Stevens v. Ravalli County

64 P. 876, 25 Mont. 306, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 45
Montana Supreme Court·Decided May 6, 1901·No. No. 1,380·Published·Cited by 4 cases

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] of $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.

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

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