PRINTING OF DEBENTURES

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 531, 14 May 1920, Page 1

PRINTING OF DEBENTURES

BOROUGH COUNCIL ORDER.

ONE TENDER ONLY

(Editorial)

Recently the Pukekohe Borough Council called for tenders for the pifnting of 840 debenture forms. Advertisements were inserted in the New Zealand Herald and the Auckland Star, but, although ample time was allowed for printers to quote, one solitary tender only was received, this being from, the Franklin Printing and Publishing Company Limited (proprietors of the "Franlin and Pukekohe Times"), which tender was accepted. The Ngaruawahia Racing Club had a similar experience a few months ago, v hen calling foi tenders for the printing of race meeting books, etc., except ,'that in this latter case not a single tender was received.

Laymen will probably wonder why work of this nature should go a-beg-ging, but the fact is that printers everywhere have as much work as they can do with the labour available, and, in fact, they are not keen to give quotations for any work at all. as they can nevar tell precisely whether either the cost of material or the wages awards are going to be raised between the time of accepting an order and the date of completion.

Before a lino was installed in the "Times" Office we had to get a certain amount of our big work (;;uch as Franklin A. and P. Society's Show schedules and catalogues) partly composed on machines in larger towns, and ,we know full well the trouble we used to have in getting the work done expeditiously. Now, however, thanks to the expenditure of £ISOO in new machinery, there is no pointing job too big. and none too smalll to be done at this office.

There seems to be a quite baseless belief that because Pukekohe is not yet a city local tradesmen cannot do as good work, or as big work, of certain kinds as can be executed elsewhere. This is a great mistake, and an injustice to the tradesmen and business oeople of the town, who should, other things being equal, always be given an opportunity to do work before orders are sent elsewhere. These remarks apply to several trades in Pukekohe, hut we prefer to confine our comments to a trade of which we are fully competent to Wfite. For example, with the best of intentions, namely, to present the Prince of Wales with an address artistically inscribed, the Pukekohe Borough Council went to a lot of trouble, and suffered many harrassing inconveniences to get the work done in Auckland, and just managed to get the thing through in time. We saw the address, and had the opportunity of inspecting it at leisure, and we have no hesitation at all in stating that a Pukekohe cabinetmaker could have executed incomparably better woodwork folder or casing, and the "Times" Office could have produced finer inscribing. As a matter of fact, our present foreman printer (Mr. E. E. Wright) was, several vears ago, entrusted with the production of the address to the Hon. William Pember Reeves, on the occasion of his leaving the then "colony." (The status of "Dominion" was granted in more recent years.) And as most people know, the Hon. Reeves was one of the most cultivated literary men that ever* graced the Parliament of New Zealand. It is not likely that a second.rote article would be presented to him. Not that the "Times" wanted to produce the address for commercial considerations, because it was of such a nature that a good deal of time would be taken in executing it. r.nd we are extremely busy. Still, for the honour of the thing, which would be reflected on Franklin generally, we should like to have seen something worth while produced riiL,ht here in Franklin. However, we trust we have said enough to show that there is probably nothing to be gained by sending orders for printing out of the district, especially when, as in our own case, a goodly proportion of our receipts is spent on wages and general expenses in Pukekohe, to the advantage of local tradesmen, employees, and the general community.