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Show A COUNTY PURCHASING AGENT There is a bill before the legislature of Utah which, in all probability, will become a law, making-it making-it possible for each county to employ a "purchasing agent" whose duty if appointed is to buy all the supplies sup-plies used by all the various departments of the county. coun-ty. Road building equipment, supplies for the county offices, and anything else for which the county has to foot the bill. This arrangement sounds good. There is no doubt that under certain conditions there might be a considerable saving made to the county. But in practical operation the plan has more often ; proven a failure than otherwise. In the first place ; there is the additional salary of the purchasing agent : which the county has to provide and which is usually of very liberal proportions. Then there is the ever present temptation to the agent to favor one company com-pany or individual over another. This is sometimes done within the law and often has been done against ; the law with the result of much trouble for all concerned, con-cerned, to say nothing of a loss many times greater than all the saving made by the purchasing agent : in buying supplies. The purchasing agent system : has resulted in more expense and dissatisfaction than the present method. The temptation for the agent to hold his hand out for donations and personal favors to competing companies has often proven to ;; be their downfall and exceedingly expensive to the ;: county, city or corporation by which he may be em- :: ployed. : A Better Way There is less liability that three representative citizens of a county who are elected to the board of county commissioners will spend the county funds in a careless way or that they will be "crooked." Every county board should adopt schedules for supplies, such schedules to be reasonable prices ascertained by consultation with dealers, allowing a fair margin of profit. The county or individual that tries to get something for nothing usually gets the order re- ' versed and acquires nothing for something in the ' long run. Fortunately the bill before the present legisla- ' ture does not make the adoption of the purchasing agent plan compulsory upon the counties. . llti,,i i inn, ,tlMM ,, ,,l,l,l,l i i r I t i -I T |