THE ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE PUBLIC

PRINTER

#

For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30,

1939. Submitted to the Congress of

the United States onJanuary 3, 1940

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1939

CONTENTS

ADMINISTRATIVE

Page

Efficiency and cost comparisons 1 Service to the departments

Outstanding and unusual publications 6

Typography and printing design 7

Xational park booklets Division of Accounts 9

Production Control Committee 11 Personnel 13

Building program, 18

Maintenance Division 19

Purchasing Division 20

Nevv' equipment

Work released by the Public Printer .22

Departmental duplicating plants 22

Apprentice school 26

Health and welfare activities 29

Emergency hospital

Executive advisory safety committee

Group life insurance

Group hospitalization Federal Credit Union

Government Printing Office American Legion Post No. 33 United Veterans of American Wars, Government Printing Office Unit No. 1 Cafeteria and Recreation Association Contributions to charitable organizations

Receipts and expenditures 35

Criticism by organizations and individuals 50
Page

Division of Tests and Technical Control 53

Samples tested Paper

Envelopes

Corrugated fiber containers Ink and miscellaneous products

Type metal

Press rollers, glues, and pastes

Bookbinding research Electrotype and photoengraving materials Assistance to other departments

Publications Contact with printing, binding, and allied organizations

Correspondence

PRODUCTION

Congressional printing . . .64

Composing Division 65

Platemaking Division 67

Press Division 69

Bindery Division 70

Patent Office printing 71

Tabulating-machine cards 73

Stores Division . .74

Library of Congress branch composing and binding sections . 75

Delivery Section 81

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS

Service and distribution 83

Mailing lists Depository Ubraries Congressional bills Special Libraries Association Monthly catalog index

Exhibit at Pan-American Exposition, Tampa, Fla. Exhibit at Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, Calif. Suggested legislation

Kecommended changes in methods of distribution ... 89

Need for legislation to facilitate sale of publications

Conclusion 93
A. E. GIEGENGACK, Public Printer

GEORGE ORTLEB, Deputy Public Printer RUSSELL H. HERRELL

Administrative Assistant to the Public Printer and Director of Personnel MISS JO COFFIN, Assistant to the Public Printer

HENRY H. WRIGHT Chief Clerk MAYBELLE G. FICKEL Liaison Officer EDWARD M. NEVILS Production Manager

RAYMOND H. LECRAW Night Production Manager

WILLIAM SMITH Assistant Production Manager

WILLIAM A. MITCHELL Superintendent of Planning

HOWELL K. STEPHENS Superintendent of Composition

JOHN A. McLEAN Superintendent of Platemaking

BERT E. BAIR Superintendent of Presswork FRANK A. TSCHIDA Superintendent of Binding

FRANK H. MORTIMER Director of Typography

ERNEST E. EMERSON Director of Purchases FELIX E. CRISTOFANE Comptroller

ALLA G. STEVENS Superintendent of Stores CHARLES P. WAITE, M. D. Medical and Sanitary Director ALFRED E. HANSON Mechanical Superintendent

ALTON P. TISDEL Superintendent of Documents MORRIS S. KANTROWITZ Technical Director WILLIAM A. SMITH Congressional Record Clerk JAMES B. BENNETT Captain of the Guard

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER

From observation and experience I find the questions pertaining to printing most often asked of departmental representatives by Members of Congress are apparently covered by two main subjects: First,

would it be cheaper to procure your work from commercial printers?

Second, are printing costs increasing at the Government Printing

Office? Based upon this idea, I have decided to treat these subjects

in the opening paragraphs of my report on the assumption that all are interested in knowing the facts in both cases. With reference to the first question I again would like to call attention to the report made to the President on this subject by a special

investigator (see page 1, Annual Report of the Public Printer, 1938),

as apparently it has been overlooked by many interested in this subject. In view of their current relevancy to this continuously recurring

question, three paragraphs from the investigator's report are, for emphasis, again quoted:

The findings with respect to allegations that complaining departments and

agencies can get printing done by outside union shops for much lower prices than

charged by the Government Printing Office are:

{d) While it is possible that upon isolated items of printing, outside union shops

might consistently be able to quote prices lower than charges made by the Government Printing Office, upon other items the charges made by the Government

Printing Office are lower than outside union shops could be expected to quote.

(/) The diversion from the Government Printing Office to outside union shops

of any class of printing which the Printing Office has heretofore done would be

expected to cause increased costs, and therefore charges, upon work not diverted,

due to costs arising from fixed overhead that must be charged against the volume

of work actually produced.

m

ADMINISTRATIVE

EFFICIENCY AND COST COMPARISONS

I
To further substantiate the above findings, I call attention to the

facts outlined in detail in this report ULader the heading ''Patent Office

Printing," that the Government Printing Office is producing the patent

specifications, trade-marks, designs, and Gazette for less than the

prices quoted by a commercial concern, notwithstanding the fact that

the commercial concern proposed to use an allegedly cheaper and

greatly inferior process to produce the work. Further facts in connection with this question are outlined on page 72 of this report under

the heading mentioned above.

The second question apparently arises as a result of the adoption on October 15, 1937, of a new schedule of charges which was predicated upon an exhaustive cost-accounting study that had been carried on for 2 years simultaneously with the installation of a modern cost- accounting system. As has previously been outlined, the new schedule

supplanted an old schedule which had been in effect since the early

days of operation of the Government Printing Office and which did not

reflect the changed balance in production costs of various classes of

work brought about by modern production methods. When the new

schedule went into effect our customers noted and called attention to the jobs that were higher in cost under the new schedule, but completely ignored and failed to call attention to the many large jobs that were produced at a much lower cost under the new schedule. This

imdoubtedly is the cause of the feeling which existed during the last

fiscal year that Government printing prices had increased. I am now

happy to say that a better understanding of the conditions exists and

that it is believed that Members of Congress will get more accurate

replies to the second question. The special investigator's report above

referred to found the conditions to be as outlined by the Public Printer, as is indicated by the following paragraphs, which are again quoted as being timely and relevant to this question:

(a) The charges made by the Government Printing Office upon certain classes of printing have been increased in conformity with a new schedule of charges

which became effective on October 15, 1937.

(6) The charges made by the Government Printing Office upon other classes of printing have been decreased in conformity with the new schedule of charges

which became effective on October 15, 1937.

(/) The anticipated over-all results of the operation of the new schedule of prices are identical with the corresponding results of the superseded schedule in that the total charges collected from customer departments and agencies will be

just suflBcient to meet all of the expenses incurred in the operation of the Govern- ment Printing Office. A more convincing answer, however, than any that has yet been

given to the second question is contained in the following comparative

2
statement of the charges for work dehvered during the fiscal years

1930 to 1939, inclusive. The figures contained in this statement maybe checked against the annual reports of this Office for the last 10 fiscal years; they clearly indicate the answer to the question and reveal

that while the number of copies of printed matter delivered to the

various departments and agencies has increased 65 percent during

the last 5 years, the cost of work performed in this Office in. producing

this 65 percent increase in volume has increased only 13 percent.

The percentage increase shown in the last column under total charges

includes charges made to departments for blank paper. But the

point in connection with the table that I particularly would like to emphasize and which is most gratifying to me and to the officials and employees of this Office, whose cooperation has made it possible,

is that during the last 5 years the manufacturing cost for each thousand

copies of printed material delivered to the departments has been

reduced from $3.02 to $2.07. The Government Prmtmg Office feels that this is the answer to the second question.

Comparative statement of the chargesfor work delivered during the fiscalyears 1930 to 7939, inclusive

Fiscal year Number of copies

Charges for composition,

plating, press, binding, authors' altera- tions, and rush work

Charges for paper

Total charges

1930 3, 903, 932, 177

3, 409, 447, 250

3, 403, 609, 436

3, 098, 684, 889

4, 295, 469, 911

5, 013, 078, 631

5, 806, 276, 860

6, 091, 154, 072

6, 524, 377, 197

6, 599, 485, 832

$10, 879.408.67

11, 417, 104. 24

11, 413, 186. 32

10, 860, 031. 13

10, 144, 707. 01

11, 432, 400. 03

12, 734, 713.76

12, 769, 267. 89

12, 307, 059. 03

12, 773, 810. 78

$3, 217, 111. 58

3, 129, 336. 51

2, 920, 194. 03

2, 081, 064. 11

2, 805, 045. 00

5, 032, 626. 94

6, 021, 555. 18

5, 394, 709. 35

5, 652, 257. 03

5, 464, 234. 32

$14, 096, 520. 25

14, 546, 440. 75

14, 333, 380. 35

12, 941, 095. 24

12, 949, 752. 01

16, 465, 026. 97

18, 756, 268. 94

18, 163, 977. 24

17, 959, 316. 06

18, 238, 045. 10

1931

1932

1933

1934 1935

1936

1937

1938 1939 Total, 1930-39 inclusive Total, 1930-34 inclusive Total, 1935-39 inclusive Percent of increase 1935 to 1939 over

1930 to 1934 (5-vear periods) Manufacturing cost per 1,000 copies

(1930-34)

48, 145, 516, 255 116, 731, 688. 86 41, 718, 134. 05 158, 449, 822. 91

18, 111, 143, 663 54, 714, 437. 37 14, 152, 751. 23 68, 867, 188. 60

30, 034, 372, 592 62, 017, 251. 49 27, 565, 382. 82 89, 582, 634. 31

65 13 94 30

$3. 02

$2. 07 Manufacturing cost per 1,000 copies

(1935-39)

Service to the Departments

The principal function of the Government Printing Office is to render the best possible service to Congress and to the departments

