The House met pursuant to adjournment, Speaker Bowen in the chair.

Prayer was offered by the Rev. F. L. Johnston, pastor of First Congregational church, Valley Junction.

The Speaker announced that he had added the name of Mr. Dunham of Delaware county, to the committee on Insur

ance.

On the request of Mr. Putnam, Mr. Jenks was excused until Wednesday.

Mr. Kendall requested that the Journal show that he would have voted "nay" on the motion to lay the Boer resolution on the table, had he been present.

Mr. Cruikshank requested that the Journal show that he would have voted "nay" on the motion to lay the Boer resolu tion on the table, had he been present.

Mr. Blume requested that the Journal show that he would have voted "nay" on the motion to lay the Boer resolution on the table, had he been present.

Mr. Eaton requested that the Journal show that he would have voted "yea" on the motion to lay the Boer resolution on the table, had he been present.

Mr. Dunham requested that the Journal show that he would have voted "yea" on the motion to table the resolution, had he been present.

The Journal of January 22d was corrected and approved.

PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS.

Mr. Hasselquist presented petition of the various library clubs of Chariton, Iowa, requesting him to use his influence and vote for the bill prepared by the Library committee and Federation of Womans' clubs.

Referred to committee OL Public Library.

Mr Jaeger presented petition of the barbers of Burlington, asking for the passage of House file No. 50.

Referred to committee on Public Health.

Mr. Koontz presented petition in regard to loans on real estate by savings banks.

Referred to committee on Banks and Banking.

Mr. Stallcop presented petition of eighteen citizens of Sac county asking for a law that shall prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquor as a beverage at any place within four miles of State Agricultural college, State university and the State Normal school.

Referred to committee on Suppression of Intemperance.

Mr. Jones presented petition of thirty-six citizens asking that the constitution be so amended as to permit the use of voting machines.

Referred to committee on Constitutional Amendments.

Mr. Eaton presented petition of citizens of Little Cedar, in Mitchell county, for the establishment of a woman's reformatory.

Referred to committee on Penitentiaries.

Mr. Koontz presented petition in regard to graduates from medical department, State university.

Referred to committee on State Universiiy.

Mr. Scott presented petition from Mathew Gray Post No. 93 requesting the erection of monuments to deceased Iowa soldiers on the different noted battlefields.

Referred to committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Kimball requested that House file No. 33 be withdrawn from committee on Municipal Corporations and be re-referred to Judiciary committee.

Mr. Clarke of Dallas, for the committee appointed to obtain report from the state board of control on printing and binding, reported as follows:

MR. SPEAKER-Your committee appointed to obtain from the board of control a report on the printing and binding done under its supervision, and the cost thereof in comparison with the cost fixed by law as the compensation for the state printer and binder, beg leave to report that they have secured said report and attach the same hereto, and make it a part of this, your committee's report:

To Messrs. Clarke of Dallas, Wilson of Washington, and Blake, a committee "to obtain report from the board of control on printing and binding:

GENTLEMEN—In response to your request made to this board, that it furnish you information touching the printing and binding procured by the board, we say That the printing and the binding needed by this board, and by the several institutions under its control has been obtained by inviting and receiving competitive bids. In two instances only has the state printer or state binder made bids for printing blanks or blank books. When we first began to receive bids we offered these gentlemen the same opportunity to bid as we did other parties, afterwards we did not send proposals to them, as we understood they did not care to bid on work which they claimed they were entitled to have without competing with other printers and binders. Their claim was, that as the printers and binders for the state they had a right to all of this work at the rates fixed by statute.

As we could not accede to the correctness of this claim, and as said rates were far in excess of what we could and did procure the same work to be done for, it was useless to continue inviting these gentlemen to bid.

Furthermore, our understanding was that they did not care to bid on any other basis.

In June, 1898, we received bids from eight different printers for doing the press work and composition for 21,500 blanks, consisting of 43 separate forms, 500 blanks to each form, the state to furnish the paper, as follow F. R. Conaway (state printer)..

2d bid.

3d bid.

4th bid.

5th bid...

6th bid

7th bid.

8th bid...

$137.60

55.00

47.00

39.00

36.00

28.00

22.75

21.00

For the same job of work the successful bidder to furnish paper and do press work and composition, we received eleven bids, as follows:

F. R. Conaway (state printer), cost of paper estimated...$202.60
2d bid..

3d bid..

140.00

105.16

About the same time we received minor bids on 218 blank books and 2,000 pay-roll sheets, a large number of the books containing 800 pages, several containing 500 pages, and a few containing a less number of pages, viz:

The above are the only instances in which the state printer or binder have put in bids on blank books or for printing blanks.

Below we furnish the figures received from bidders on seventeen different lettings, viz: