Stevens v. Ravalli County

64 P. 876, 25 Mont. 306, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 45
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 6, 1901
DocketNo. 1,380
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 64 P. 876 (Stevens v. Ravalli County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stevens v. Ravalli County, 64 P. 876, 25 Mont. 306, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 45 (Mo. 1901).

Opinion

MR. CHIEF JUSTICE BRANTLY

delivered the opinion of the Court.

On December 8, 189(!, the plaintiff and appellant entered into a contract with Ravalli county, through its board of commissioners, and under the provisions of Section 4233 of the Political Code, whereby he undertook to- do all printing for the period of two years from January 5, 1897, to January 5, 1899, and to furnish all record books, blanks and other similar supplies for which the county would be chargeable. His compensation was fixed at the maximum rates provided in the statute, less a discount- of 65 per cent, on legal blanks, 66 2-3 per cent, on publications, and 35 per cent, on blank books. On March 11, 1898, the board being convened in regular quarterly session, the plaintiff presented to it for allowance his account for work done and supplies furnished during the previous quarter. This account, among other items, included 1,500 road-tax receipts, bound in hooks, charged at $29; 2,000 assessment lists, each consisting of 6 different sheets, printed on both sides, and fastened together with tin staples, in the form of a booklet, charged at $247.20; a charge for the publication of the annual statement of the financial condition of the county in plaintiff’s newspaper, at $58; and a charge for the publication of the delinquent tax list for the year 1897, and a supplemental delinquent list for 1896, three insertions each, fixed at $202. The board having disallowed a substantial portion of each of these' and other items, the plaintiff appealed to the district court of Ravalli county. Upon a trial in that court without a jury, the plaintiff recovered a judgment [310]*310of $12.21 2-3 more than he was allowed by the board, this amount being the result of a readjustment of the account by additional allowances upon some of the items, and a further reduction of the allowances made by the board on others. The plaintiff, beng dissatisfied with the result as to the four items above mentioned, moved for a new trial. The appeal is from the judgment and the order denying this motion.

It is urged by counsel for plaintiff that the finding of the court below upon each of the items mentioned is not sustained by the evidence, in these particulars: That the court found that the road-tax receipts furnished ivere eighth-sheet, blanks, printed on one side, numbered, perforated and bound, whereas the evidence showed them to be of the same grade and character as county warrants, as charged, and therefore that they should be paid for at the rate provided for county warrants, subject to book discount only; that it found the assessment lists to be half-sheet blanks, printed on both sides, and bound in sets of six, whereas, under the evidence, they wrore conclusively shown to be booklets or pamphlets, a form of supply not provided for in the statute, and therefore should be paid for as a special job, at a reasonable price, as charged, and not at the rate applicable to half-sheet blanks; and that the number of folios of straight matter and of rule or figure or open work in the two newspaper publications is arbitrary, and not founded upon any evidence in the record. After a careful examination of the transcript, we have concluded that the findings of fact upon these various items cannot be disturbed.

It appears from frequent references thereto by witnesses, and from statements in the brief of counsel for plaintiff, that the court below had before it as exhibits a sample road-tax receipt, an assessment list, and a sheet of fiat-cap paper, introduced to illustrate and explain the testimony of the witnesses, and as substantive evidence to show the size and character of the receipt and list. There were also introduced copies of the two publications in question, in the shape of clippings from plaintiff’s newspaper, for the purpose of enabling the court, [311]*311using them in connection with other evidence on the subject, as to size of type, etc., to determine by measurement the number of folios for which plaintiff was entitled to. demand compensation from the defendant. An apparent attempt has been made to incorporate in the transcript what purport to be these original exhibits. We cannot consider them as such for any purpose, however, for the reason that they are not “authenticated by a certificate of the judge of the trial court thereon or attached thereto/’ as required by Section 1 of Rule VIII of the Rules of this Court. They are not identified in any way, and one of them (the assessment list) is not even attached to- the transcript, but is found lying loose among its pages. The sheet of flat cap is missing altogether. We do not doubt the statement of counsel as to the identity of those found with the record. We must nevertheless refuse to consider them, for we feel that we cannot safely disregard the rule, and determine the rights of litigants by reference to matters not properly before us. This leaves us without the means of determining whether the findings of the trial court in the particulars 'mentioned are supported by the evidence. The statute (Political Code, Sec. 4233), so far as is pertinent to this case, provides: “* *' * For every folio of one hundred words, or fraction thereof, not exceeding one dollar and fifty cents shall be paid for the first insertion thereof, and fifty cents per folio of one hundred words, for each subsequent insertion required by law to be made, and three figures or fraction thereof shall count as one-word. For ruled and figure work, not exceeding two dollars, per folio of one hundred words or fraction thereof, and fifty cents per folio of one hundred words for each subsequent insertion thereof, required by laiv to be made. That for the purpose of establishing a basis of measurement; the amount of space occupied by one hundred words, set in solid nonpareil type, thirteen ems pica in width, shall constitute a folio in measuring rule and figure oi* other open work. Printed blanks required by law to be printed for the several counties shall be furnished at the following rates: For blanks cut from flat cap paper, [312]*312measuring fourteen by seventeen indies in size, and weighing not less than sixteen pounds to the ream, as follows: For eight [h] sheets printed on one side, two dollars and fifty cents for the first one hundred copies, and twenty-five cents for each subsequent one hundred copies, and twenty cents additional per one hundred copies, if bound. * * * For half sheets printed ■on both sides, nine dollars and seventy-five "cents for the first •one hundred copies, and sixty-five cents for each subsequent •one hundred copies. * * * When any number of blanks •enumerated in the above schedule exceeding one thousand shall be ordered, the price shall be twenty per cent, less than the prices named in the above schedule for each subsequent one hundred copies. County warrants with stubs, printed on bond paper, twenty dollars per thousand. Road tax receipts, special poor tax, or other blanks that are required to be numbered and perforated, two dollars and fifty cents per thousand extra. * * *A11 other blanks, books or printing not herein provided for shall be furnished and paid for at not to exceed the rates herein provided for similar blanks or printing.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

McDonald v. State
722 P.2d 598 (Montana Supreme Court, 1986)
Carbon County v. Draper
276 P. 667 (Montana Supreme Court, 1929)
Yellowstone National Bank v. McCullough
154 P. 919 (Montana Supreme Court, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 P. 876, 25 Mont. 306, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 45, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevens-v-ravalli-county-mont-1901.