3
and to assist them as economically and efficiently as possible to carry

out the functions imposed by law. Previous reports have outlined

the ability of the Office to meet large and urgent demands even beyond department expectations and without disrupting orderly production on current jobs flowing through the Office. The Office is desirous of rendering this assistance not only by delivering their orders in accordance with specifications and within the

time specified but also by aiding them in planning their work for the

most economical methods of production. In order to meet the changing and increasing demands of the departments, the Office is continually improving its plant and equipment; for example, there is outlined, beginning on page 75 of this report, changes and improvements made in our Library printing branch. That these changes and

improvements are helping to solve one of the Library's pressing problems and that they are appreciated by the Library is indicated by the

following letter from Mr. Archibald MacLeish, Librarian of Congress

:

Dear Mr. Giegengack:

Permit me to take this occasion to acknowledge the indispensable assistance rendered in the functioning of the Library of Congress by the branch printing

ofRce and the branch bindery of the Government Printing Office, recently removed

from the main building to our annex. The whole efficacy of our service is dependent upon the swift accomplishment

of numerous and varied processes to which are subjected each of the incredible number of items (books, pamphlets, maps, prints, pieces of music, and manuscripts) which are deposited with us annually. With each of these processes, at one or more stages, printing is involved. Lacking these printed records our

service could be only local and parochial in scope and could not hope, as now, to perform that nation-wide function which makes this a national library. And

this, of course, quite apart from the fact that the printed entries in our catalogs

and our registers are many times more beautiful and legible, and therefore more

useful to the scholar and the investigator, than any other form of record could

be. But we are dependent not only upon the ultimate printing of the record,

but also upon its immediate accomplishment; for not only is our service linked

with them, but that of other libraries all over the country as well. Similarly in our duty as trustee of the literary heritage of the American people we have a solemn obligation to preserve the collections in our custody, while at the same time assuring the freest possible use of them. Conditioned by this dual obligation, binding, mounting, and repair become matters of primary importance.

It was these considerations which 40 years ago persuaded the Public Printer

to establish branch offices in the Library building. The demands upon them

grew with our own growth. In due course the quarters assigned them became

too limited, their staffs too small, and their equipment insufficient. The completion of the annex building, however, made possible the assignment

of more appropriate quarters for the branch bindery and the branch printing office, and permitted the Government Printing Office to expand the plant and make

more effective use of each activity. You have seized this opportunity, and. 4
as a result, production has been increased to a point where a substantial contri- bution is being made towards the reduction of our arrearages in printing and

binding.

I am impressed by the adequacy and efficiency of the mechanical installation

in the branch printing office. The 12 new intertype machines have cleared away

the large arrearage existing a year ago and are capable of performing an even

larger volume of work. The two Babcock Optimus No. 5 cylinder presses are capable of handling the longest runs which we wish to assign without, as formerly,

having to transfer such work to the main ofiice. Two automatic-feed Chandler

and Price job presses make the reprinting of our catalog cards a matter of such simple routine that our previous concern for the up-keep of the card stock has completely disappeared.

The arrangement of the shop permits an even and unidirectional and con- sequently efficient flow of work. The fine succession of the composing machinery,

insulated proofreaders' cages (with provision for 12 readers), proofing, imposing,

and make-up equipment; the array of composition benches and type cabinets; the presses; and finally the powerful Seybold 44-inch cutter and the drilling

machine for boring holes in the catalog cards, provide a remarkable illustration

of the adaptation of modern mechanical equipment to the art so simply practiced

500 years ago, and of the efficiency which may be obtained from intelligent

planning based upon the real conception of a problem. It is necessary only to point out that the branch printing office is now performing all the work which formerly

had to be sent to the main office, such as the monthly registers of copyright

entries; the only work of ours which it is unable to perform is that requiring

ruling, stitching, gumming, or the making of blank books.

Similarly with the branch bindery, the new space in the annex was equipped

and ready for occupancy early in this year, and on two days—March 30 and

March 31, 1939—each binder was able to remove himself, his tools, and his books from his old bench in the main building to his new station in the annex, without any interruption to the work.

Here, as in the printing office, the arrangements permit the steady flow of work

from one end of the shop to the other. The equipment here, as there, has been

selected with a close regard to the function to be performed.

I need hardly say that the presence in our own building of the branch bindery

is absolutely essential to our economy. And here, once more as in the case of printing, it is not only our local service which is served thereby, but our status as

reflected in a nation-wide and even in an international relation. For the cooperation of the United States Government Printing Office and of the Public Printer in securing the important conditions which I have outlined, not only

I and my staff, but all who are in any way affected by the proper functioning of the divisions of the Library, together with the Copyright Office, have cause to be

grateful.

Faithfully yours, Archibald MacLeish, The Librarian of Congress.

Wliile many letters of conunendation have been received by the

Office during the last fiscal year, Mr. MacLeish's letter typifies the

high degree of cooperation that now exists between the Government

Printing Office and the great majority of the agencies that it serves.

5
OUTSTANDING AND UNUSUAL PUBLICATIONS

Among the more than 60,000 tons of printed matter completed annually mider the Government Printing OflGLce imprint, a certain

number of jobs stand out for their imusualness or because of the

production problems involved. These jobs deserve mention because

they best demonstrate the versatility of our mechanical equipment

and also illustrate the outstanding abiKty of our employees, whose

fine spirit of cooperation and responsiveness to demands made upon

them deserve praise and commendation.

Among these was the Agriculture Yearbook, again an outstanding

job of printing, with a total order for 252,260 bound copies of 1,248

pages each, in all a total of 4,919,070 press impressions and requiring a consummate amount of various bindery operations.

An outstanding accompUshment by the pressroom for speed of

production in a limited time was the printing of the Social Security

Hearing consolidated. This hearing consisted of three volimies,

totaling 2,724 pages and four maps, which required 175 signatures

with a grand total of 1,325,250 press impressions. Within 24 hours

after going to press on the early morning of May 24, complete signatures were dehvered to the bindery, enabling the Office to meet the

delivery requested by Congress for May 25. Two other rush jobs were for the Railroad Retirement Board, which

required 3,000,000 copies; one an order for an 8-page booklet with

cover, and the other a 4-page folder. It is commendable that regardless of the ^'rush" nature of these jobs, savings in handling were

effected wherever opportunity offered. For instance, on the first item the copy as submitted to us made 9 pages with a 4-page cover. Through a new make-up, accepted by the Board, the booklet was

reduced to 8 pages, thus permitting an $800 saving on paper stock, a

reduction of 334,000 presswork impressions, and a one-third reduction

in folding time. The copy on this job reached the Office at 4:15 p. m.

on June 1, with a request for delivery as soon as possible but not later

than June 12. The entire order was completed by 1 p. m. June 5. The book ''American Armies and Battlefields in Europe" was dehvered on June 22, 1939. While copy reached the Office as far back

as March 29, 1937, owing to the Commission's attention to detail

and excessive changes in type an earlier delivery could not be made.

This book was prepared under the direction of the American Battle

Monuments Commission as a part of its project to coromemorate in a complete and lasting manner the accomplishments and services of

the American forces in Europe during the World War. It is the result

6
of many years' effort by the Commission, and is a combined guide

to the American battlefields in Europe and a concise history and

reference work covering the activities of the American forces overseas during the period 1917-19. It also gives detailed information concerning the American national cemeteries and World War memorials

in Europe and contains a large amount of interesting miscellaneous

information and general facts concerning the American Expeditionary

Forces. The book comprises 547 pages and is profusely illustrated,

containing 561 oflScial photographs from American, German, and

Allied sources, 120 small maps and sketches of which 27 are in color,

9 colored insert maps and charts, and 3 large colored maps covering

the operations of American divisions in the Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel,

and Meuse-Argonne offensives.

Another large job was the printing of the 2 series of volumes of

the proceedings and papers of the Third World Power Congress,

which made 10 volumes; and the proceedings and papers of the

Second Congress on Large Dams, which made 5 volumes. These

books were originally begun in 1936, when the papers were printed as supplements for use at the World Power Conference and then cor- rected, revised, printed, and finally bound for use of the members of the World Power Conference and Congress on Large Dams.

The United States Statutes at Large, which amount to 5,250 volumes, were boimd by hand, due to the need for sturdiness. After

they had been backed, the boards were laced on with three strings

and then, after headbanding, backlining, and banding, were covered

in full buckram. The Supreme Court reports, amounting to 10,415

volumes; the Foreign Patents, 1,805 volumes; the Indexes to Patents

and Trade Marks, 900 volumes, were other large orders requiring hand

binding. Volumes of this nature must withstand the maximum of

handling when in use, and only the strongest binding will assure their

durability. Machine binding is customary, but is far inferior to handwork.

TYPOGRAPHY AND PRINTING DESIGN

It is gratifying to point out that the attitude of most Government

departments toward better typographical design has improved

considerably. This is important, as it is obvious that the economies

of production and improved appearance of Government printing can

be accomplished only with their cooperation. Through the work of

the Director of Typography we have been able to prove the economies

of good planning and the advantages of the common-sense application

of type and typography.

7
In bringing this condition about we have strived to establish better

relations between the Government Printing Office and the departments in such a manner that they will recognize and take advantage

of our many facilities for their convenience. The advantages in this ar- rangement are twofold: It assures specifications that are in keeping with

the working facilities and materials of the Government Printing Office,

and it provides them with printing at a price within their budgets.

By careful planning we approach the problem of publication

design in an endeavor to obtain reduction in cost through changes

in the make-up and typographic detail, as follows:

1. By reducing the number of operations required for composition

and make-up

(a) elimination of initial letters; (b) elimination of

dashes, rules, and boxes; (c) elimination of run-arounds in straight

matter; (d) elimination of extra assembly operation in subheads;

(e) elimination of nm-in boldface in body of text matter; (/) elim^ination of intricate display composition and complicated page arrangements; (g) substitution of machine for hand operations in headings

and legends for illustrations.

2. By simplifying presswork and bindery operations

(a) planning

the publication to make full-size press forms of 16 or 32 pages and

eliminating odd 4- or 8-page signatures; (6) increasing page capacity

to get same or greater amount of content matter in fewer pages.

3. By adaptation of style and format to Government Printing Office

production facilities

(a) use of body type available on many machines

in both Monotype and Linotype Sections; (b) employment of linotype

composition for straight matter; (c) use of standard-trim sizes and

paper stocks.

4. By employing a style for halftones that eliminates extra hand

work in engraving section

(a) elimination of combinations, cut-outs,

silhouettes, odd shapes, and mortises; (6) by discouraging use of

difficult copy by departments.

The following table based on the aforementioned recommendations

shows some of the advantages and improvements possible and finally

adopted for a current monthly publication:

Item

Size of paper page

Size of type page Amount of paper page utilized by

type page. Width of column Number of characters in 1 column line. Number of lines to column

Page capacity in words Number of square inches in type page.

Size of body type Leading of body type

Present

9Vs. by 11?^ inches.

42K' by 55 picas... 63 percent

131.^ picas.

38_

1,254. 64.... 8 point-.

2 points.

Suggested Same

48 by 58 picas.

74 percent

15 picas. 42

Same.

SameChange

None.

20 percent larger. 17 percent increase.

IK' picas wider.

10 percent more.

3 more lines. 195 more words.

13 square inches in- crease. None.

None.

8
National Park Booklets

Changes in the format of the National Park booklets to bring

about economies has been going on for the past 4 years, and has

reached a point whereby comparisons can be made to show the reduction in cost of manufacture brought about in collaboration with the

Interior Department and National Park Service.

The main factor in this reduction was the elimination of the separate covers and the decision to keep them within 32 pages wherever possible.

The advantages of this arrangement and the reduction in cost can

be readily seen by comparing the cost per page for 1939 with that of

1937 in the table below, which is self-explanatory:

1937 1938 1939

Total charges per page per thousand copies. $2.11 $1.51 $0. 93 Total charges per thousand copies. . 80. 34 52. 97 27. 01 The above figures are based upon the computed charges determined

from the scale of prices in effect at the time of computing the job.

A slight reduction in the offset scale is included in these reductions,

which is not more than 10 percent.

DIVISION OF ACCOUNTS

In view of the importance of the new accounting system mentioned

in my last annual report, the activities of this Division appear for the

first time under a separate heading in this report.

This Division during the fiscal year 1939 has continued to perform

the functions involving the general financing of the Government

Printing Office, including: accounting; bookkeeping; cost recording; current cost analysis; measuring ems of type in composition; computing charges for each printing requisition; studies in connection with

rates and readjustment thereof for over 1,000 printing operations;

statistical studies with regard to efficiency in the operation of machinery, printing methods, and equipment, which have resulted in

appreciable savings and reductions in rates; the preparation and record

keeping in connection with approximately 100,000 bills for the

printing produced during the fiscal year; compilation of accurate

costs of each printing job as the work on the job progressed throughout the plant; preparation of numerous other statistical tables and

statements for use of the Office in general and for the operating divisions in order to assist management officials; mechanical preparation

of the pay rolls and audit of pay rolls; administration of the annual9
and sick-leave laws and regulations; reports with reference to retirement deductions; and various other functions and reports concerning

legal and financial matters. The Division received, checked, and recorded 9,054 purchase orders

during the fiscal year 1939 as compared with 8,054 for the fiscal year

1938. For the fiscal year 1939 there were 13,714 receiving tickets

handled, 9,725 vouchers audited and approved for payment, and 8,355

checks prepared. There were 97,688 jackets handled for the fiscal year 1939 as compared with 95,594 for 1938. During the year 1939

there were 1,929,530,600 ems of type measured, an increase of

54,324,400 over the preceding fiscal year. The last annual report explained in some detail the cost-accounting

and production-control system established for the Government Printing Office. An outline was given of the purposes and expectations

together with a brief description of certain specific accomplishments

so far achieved. Since that time several refinements have been

made which improved the results being obtained.

Throughout this report, under the various productive and administrative titles, references will be found to the work of the Division

of Accounts through numerous cost studies and production investigations. This phase of the cost work is continuous, therefore a complete listing of it would be extensive; also, the information assembled

and the plans proposed are primarily of a definitive or basic nature

and are usually referred to other sources, such as the Production

Control Committee, for execution. The final proof of the value and

effectiveness of the system rests in its reflection in the scale of prices

used for estimating and charging all printing and binding work.

During the year a number of revisions were made in the schedules

of the scale of prices which resulted in a reduction of approximately

$500,000 for an equal amount of work. Proposed revisions under

consideration at the end of the fiscal year will further reduce the

unit charges for departmental work by over $200,000. In some

instances it was necessary to consult with the departments in order

to conform departmental orders with proposed production plans, and

appreciation must be expressed for the cooperation received.

Under the chapter on presswork reference was made to the review

of press equipment for the purpose of determining the most economical means of production, so that a definite program might be developed

for the replacement of press equipment when such replacements are warranted. Many of the presses in the Government Printing Office

today have been in use for more than 20 years; others have become

obsolete through the introduction during the past 10 years of faster

lo
and more flexible presses. In some instances the continued use of

equipment cannot be justified in the light of cheaper and more

efficient presses made available during recent years, and the statistical information concerning the cost of operation will form the

basis for intelligent action in making replacements.

In order to determine the most economical methods of production

with conditions prevailing such as those outlined above, it was not

satisfactory to use tabulations of production as actually performed,

but rather it was necessary to reconsider every order entailing press- work, estimate its production by the most practical equipment

existing in the Office or available on the market, giving due consideration to prior and subsequent operations, and tabulate all of this

information according to sheet sizes and quantities and the character

of the job itself. The result of this investigation was the compilation

and adoption of the program as outlined under Presswork. This

study is to my mind one of the most valuable pieces of research completed to date. It required the review of all work done during the past

2 years, or over 150,000 orders. Due to the machine methods of

accounting used by the division, a major portion of the work was

performed as a rapid mechanical operation.

At the request of the Superintendent of Platemaking, studies were made relative to the individual operation costs involved in stereotyping and electrotyping. Careful analysis and application of these facts

by the Superintendent of Platemaking have led to reductions in the

cost of stereotyping, which in the course of a year will amount to approximately $4,000. Continuous or progressive cost reports covering an experimental period conducted with newly developed methods

and materials in the maldng of electrotyping proved the advantages of

the methods being experimented with, both from the standpoint of cost reduction and in shortening the required time before delivery.

On the basis of the reports prepared, certain changes in production

methods have been started which, upon completion, will result in a reduction of over 10 percent in the unit costs of electrotyping. This

percentage figure wiU mean the production of an amount of electrotypes equal to that of 1939 for approximately $25,000 less than the

cost for 1939.

PRODUCTION CONTROL COMMITTEE

Since its creation a year ago the Production Control Committee has

inaugurated a number of revisions in procedures and methods which

are just now showing results in improving service and relations

between this Office and governmental agencies. II
There has been for several years a rapid increase in the number of

dated publications or periodicals published by the departments for

governmental and public use. Work of this type differs widely from

the class of work usually handled by this Office and upon which we had

established standard practices. Personnel had been trained to the

requirements of the departments prior to this growth of publication

work. An extensive review was made of this production in the Office,

and, following the training of personnel, definite production regulations were drawn up establishing procedure as to composition and

make-up of publication work with the plan in mind of permitting this

Office to reduce its charges to the departments. It was necessary to receive the cooperation of all productive divisions of the Office and to work jointly toward a common aim. The results accomplished to date are extensive. On the publication Extension Service Review,

which is illustrative of the work done, a monthly saving representing

almost 30 percent was effected through changes in the production

methods of the Office. A review by the Accounting Division of the cost of bindery work

subsequent to the production of signature work in the pressroom

showed excessive amounts of time required for preparation of the

signatures before normal binding operations could proceed. Through

investigation it was determined that the method of handling the

signatures in the pressroom required considerable jogging and stacking

upon their receipt in the bindery. Instructions were given for altering

this method, and consequently the savings must eventually be

reflected in reduced prices.

For many years the standards in the Government Printing Office

for the production of pamphlet, book, or multiple-page work have

been the use of 4-, 8-, and 16-page signatures. Through figures made

available from the compilation of individual order costs a large

volume of work was found to exist in 12- and 24-page signatures or

their multiples. Prior practice for this work had been in the production and charging of such signatures in 16-page sizes; however, in the

great majority of cases the departments requested the elimination of

the four blank pages occurring in the signature, thus necessitating

the extra and nonproductive work of bone-cutting or slipping out the

blanks, which cost had to be borne by the departments. The use of a 12-page form will permit the use of a sheet 20 percent smaller and

cheaper, will reduce the time of imposition, will in some cases permit

printing on a faster press, and will eliminate the expensive hand work

of bone-cutting or slipping. The effect of this change will, in the

course of a year, result in many thousands of dollars' savings to 12
Congress and the departments and will permit this Office to speed up

its delivery. The speed-up in many cases may amount to as much

as 50 percent of the total time.

A great volume of work is received from the Department of Agriculture for the printing of Farmers' Bulletins, which are sold through

the Superintendent of Documents in great quantities. A complete

tabulation was gotten of the methods of production of all of these

bulletins for a representative period. The conditions thus pictured

indicated plainly the possibility of standardization of the method of

production. Over 500 orders, totaling between 10 and 12 million

copies, are printed each year, and the plans developed will permit

this Office to produce this work for the Agriculture Department at a

price much below the present one, proportional savings will also be

realized by the Superintendent of Documents. Possibilities for reductions following the principles involved in this work exist in work for

all departments and are being adopted as rapidly as the limitations

of equipment of the Office will permit.

The work of the Production Control Committee requires the

cooperation of the foremen and group chiefs of all sections of the Office,

and it should be definitely stated that at no time during the year was

there any lack of enthusiasm on their part. Probably of equal benefit

with the work actually accomplished by the Production Control

Committee is the development of this cooperative attitude being taken

by all supervisors. For many years past emphasis has been placed on delivery. It is only during recent years that the emphasis has

been spread equally over costs, methods of production, and service.

Thus, the thinldng of production in terms of cost is an accomplishment for which the Production Control Committee should receive no httle praise, especially since this has been accomplished without

loss of quality or service. It can be said confidently that the coming

year will see reductions in cost and improvement in production more

than equal to those accomplished during the past year. PERSONNEL

In order to carry out the Executive order of June 24, 1938, the

Public Printer issued the following administrative order:

Administrative Order No. 1 CREATION OF THE DIVISION OF PERSONNEL

January 31, 1939. Executive Order No. 7916, dated June 24, 1938, reads in part as follows: "Section 6. Effective not later than February 1, 1939, the heads of the executive departments and the heads of such independent establishments and agencies

13
subject to the Civil Service laws and rules as the President shall designate, shall establish in their respective departments or establishments a Division of Per- sonnel Supervision and Management, at the head of which there will be appointed a Director of Personnel qualified by training and experience, from among those whose names are certified for such appointment by the Civil Service Commission

pursuant to such competitive tests and requirements as the Civil Service Commission shall prescribe. * * *

*'It shall be the duty of each Director of Personnel to act as liaison officer in personnel matters between his department or establishment and the Civil Service Commission and to make recommendations to the departmental budget officer with respect to estimates and expenditures for personnel. He shall supervise the functions of appointment, assignment, service rating, and training of employees in his department or establishment, under direction of the head thereof,

and shall initiate and supervise such programs of personnel training and management as the head thereof, after consultation with the Civil Service Commission,

shall approve, including the establishment of a system of service rating for departmental and field forces outside of the Classification Act of 1923, as amended,

which shall conform as nearly as practicable with the system established under

the said act. Subject to the approval of the head of such department or estab- lishment and of the Civil Service Commission he shall establish means for the hearing of grievances of employees and present appropriate recommendations for the settlement thereof to the head of his department or establishment. He

shall serve as a member of the Council of Personnel Administration * * * and perform such other functions as the head of the department or agency, after a consultation with the Civil Service Commission, shall prescribe. * * * " Pursuant to the provisions of the Executive order above quoted, there is hereby created in the Government Printing Office, effective February 1, 1939, a Division of Personnel to carry into effect the purpose and intent of the said

order. The Division of Personnel will be headed by a Director of Personnel and an

Assistant Director of Personnel and will be composed of the following units: Board of Wage and Salary Review.

Efficiency Rating Review Board.

Grievance Board.

Medical, Safety, and Health Section. Recruitment, Selection, and Placement

Section.

Appointment, Retirement, and Records

Section.

Classification and Organizational Survey

Section. Employees' Relations and Welfare Section. Training Section. The Board of Wage and Salary Review.—The Board of Wage and Salary Review

will consist of the Comptroller, as chairman, the Chief Clerk, and the head of the Division in which the individual or trade under consideration is employed. The

duties of this Board will be to hear appeals concerning wages and salaries sub- mitted by the employees and referred to the Board by the Director of Personnel; and, after holding hearings and making necessary studies and investigations, to make recommendations to the Director of Personnel as to the action to be taken;

to carry out the duties imposed upon the Public Printer by Title 44, Section 40, U. S. Code, which duties are to determine rates of wages, including compensation

for night and overtime work, for more than ten employees of the same occupation

14
after conferences with committees selected by the trades affected, such rates to become effective upon the approval of the Public Printer and the Joint Committee

on Printing.

The Efficiency Rating Review Board.—The Efficiency Rating Review Board will consist of the Comptroller, as chairman, the Superintendent of Platemaking, and

the Chief Clerk. The duties of this Board will be to instruct the rating and

reviewing officers concerning the preparation of efficiency ratings involving

employees under their jurisdiction; to hold hearings with the rating and reviewing

officers prior to the forwarding of the efficiency-rating notices to the employees,

principally with the idea of reviewing the work done by the rating and reviewing

officers to determine that proper procedures are followed and that the ratings are

in proper form; to hold hearings in individual cases where employees received

unsatisfactory ratings and to make recommendations as to the retention or dis- missal of the employees receiving such ratings; to hold hearings and to make

recommendations in cases involving efficiency ratings contested by the employees.

The Grievance Board.—The Grievance Board will consist of the Assistant Director of Purchases, as chairman, the Assistant Chief Clerk, the Assistant Comptroller, the Assistant Superintendent of Presswork, and such additional members as may be approved from time to time. The duties of this Board will be to hold hearings on questions raised by dissatisfied employees and referred to the Board by the Director of Personnel, such questions not having been concluded

satisfactorily to the employee by the Employees' Relations Section of the Division

of Personnel; the Board, after holding hearings and taking testimony, will submit

its recommendations to the Director of Personnel; to hold hearings on recom- mendations for discipHnary action made by the line officers, such recommendations

having been referred to the Board for its consideration and recommendations by

the Director of Personnel. The Medical, Safety, and Health Section.—The Medical, Safety, and Health

Section will consist of a Director, Assistant Director, and such other employees

as may be found necessary. The functions of the section will be to give medical

examination to employees entering on duty and to those employees who have

been absent for long periods on sick leave and to make recommendations to the Director of Personnel as to the ability of such employees to return to duty; to render first aid and emergency medical attention to employees injured while on duty or becoming ill while on duty; to maintain the Emergency Hospital and

emergency room; to review applications for sick leave and to make recommendations from a medical standpoint as to the acceptability of such applications; to investigate through a visiting nurse employees absent on sick leave for the purposes of rendering such assistance as possible to destitute employees and discovering abuses of the sick-leave laws ; and to make recommendations to the Director

of Personnel tending to improve the general health and safety conditions of the

Office. The Recruitment, Selection, and Placement Section.—The Recruitment, Selection,

and Placement Section will perform the necessary functions involved in the developing, establishing, and carrying out of procedures for the investigation, re- cruitment, and selection of the best available eligibles for positions; cooperating

with the chiefs of the various divisions and with the Civil Service Commission in arranging for examinations to meet the needs of the Office; conducting research

for improvement in selection processes; cooperating with the Training Section in determining quahfications and standards for positions to be filled by reinstate- 15
ment, new appointments, transfers, and promotions. This section will operate in conjunction with and as a part of the Appointment, Retirement, and Records

Section. Appointment, Retirement, and Records Section.—The functions of the Appointment, Retirement, and Records Section are to establish, maintain, and carry out

existing laws and Civil Service regulations and decisions relating to appointments

and other personnel matters: to formulate recommendations with respect to budget estimates for expenditures involving personnel ; cooperate with Training and

Placement Sections in determining qualification standards for personnel; to

initiate and prescribe procedures to facilitate action on appointments and the

satisfactory filling of positions; to prepare and maintain all personnel records for

services, retirement, leave, personnel journals, etc. This section will consist of a

Chief of Section, Assistant Chief, and such other personnel as may be found

necessary.

Classification and Organizational Survey Section.—The functions of the Classification and Organizational Survey Section will be to formulate, develop, and

carry out plans and procedures pertaining to the classification of positions other than those in the trades; to determine that salary rates of persons in the trades

are in conformity with the duties performed; to conduct surveys of positions and

personnel arrangements in the various divisions and to make reports and recom- mendations concerning efficiency, personnel management, personnel relationship,

and economy; to prepare job specifications and keep current the classification- control records of changes and duties and responsibilities of all classes of positions; to coordinate and establish uniformity and consistency in job allocations and

assignments; to maintain current organization and functional charts; to draft reports and personnel orders for approval by the Director of Personnel relating to classification changes; to review recommendations and to investigate any

apparent irregularities and infractions of laws, Civil Service rules, and regulations

pertaining thereto; to supervise and maintain the personnel classification files and the comprehensive control system for the entire personnel of the Office; and

to make such other investigations and perform such other duties as are consistent with the general functions of this section. The personnel of this section will consist of a Chief of Section, an Assistant Chief, and such other employees as may be found necessary. Employees' Relations and Welfare Section.—The functions of the Employees

Relations and WeKare Section will be to hear and adjust grievances and complaints of employees; to conduct such administrative investigations as may be

necessary to develop important facts when necessary; to devise procedures for consideration of disciplinary measures and penalties to the end that they shall be consistent and just; to make reports to the Director of Personnel concerning

disciplinary matters and questions of personnel grievances that cannot be settled to the satisfaction of the employee; to make reports to the Director of Personnel

involving findings of undesirable conditions of employment. The personnel of

this section will include such employees as the Director of Personnel may find necessary. Training Section.—The functions of the Training Section will be to develop,

establish, and carry out complete courses of training for apprentices for the purpose of providing quaUfied employees to meet necessary requirements of the

Office for filling positions in the various trades; to develop, establish, and carry out programs for the purpose of training employees; to formulate programs for i6
consistent methods of training for promotion within the service; to review

efficiency ratings and to design training courses to correct the weaknesses revealed by the ratings; and to make such other studies and surveys as will insure that employees are given the opportunity to use to the best advantage their qualifica- tions and talents. The personnel of this section will consist of a Chief of Section, an Assistant Chief, three instructors, and such other employees as may be found

necessary.

