of the past two years. The printing was somewhat higher, for the existing ratea are simply ruinous. The bidders for print and book paper were the Kalamazoo Paper Cornpany, J. W. French & Co. of Three Rivers, J. M. S. Jones of Chicago, and the Peninsular Paper Company of Ypsilanti. The contract was awarded to the latter company, which is now furnishing this class of paper of a quality highly satisfactory. The price for printing paper is 6 3-4 cents por ponnd, and for the various grades of book paper trom 7 1 4 to Í) cents. The bidders for stationery were Kichmond, Backus & Co., Cornwell, Price & Co., E. B. Smith & Co., of Detroit, and J. M. S. Jones of Chicago. The contraot is awarded to E. B. Smith & Co. As a specimen price, it muy be stated tluit Hat letter paper is to be furnished at 1G cents per pound. All papers and stationery are to be delivered free of charge at the State capítol in Lansing. The bidders for printing were the Ann Arbor Publishing Company, Henry N. Walker of Detroit, and Win. S. Qeorge & Co. of Lansing (George Jerome of Detroit being the "Co."), Tho contract was awarded to the latter firm, who have done the State printing for over eight years, having succeeded to the establishment of the previous State printers for about 13 years, John A. Kerr & Co. The price paid for composition on solid type - uo blank pages - is 57 cents per thousand enis. The price paid for presswork on royal ootavo pages, vory few runs being over 5,000 and the bulk of the work below 3,000, is 42 to 44 cents per token The price for blanks printed and ruled is correspondingly low. The bidders for binding wero Iïenry N. Walker of Detroit and W. S. George & Co. of Lansing, and the contract was awarded to the bitter firm. The price for binding a volume of publio acts in half sheep or cloth is 30 cents. It is an absolute neeessity for the printing and binding to be perfortned at the State capital ; and although complaint is made of this requirement in the contract, yet tho businoss of the legislature and of the varions departments could not go on properly or eoonomically if this class of work was done at a distuuct', involving frequent travel of messengors to and fro, with delays and interruptions. The recent blookade of our railroads, express companies, and mails, with the snow-storm blockades in winter wheu the legislature is in session, prove how the whole machinery of the State - dependent as it is upon npeedy printing and binding in various ways - would be hindered if the work