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Show 30 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONEB OF INDIAN ATFAIRS, exactly what is wanted by the department, and not have to depend entirely on their own interpretation or construction of the printed e.pecifications. In connection with the standard samples specifica-tions are printed in the proposal blank, as formerly, which helps to make clearer to the bidder what is desired. CUTTING OUT RATIONS. Rations continue to be issued at several agencies but, generally speaking, to a steadily decreasing extent, i. e.: Ratwm ksued, fueal years 1900,1905, and 1909 F h l year. I Bed. 1 Flour. 1 Coffee. / Bnw, WAREHOUSES. The Indian Service has five warehouses, located at New York, Chi-cago, St. Louis, Omaha, and San Francisco. One only is needed. The bulk of the purchases should be shipped direct from the factory or store after government inspection. Already considerable tonnage is shipped from St. Paul, Duluth, Kansas City, and Sioux City. This is a step in the right direction. A g~e asta ving in the cost of inspection and better inspection would be gained. Statistics showing in figures the amount of work accomplished by and the cost of maintenance of each warehouse during the fiscal year 1909 will be found in Table 14. TRANSPORTATION The question of transportation enters largely into almost every purchase made for the Indian Service, whether the amount involved be great or small. The cost prices of the article, or articles, at the delivery points specified by the several vendors, plus the freight charges to the final destinations, are carefully considered by the office force, including the transportation branch thereof, before an award is made. This applies not only to open-market purchases, but like-wise to formal proposals out of which contracts result, in those instances where articles satisfactory in grade are offered at similar or varying prices at different delivery points. On nll shipments made for this service regular tariff less land-grant rates apply, unless specially reduced rates are offered by the trans-portation company. By reason of the application of the reduction |