Director of Personnel.—The present Administrative Assistant to the Public

Printer, Mr. Russell H. Herrell, having qualified as required by the Civil Service Commission, is hereby appointed Director of Personnel and in addition to those

duties now performed by him is hereby authorized and directed to supervise

and manage the Division of Personnel and to carry out the functions enumerated

in the said Executive order.

All existing orders and procedures inconsistent with this order are hereby

abolished. A. E. GlEGENGACK,

Public Printer. While the Division has been functioning along the lines indicated

above, it has been greatly handicapped by lack of proper space in

which to set up and train the individual sections in the technical

duties required of each section. Progress has been made, however,

and I am pleased to report that the personnel procedures of the

Government Printing Office are now on a sounder basis than they

have ever been before. Improvement has been made in our work of recruitment, classification, promotion, training, and employees'

relations, and plans for further improvement in these and all other

phases of personnel administration are well under way. The move

into the new building will give the Office the space it needs in order

properly to handle this work. The technical advice and assistance

the Office is receiving through the Federal Council of Personnel

Administration, of which the Director of Personnel is a member, will enable it to modernize and put on a soimd and uniform basis all of its personnel work.

There was an increase of 135 in the number of employees on the

rolls of the Office at the close of June 30, 1939. The total number

on this date was 5,544, as compared with 5,409 on June 30, 1938.

During the year 90 employees of the Office were retired—49 on

account of age, 23 on account of disability, and 18 who took advantage

of the clause in Section 1 of the Retirement Act, approved May 29,

1930, which permits of retirement at employee's option for those

who are eligible for retirement at the age of 70 years, 65 years, or 62 years, as the case may be, after they have attained the age of 68,

63, or 60 years, respectively, providing they have had at least 30 years

of service. Of the 90 employees who retired during the past year, 76 were men and 14 were women.

I?
The following summarized statement shows all changes in per- sonnel during the past fiscal year:

Appointments 468

Separations 333

Retirements 90

Deaths 32

On rolls June 30, 1939 5, 544

Visitors conducted through the Office by our guides during the

fiscal year numbered 895; of this number 103 were from foreign

countries.

BUILDING PROGRAM

My last annual report contained a detailed description of the new

warehouse building which was completed February 4, 1938, and the

new H Street annex building, construction of which was only well

begun. Such excellent progress has been made during the past 12

months that this building will be practically completed and ready

for occupancy during January 1940.

Permission has been given for limited use of the third and fourth

floors of the new annex to erect printing presses. By January 1, 1940, about 30 new presses wiU have been installed and ready for

operation. After that date the moving of presses and other equipment will proceed as rapidly as possible without stopping production

in any department. All production work through presswork will be

carried on in the new annex, and all binding operations will be done

in the present old main building. The completed product will therefore be shipped from the old building or will be delivered in that

building to the Superuitendent of Documents for stock, sale, and

distribution.

The annex bmlding construction contract lacludes the enlargement

of the shipping platform hi the old main buildiag. This work can- not be started until this Office has moved approximately a score of

printing presses into the new pressrooms in order to vacate the space

for the enlarged shippiag platform. When completed, the platform

will accommodate 9 trucks at one time, as compared with loading

space for only 3 of our fleet of 32 trucks at the present platform.

This will reheve what has been a very serious congestion.

The work of replacing the 35-year old obsolete direct-current electric wiring ia the old main building has been started under a separate

contract. The new service will supply 60-cycle alternating current

to lighting, new elevators, and some other power appHcations in the

old building. The old guard- and fire-alarm systems will also be

modernized.

l8
Plans are being made for the replacement of the 35-year-old elevators, which are obsolete and entirely inadequate in load capacity.

After the completion and occupancy of the new annex and the

vacating of the leased warehouse at 613 G Street NW., the following

space will be occupied by this Office:

Building numberDate completed Usual designation Gross floor area

12

34

1903

1930 1940

1938

Old Main Building _ . ... Sq.ft.

468, 738

178, 504

564, 639

162, 400 G Street Extension H Street Annex ... .... ... Warehouse ..... . . Total 1, 374, 281 The Library branch of this Office occupies an additional net 21,971

square feet of floor space in the new Congressional Library Annex, and

has been referred to elsewhere in this report.

Particular thanks are due the Public Buildings Administration of the Federal Works Agency for its splendid cooperation in carrying out our building program. The new warehouse and annex buildings are well designed to meet our special requirements, and the supervision

of the construction has been excellent. The completed buildings,

consequently, are highly satisfactory.

MAINTENANCE DIVISION

The past year has been an unusually busy one for the Maintenance

Division, as, in addition to the usual engineering, operating, construction, and maintenance work, there has been much extra work in con- nection with planning for new equipment and moving into the new

annex building.

The Machine Section, in repairs, maintenance, and new work, re- corded a total of nearly 20,000 jobs with a value of approximately

$146,000. The jobs vary from routine grinding of cutting-machine

knives and filing saws to overhauling our most complicated production

machinery and building special equipment for some of our special

requirements.

The Carpenter and Paint Section made approximately 20,000 new

boxes and repaired nearly 3,000, most of which were for tabulatingcard use by various Government departments. For this and other

work the shop used 362,000 board feet of lumber, of which nearly 200,-

000 board feet were reclaimed from incoming shipping boxes, crates,

and skids. An unusual job was the construction of a wooden repre- sentation of an open book measuring 10 by 8 feet and 14 inches thick

19
for use in connection with the Superintendent of Documents' exhibit at Tampa, Fla., in February.

The Electrical Section installs and maintains all electrical equipment,

including many complicated automatic control devices. During the

year approximately 33,000 maintenance, repair, and installation jobs were completed. Because it is impossible to standardize on one or a few makes, the great variety of equipment in use adds greatly to the

complexity of this maintenance work.

The Pipe and Sheet Metal Section maintains our extensive plumbing, heating, piping, duct, and tube systems, and other sheet-metal

equipment. Particularly noteworthy has been the construction of substantial metal equipment to replace old wooden equipment.

The Power Section operating records on electric, steam, gas, and

other service give a valuable history of the growth of the Office. In- creased mechanization of production is clearly indicated by the continual increase in the amount of power per employee that is being used.

This year, for the first time in the history of the Office, the annual

power consumption passed the 10,000,000 kilowatt-hour mark. The

ratio now stands 1,820 kilowatt hours per employee per year as compared with 1 ,470 five years ago, an increase of 24 percent. When operation of the new annex is begun, with air-conditioning for pressrooms,

this figure will take a decidedly further jump.

PURCHASING DIVISION

During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, the Purchasing Division

placed 9,072 orders, involving total expenditures for purchases of

approximately $6,430,195. Open-market proposals for material and

paper numbered approximately 20,000 and for illustrations 375.

By closely watching the paper market and the trends therein and

by placing orders for standard stocks at the most opportune time as indicated by such trends, an actual saving of $41,982.12 was effected

during the year. The Purchasing Division was able to secure by transfer from other

departments to this Office during the fiscal year 1939 surplus property

valued at $2,913.

Proposals for material were sent in April 1939 for the term of 1 year

beginning July 1, 1939, and ending June 30, 1940, to approximately

625 prospective bidders, which resulted in the placing of 64 contracts. Proposals for paper were sent in October 1938 to approximately 150

firms for the 6-month term beginning January 1, 1939, and in April

1939 for the 6-month term beginning July 1, 1939, which resulted in

the placing of 25 contracts for the first 6-month period and 20 con- 20
tracts for the second 6-nionth period. Proposals for envelopes for the year begmrdng July 1, 1939, were issued in April to approximately

50 prospective bidders, resulting in the placing of 8 contracts. Five contracts for the sale and disposal of various classes of old

material and one for the removal of debris were entered into for the

year beginning July 1, 1939.

New Equipment

New equipment purchased during the past year for various

Divisions are as follows:

Binding Division.—One machine for cleaning book cases; 2 frictiontype feeders; 1 Hickok disk ruling machine; 1 Fairbanks springless

dial scale; 15 package-sealing machines; 2 Pleger book-cover finishing

and stamping machines; 3 Boston stitcher heads; three 5,000-pound

lift trucks.

Library Binding Branch.—Two Pleger book-backing machines;

4 steel cabinets; one 44-inch automatic spacing cutting machine;

1 multiple-spindle paper-drilling machine; 1 bench grinder; 7 hand

book presses; 2 pneumatic book presses; 1 board-cutting shear;

1 Pleger book-cover finishing and stamping machine; 1 Morrison

wire-stitching machuie; 1 cabinet for leather; 2 cabinets for paper;

120 metal-edge pressboards; 11 racks for pressboards.

Composing Division.—Thirty-eight toggle bases and chases; 3,000

toggle hooks; 1 machinist's bench; 2 monotype molds; 22 type cases; 2 Margach metal feeders; three 3,000-watt monotype casting pots;

10,100 steel galleys; 10 galley cabinets; 50 chases; 10 chase cabinets;

1 imposing surface proof press; 2 Miller saw trimmers; 2 improved

Ludlow typographs.

