Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1910 — FROM THE OTHER SIDE. [ARTICLE]

FROM THE OTHER SIDE.

“Comrad” Fox Desires to Be Heard On Mail Carrying Proposition. Regarding the “starvation' price” for carrying the mail'between the Rensselaer postoffice and the Monon station, “Comrad” Fox asks The Democrat tu say.'that the present low price for this work -4 is due to the efforts to beat him out of the job. He admits that this work should pay SSO per month, but he has had the contract for several years, taking it at the beginning when the price was away down to sls per month. He succeeded in getting it up to $25 per month, where it remained for some years until parties here, about four years ago, wrote the postoffice department rthat it ought to be carried for less money, and the department accordingly proposed to re-let the* contract. Another party who was after Comrad’s job put in a bid of $240 per year, S6O less than it was then paying. In orde r to hold the job Comrad made a cut of SIOO, putting jn a bid of $199.50, at which price it has since remained, and he hired the party who bid against hiip to carry it for

sls pe r in< hit h, or about one-third what it is really worth. The fact that the job is paying so little, he claims, he is in no way to blame for. as he was gradually getting the price up towards a fair rate when efforts were made to take it away from him altogether. He simply went his opposition one better and retained the contract. That is all.