Library Composing Branch.—Ten 12- by 18-inch semisteel chases;

1 lead cutter; 1 Margach metal feeder; 1 automatic inking attachment

for proof press; 1 Universal composing-room saw trimmer; 1 geared

line-up and register table; 1 hft truck; 2 roller cabinets; 1 chase rack;

4 misceUaneous tables. Delivery Section.—Three 5,000-pound hand Hft trucks; 2 half-ton

auto dehvery trucks.

Maintenance Division.—One sheet-metal bending brake; 1 electric

drill; one 100-inch automatic knife grinder; 1 free wheel lift for autos;

2 program machines; 2 electric pumps; 1 flexible shaft machme;

one 30-inch cabinet-type surfacer. Planning Division (Layout Section).—One all-metal view camera;

1 enlarging camera with fluorescent iUumination; 1 professional

printer.

21
Platemaking Division.—One bending machine for electrotype plates;

1 circular screen and rotary holder; 1 Routrimmer for plates; 1 combination washing and drying machine.

Presswork Division.—Two Babcock Optimus presses, size 5, for

Congressional Library branch; 9 single-color Miehle presses, size No.

56 ; 1 two-color Miehle press; 1 Chandler and Price press, 10- by 15-inch;

3 post lightning envelope presses; 3 ink agitators; 120 final base blocks;

200 plate catches; 1 Presto drier; 1 automatic jogging transfer table. Stores Division.—Twelve 7,500-pound trailer trucks.

Divisions of Tests and Technical Control.—One air-conditioning

plant for testing rooms ; 3 metal pots for metal room. WORK RELEASED BY THE PUBLIC PRINTER

Under the authority contained in Section 14, Title 44, U. S. Code,

during the fiscal year 1939 the Public Printer authorized the various

departments to purchase direct for their own use printing and binding valued at approximately $2,000,000. An analysis of this work

which the Government Printing Office was not suitably equipped to handle economically shows that a large percentage of it was fanfold

and continuous-form printing and that the demands by the departments for this type of printing are rapidly increasing, A study of

the charges made for some of this work reveals a fluctuation in price

that is difficult to understand. To those famihar with the methods

used in producing the forms, in many cases the prices charged the

departments for this work appear to be exorbitant. If the demand

for this type of work continues to increase and the prices charged

therefor do not fall more in fine with what it is believed they should

be, it will be necessary for this Office to give serious consideration to the installation of equipment needed for the production of these

forms, and, pending the installation of such equipment, to resume

the buying of such printing for the departments.

DEPARTMENTAL DUPLICATING PLANTS

Criticism of the volume and nature of printing matter put out by

the Federal Government continued throughout the year. In many

cases criticisms were based upon isolated and exceptional occurrences

and, while being sincere, were apparently made without an opportunity to study and analyze conditions, for, as I stated in my last annual report (page 20), they are not justified by the actual facts. To substantiate this it is only necessary to recall that the increase in

funds for printing has lagged far behind the increases allowed by

Congress for other governmental activities, and this notwithstanding

22
the fact that many of the new duties placed upon the departments

and agencies by statute made it necessary for them to send out great

volumes of printed matter in order properly to carry out their duties

and to inform the people of the United States as to the rights and

benefits that had been conferred upon them by law.

Under the conditions outlined in my last annual report, and as they exist today, I feel it my duty to point out to the Members of Congress and particularly to the appropriation committees that if they are to take cognizance of these criticisms and are still of the

opinion, after a thorough consideration of all the facts, that further

limitations upon printing are necessary, the remedy does not lie in

reducing the printing appropriations. This is due to the fact that a cut in a printing appropriation usually forces the department to turn

to other appropriations over which there is no control or limitation

from a printing standpoint for the funds necessary to produce in

their own printing and dupUcating plants work that would be ordered

from the Government Printing Office had the cut not been made.

In addition to this, cuts in printing appropriations would in many

instances seriously handicap the departments in carrying out their

fimctions. This leads again to the question discussed in previous

reports, as to what control, if any, is necessary, possible, or advisable over the so-called duphcating plants in the departments. It is rec- ognized that these plants serve a useful purpose in the department

in that in many instances they expedite the work of the department

and result in a saving in the department's printing appropriation.

For these reasons and in view of the fact that the Public Printer is making every effort to cooperate with the departments to the fullest extent in furthering the better interests of the Government as a

whole, he has taken, so far, no definite action to carry out the provisions of section 60, Title 44, U. S. Code, which states that all printing offices in the departments shaU be under the Public Printer. This

is notwithstanding the fact that a great percentage of the work done in

these plants, particularly that requiring the use of the multilith, is a

direct violation of the law requiring that all printing be done at the

Government Printing Office. There was outlined in last year's report the efforts that were being

made by the departmental representatives (acting as a committee),

the Joint Committee on Printing, and the Bureau of the Budget to solve the problem as to the work that should be done in the Government Printing Office and that which could be done in the departments, by the issuance of a definition which attempted to define the

term ''printing" as used in the Federal statutes. I regret to report

23
that there have been no material results from these earnest efforts to

clarify the situation. I believe that this is due principally to the fact

that in drawing the definition a greater attempt was made to cover the

situation as it now exists in the departments than actually to outline

what Congress had in mind when it used the term "printing". For

this reason the definition did not rest upon a sound basis and was bound to cause further confusion. The situation as it now stands is that while the law definitely states that all printing shall be done at the Government Printing Office, much of it is not, because it is felt that in some cases it is more expeditious and economical to evade the

law. This is intended merely to give a brief picture of the condition

and is not intended as a criticism of anyone, as those responsible

for the work in the departments are given definite jobs to do and are endeavoring to carry them out as satisfactorily as possible. It is also known that a number of the departments do not realize that the

equipment they are using is printing equipment. They have never

seen the offset process, for example, and do not realize that it is one

of the three general classes of printing. They have been misled to believe that the equipment they are using is not printing equipment

but "duplicating equipment," "processing equipment," etc.; that,

for example, the multilith process is something new and is not covered

by the term "printing." That this is erroneous and is only confusing

the issue is well known throughout the graphic arts industry by all printers and by all well-informed users of printing, and has been

recognized by the courts, as is indicated by a decision recently handed

down by the Supreme Court of Michigan in the case of Franklin

De Kleine Co. v. The State. In this case the court held with refer- ence to this subject as follows:

There are three general kinds or classes of printing known to the trade and in general use, namely: relief or letter-press printing, intaglio printing, and offset printing. The exact nature of the first two classes is apparently not in any way

involved in the present controversy. In offset printing the production is from a

plate, the image to be reproduced being on the surface thereof and slightly projected by ink placed thereon. The printing is not done directly from the plate,

but the image is transferred to a rubber blanket and thence to the paper or other substance used to receive it. The plate, which may be produced in various ways,

is a necessary part of the process. The conclusion seems to be justified that such

method of printing is in common use, and that such was the fact prior to the adoption of the present State constitution. Various types of machines intended for use in offset printing are manufactured

and used in the United States. Plaintiff employs the so-called Harris press. The method of operation of the multilith presses, or machines, installed in the

various State departments above referred to is essentially the same in principle as the method involved in the use of the Harris press and other machines used in 24
offset printing. In other words, the principle of the multilith machine is essentially that of offset printing generally. The use of the plate is an essential part

of the process. The production of pamphlets, forms, cards, labels, etc., on the

multilith press is, in fact, production by the offset-printing method.

If Congress and the departments really wish to control the volume

of printing done in the departments, the printing act should be

amended to authorize departmental printing plants and to place the

control of the work they are to handle in the hands of a committee

of three composed of (1) a representative of the Bureau of the Budget,

designated by the Director thereof; (2) a representative of the Government Printing Office, designated by the Public Printer; and (3) a

representative of the department or agency concerned, designated by

the head thereof. For the purpose of getting uniform action throughout the service, the first two members would form a permanent committee with the third member sitting only when questions affecting

his department were under consideration—the departmental repre- sentative being changed as the permanent committee transferred its considerations from one department to another. This committee

should be given the authority to determine (1) the type of work that

could be more expeditiously and economically handled in the departments on the kind of equipment in question, and (2) the kind of

matter that could be more expeditiously and economically handled

in the Government Printing Office, where larger, faster, and more

permanent equipment is used. In addition to the authority placed

in this committee to determine where the different classes of matter

are to be reproduced, the Public Printer should have authority to determine (1) the type and amount of equipment to be carried in each

department and (2) the authority to determine that it was efficiently

and properly used. The committee's authority to determine the kind

of material that should be reproduced in the department should carry

with it the authority to prevent the printing of any material in the

department's duplicating plants that was not approved by the committee. The Public Printer's authority to determine that each plant

contain only such equipment as necessary to handle the department's

approved needs and that such equipment be efficiently operated,

should carry with it all authority necessary to enforce his findings.

It is believed that the enactment of legislation to carry out the

general idea briefly outlined above—after it has been perfected and

improved by the comments, suggestions, and recommendations of all interested agencies—is the only way to legalize what is now being

done, and the only sound basis upon which to set up controls of this

type of work—if Congress decides that further controls are necessary.

25
APPRENTICE SCHOOL

During the year several attacks by employee organizations and others were made upon the Government Printing Office Apprentice School.

The following letter, addressed to a Congressman and referred by him

to this Office for consideration, is quoted as typical of these attacks:

I take this privilege of writing you to ask your intercession and influence in the curtailment of apprentices in the Government Printing Office when the budget

for that branch of Government service is presented for your approval. The

apprentices under the jurisdiction of the International Typographical Union

have for some time past had their term extended from five to six years—this step having been undertaken on the premise that youths would not look invit- ingly upon a trade which called for such a lengthy indenture. At present there are hundreds of skilled craftsmen unemployed and it doesn't seem consistent to have young men master the "art" when there is no guarantee

of gainful employment facing them upon their elevation to journeymen. In the

printing industry as in numerous other fields the genius of the inventive mind

has achieved miracles—all of which are irrevocable, irreproachable, and certainly a priceless heritage to the craftsman. However, even though the I. T. U. was a

pioneer in the forty-hour week—the dilemma of the unemployed still persists.

Realizing that if these major efforts of our organization towards rehabilitation and stability were brought to your attention, I have asked for your intervention

of excessive apprenticeships in the G. P. O. where, I am given to understand,

they are hired in mass numbers.

Please accept my sincere thanks for any effort you are desirous of exerting in the serious and exigent situation. The Public Printer addressed the following letter as a reply to the

above:

I have the honor to reply to your letter of transmitting a communication from Mr. . This Office has given very serious consideration to the question raised by Mr. and cannot help but feel that he is unduly alarmed and certainly mis- informed on some points. For example, he states that "the Government Printing

Office hires apprentices in mass numbers," while the fact is that since the reopening

of the apprentice school on October 16, 1935, there have been hired and assigned

to our composing division only 90 individuals, who are now in the various stages of learning the work of compositors, makers-up, imposers, proofreaders, revisers, copy preparers, slug-casting machine operators, monotype keyboard operators,

and the other highly specialized operations in which the members of the Typographical Union employed in this Office are engaged.

The law authorizes the employment of 200 apprentices and reads in part as

follows

:

The Public Printer may employ, at such rates of wages and salaries, including compensation for night and overtime work, as he may deem for the interest of the Government and just to the persons employed, except as otherwise provided herein, such journeymen, apprentices, laborers, and

other persons as may be necessary for the work of the Government Printing

Office; but he shall not, at any time, employ more persons than the neces- 26
sities of the public work may require or more than two hundred apprentices

at any one time. Mr. 's statement that "it doesn't seem consistent to have young men master

the 'art' when there is no guarantee of gainful employment facing them upon their elevation to journeymen" is not applicable to the apprentices in the Government

Printing Office, as the only reason for hiring and training them is to make certain that the Office will have available for key positions skilled craftsmen who have

been trained in the procedures necessarily followed in producing Government

work. In a plant as large and as highly specialized as the Government Printing

Office, without key employees so trained it would be impossible for this Office to function as smoothly, efficiently, and as economically as it does. Therefore all apprentices hired who satisfactorily complete their five-year course are given posi- tions as craftsmen immediately upon the completion of the course. Mr. and all others raising the same question may be assured that the

Public Printer, who has been a member of the Typographical Union for many

years and as a result of his experience in the industry, both as an employee and as an employer, is thoroughly conversant with the conditions existing therein, will continue to limit the number of apprentices employed by the Government Printing

Office to the minimum required for the purposes indicated.

If I may be of further service to you in this or any other matter, please let me

know.

The Apprentice School in the Government Printing Office is con- ducted for specific purposes, which are twofold: (1) to assure the

organization of an adequate reserve of efficient and dependable

workers; and (2) to give the more adept and efficient apprentices

sufficient knowledge of industrial practices to prepare them for key

positions when future vacancies are to be filled. Because of the enormous volume of printing executed in the Office and the specialized

character of much of it and because of the many detailed ramifications

connected with the manufacturing process, few skilled workers

trained in commercial fields are found sufficiently versatile or capable

of handling some of the Office work. Experience has shown that only

through painstaking study and preparation and through years of

experience are men made capable of fuffiUing many of the administrative and specialized positions in this Office. With this administrative responsibility in mind, the Public Printer

not only reopened the Apprentice School in 1935 but also has deemed

it a wise precautionary measure to appoint two classes of apprentices.

The first class, appointed in 1935, consisted of 100 apprentices; and

the second class, appointed in 1938, consisted of 50 apprentices.

Due to separations there are at present 90 in training in the Composing

Division; 22 in the Press Division; 23 in the Bookbinding Division;

3 in the Machine Shop Section; and 2 each in the Photoengraving,

Electromolding, Electrofinishing, and Stereotyping Sections.

The plan followed by the school is one in which a broad general

27
training is given to all apprentices during the first 6 months of apprenticeship. The apprentices are assigned to each of the printing

divisions for a predetermined period of time. This procedure provides

training in, and affords a general idea of, the several trade branches in

the Office. The opportunity for providing such a general printing

education does not exist in other apprentice-training establishments nor trade-training schools throughout the country.

The same broad educational features are followed in the training

of apprentices in each particular trade branch. The apprentices are

periodically changed from one class of work to another within the

section, and from one section to another within a division. One of

the aims of the school is to train apprentices for as many different

classes of work as possible in order that they may be prepared to work

in any department or on any kind of work where their services may

be needed. With a general knowledge of the work of other trade

branches, with a practical knowledge of trade skill within a particular

trade branch, and with an enriched backgroimd of information of

subject matter relating to their respective trades, the apprentices of

the Government Printing Office are showing every indication of

acquiring a promising trade education.

Monthly reports from teachers and foremen show that apprentices

have, as a whole, maintained the high average in work performance

established over the three previous years. These reports have not

only been encouraging to those actively engaged in teaching but also gratifying to those responsible for the administration of school

activities. Upon graduation, our apprentices should possess a sympathetic understanding of employee problems in other branches

and be able to work toward closer and smoother cooperation between

divisions.

Aside from regular school printing, the Apprentice Section printed

Office forms approximating in value $8,200. This work, selected

and accepted for its teaching possibilities, is substituted for many

lesson exercises of a less practical nature. Last year several of the apprentices won recognition in the typographic field. One composing apprentice was awarded second prize

in a nation-wide contest sponsored by a trade magazine. His score

of 53 was only 4 points under that of the winner, who received 57. Four others received honorable mention in the same contest. In a nation-wide typographic contest sponsored by the Inter- national Association of Printing House Craftsmen, two more composing-room apprentices received honor-roll awards from the Inter- national Typographical Union School for the high averages they

28
received in the union's course of instruction. Their averages were

98.19, 97.78, and 95.64 percent, respectively.

On the basis of employed union printers, the ratio of apprentices

to journeymen in the commercial field is approximately one to 14. In the Government Printing Office with 1,355 compositor pruiters

employed at this time, the ratio stands at approximately 1 apprentice

to every 15 compositor printers.

HEALTH AND WELFARE ACTIVITIES

Emergency Hospital

During the fiscal year 1938 the Emergency Hospital gave a total of

26,426 treatments to employees of the Office. Of this niunber 4,806 were for injuries received while on duty; 2,553 surgical treatments for

other than injuries received while on duty, which enabled the employees to remain at work and perform efficient service with little or no

loss of time; 12,224 treatments for medical conditions; and 6,843

retreatments. In addition to the surgical and medical treatments rendered to employees of the Office by the Emergency Hospital staff, 489 physical

examinations were made of new employees on eutering the service,

and 1,035 physical examinations were made in determining the employee's physical fitness for certain occupations and in checking the

relationship between occupations and physical conditions.

The increase in medical treatments was due in some measure to the

epidemic of grippe during the winter months. The increase in the

number of injuries in the Office is accounted for by the intensive efforts made to have aU cases, no matter how trivial, reported immediately.

Last year reference was made to the appointment of a visiting nurse and the purposes for which she was appointed. During the past

year the visiting nurse called on 2,086 employees who had reported iU. The following projects to improve the health and safety of the employees while at work were undertaken during the past year:

A survey of the entire plant was made to determine the manner of

using benzol and the quantities in which it was used. Newer methods

of safe handling were recommended and carried out in those operations

in which the use of benzol was essential, and substitutes were recom- mended in those instances where benzol was not particularly necessary. This survey has resulted in absolute control of all benzol used

in the plant from the standpoint of health and safety of the employees

engaged in its use. 29
Two-handed safety devices were installed on five cutting machines.

These devices absolutely preclude tripping the knife of the machine

imless both hands are on levers and remote from the knife.

Revolving grips were installed on the handles of the cranks on the

roll lifts used on four postal-card and money-order presses. This was

done to prevent slipping of the employee's hands from the grip, which

usually results in injury. Since installation there has been no recur- rence of this type of accident.

An exhaust fan for the removal of spray during spray painting was

installed in the paint shop. This fan, supplementing the use of a mask, has resulted in the maximum protection that can be afforded

in this kind of work.

A study of past accident records in this Office revealed that the

greatest cause of the more serious accidents was falls and slips from

the presses. An investigation revealed that the major factor in these

accidents was the accumulation of oil and grease on wooden steps and

platforms on and about the presses. A nonskid steel surface was

installed over the wooden platform on the two-color press. This was

received with enthusiasm by the employees, and plans are being made

to resurface all wooden steps and platforms with the nonskid surface.

The latest apparatus and the most efficient method for removing the

fumes generated in electric and acetylene welding are being installed.

These will afford the greatest protection possible to the workers.

A new type of goggle for use against flying particles to be used by

employees already wearing corrective lenses was inspected and

demonstrated. It is a decided improvement over the old type, which

could not be worn over glasses and necessarily cut down the visual

acuity and thus increased accident hazards. It is planned to furnish

each machinist with a pair of these goggles.

The use of salt tablets as a preventive of heat exhaustion and heat

cramps due to excessive sweating was introduced in the Monotype

Casting and the Stereotyping Sections. These are now being used ex- tensively by these employees, and further distribution is contemplated.

Emergency gas masks for use in the power plant were inspected and

tested. A systematic plan for future inspection and testing was

formulated.

Executive Advisory Safety Committee

Each year the Public Printer has been deeply concerned by the

number of accidents occurring in the plant, and each year he has dis- cussed ways and means to prevent accidents and to insure the safety

of employees. Many are familiar with the results accomplished by

30
the Office in this effort. The Medical Director has been designated

to attend meetings of the National Safety Council and to study the

practices and procediu"es used in similar work by commercial and

governmental agencies.

As a result of these studies and conferences among officials of the

Office, the PubHc Printer determined that the number of accidents

could be materially reduced through the concerted action of the

personnel. In order to get the necessary cooperation he formulated

a definite safety program. Briefly it is as follows: An executive

advisory committee was set up. The duties of this committee are

(1) to coordinate safety programs in the various trades; (2) to promote

the idea of safety-mindedness throughout the plant; (3) to establish

"shop safety committees."

A "shop safety committee" was formed for each major section. It consists of the Medical Director, foreman of the section, and an employee of the section, elected by the employees of that section.

This committee has the services and advice of a representative of the

mechanical division on all questions of a mechanical nature. The

duties of this committee are (1) to inspect sections; (2) to analyze

and investigate the cause of accidents and to take all steps necessary

to eliminate their repetition; (3) to instruct new employees or those

unacquainted with new tasks; (4) to report on the condition and use of

safety equipment; (5) to recommend new procedure and equipment in

the interest of accident prevention.

The report of the shop committee is forwarded to the Public Printer

by the superintendent of the division concerned, for his information

and such comment and recommendation as he deems advisable.

Each and every employee has a definite interest in his own safety

and the safety of his fellow employees. To stimulate and keep alive

that interest, each employee was requested to take a serious interest

in the election of the person to represent his section on the shop committee and to make to that representative any suggestion he had that

would improve safety conditions. Careful consideration is given

these suggestions and recommendations, and the Public Printer is looking forward with great interest to the Medical Director's annual

report for the next year, as he anticipates that the number of accidents

will be sharply reduced.

The following Administrative Order was issued to place officially

the safety poHcy into effect: In the interest of accident prevention and to promote safety throughout the Government Printing Office, there is hereby created a committee to be known as the "Executive Advisory Safety Committee."

31
The membership in the Executive Advisory Safety Committee will consist of the Medical and Sanitary Director as chairman, the Superintendent of Plate- making, the Superintendent of Binding, the Superintendent of Composition, the Superintendent of Presswork, the Superintendent of Stores and Traffic Manager,

the Mechanical Superintendent, and the Chief of Delivery. In general the functions of this committee will be:

1. To coordinate safety practices in the various trades.

2. To establish shop safety committees and to determine the structure, manner

of functioning, and duties of these committees.

3. To prepare for the approval of the Public Printer all necessary safety rules and regulations.

4. To recommend methods of promoting safety-mindedness among the employees by such means as signs, posters, etc.

5. To keep adequate records to conform with those of the Division of Labor

Standards, Department of Labor.

6. To assist and cooperate with the Interdepartmental Safety Conference. The chairman of the Executive Advisory Safety Committee is hereby authorized

to call necessary meetings of the committee and to take such other action as may

be necessary to carry out the functions and purposes of this committee as enumerated herein. Reports and recommendations of the committee will be submitted to the Public

Printer through the Director of Personnel. Group Life Insurance Through the Government Printing Office Group Life Insurance

Association, organized May 1, 1931, there have been paid, up to April 30, 1939, 236 death and 13 disabiUty claims, totaling $223,390.

At the close of the association's fiscal year on April 30, 1939, there were in force 3,580 units of insurance, amounting to $3,112,714; 1,950

second units, amounting to $1,688,197; and 480 third units, amounting

to $386,146; total insurance in force was $5,187,057.

On April 30, 1939, the reserve fund of the association consisted of

$63,000 in United States Treasury bonds, $7,500 (maturity value 10

years, $10,000) in United States savings bonds, and $2,000 invested in

the Government Printing Office Federal Credit Union. This fund was estabHshed to be used should the present premium rates (which

are adjusted annually) of the association be materially increased due

to the group attaining a high average age or having a high mortality

experience.

Insurance is provided at a cost of $1 per month per unit in amounts

from $250 to $1,000, depending upon an employee's age. Group Hospitalization

Group hospitalization was introduced into the Government Printing

Office on May 1, 1935, at which time 515 employees joined the organi32
zation. At the close of the fiscal year, April 30, 1939, there were 1,629

members of this group.

For the nominal cost of 65 cents a month members are assured 21

days' hospital care, including semiprivate accommodations, bed and

board, general nursing care, use of operating room, ordinary medications, and routine laboratory examinations. If more than 21 days'

hospitalization is needed, the hospital allows a discount of 10 percent

to members.

For subscribers on whose contract no hospital service has been

given in the preceding contract year and for the listed family members

(if any) who have participated under such contract in the preceding

contract year, the following additional benefits are offered: 30 days

of hospital care, if needed, instead of 21 days in the current contract

year; and this 30 days may be extended to 6 months under these

conditions: In Heu of the discount of 10 percent offered above. Group

Hospitalization, Incorporated, will pay, to a participating member

hospital only, one-half of such hospital's charge for room service in

semiprivate accommodations for any confinement beginning within

the 30 days allowed above and extending continuously for a period

not to exceed 6 months from the date of such admission.

A number of leading hospitals in the city are affiliated with this

organization, and each member of the group may select the hospital to which he would prefer to be taken. All hospitals affiliated with

group hospitalization have been approved by the Medical Society of the District of Columbia.

All contracts make special provisions for hospitalization in other

cities in the event of an accident or an acute illness occurring while the

subscriber is out of the city of Washington and unable to utilize the

facihties of a participating member hospital.

Participation is open to all employees of the Government Printing

Office under 65 years of age who have been in sound health for 30

days preceding the date of application for membership. There is also available a contract for the employed subscriber and his or her

spouse and a contract for the spouse and unmarried children under

the age of 18 years. For these contracts the charges are $1.50 and

$1.75 a month, respectively.

Federal Credit Union

The Government Printing Office Federal Credit Union was granted

its charter on August 20, 1935, under authority of the act approved

June 26, 1934 (Public, No. 267, 73d Cong.). The purpose of the

Federal Credit Union system is to establish a further market for

33
securities of the United States and to make more available to people

of small means credit for provident purposes through a national

system of cooperative credit, thereby helpiug to stabilize the credit structure of the United States. At the end of the fiscal year 1939 the union had on deposit for

shares a total of $192,483.28. Its outstanding loans amounted to $159,652.37. Its total membership was 2,972. All loans are payable

either in monthly or semimonthly installments, the interest charge

under the Federal Credit Union Act being 1 percent per month on

unpaid balances.

Under the provisions of the act, all receipts from entrance fees and

fines, together with 20 percent of all earnings, must be transferred to a reserve fund for bad loans. At the present time the surplus fund

amoimts to $3,485.81 and the reserve for bad loans (consisting of

entrance fees and fines and 20 percent of earnings to date) amounts

to $3,152.98.

The net earnings of the association since January 1, 1939, amoimt

to $6,320.45, which will be divided among the members in proportion

to the length of time and the amount of their deposit at the end of the

calendar year. Government Printing Office American Legion Post, No, 33

Government Fruiting Office Post, No. 33, the American Legion,

Department of the District of Columbia, has a membership of 450

and is one of the largest and most active posts of the Department.

During the past year, it has been outstanding in its Americanization,

welfare, and rehabilitation work. Where emergency required, it has

rendered direct aid to many families. It has also been active in

civic and patriotic affairs of the District.

During the past year many social functions were presented, including a free family picnic to Chapel Point, Md., June 24, 1939, to which

all employees of the Government Printiag Office were invited.

About a year ago the post started a fund to secure a home. This

fund now amounts to $1,500 and is steadily growing. It is the hope

of the post and those interested in it that the home can be secured

during the coming year. United Veterans of American Wars, Government Printing Office Unit No. 1 The United Veterans of American Wars, Government Printing

Office Unit No. 1, was organized in 1922 and is the oldest veteran

34
organization in the Government Printing Office. Its raembership

numbers 400 and is composed of Spanish-American and World War

veterans. Unit No. I's purpose is to aid and assist its members in

times of iUness and distress. Unit No. 2, known as the Col. Charles

Young Unit, is the colored branch of this organization. During the

past year both units participated in many patriotic and social events.

Cafeteria and Recreation Association

The Cafeteria and Recreation Association of the Government Printing Office is composed of employees of the Office, who elect representatives from each section, who in turn elect the officers and a board of

directors with the exception of two representatives and two members

of the audit committee, who are appointed by the Public Printer.

The association operates the cafeteria, cigar stand, bowling alleys,

auditorium, and recreation rooms for the benefit of the employees of

the Office. Diu"ing the fiscal year 1939 the cafeteria served an aver- age of over 4,000 wholesome meals per day to the employees of the

Office. Due to the work on the new building and to lack of room, the

recreational activities have been somewhat restricted, but an athletic

and recreation association is being organized under the supervision of

the Public Printer and the Cafeteria Association to foster and promote

all recreational activities. An orchestra, composed of employees of the Office, has been organized, and gives concerts on Fridays diu"ing the lunch periods and for

exercises or activities of the Office. Contributions to Charitable Organizations

In addition to cheerfully supporting intraoffice charitable and relief organizations, the employees of the Government Printing Office have

contributed generously to local and national relief associations.

Their contributions to the Red Cross for the current year amounted

to $3,455, to the Community Chest $22,201, and to the fund for the

prevention and treatment of infantile paralysis $2,262. In addition

to these substantial contributions they have given generously to other

charitable and relief funds. Their cooperation along these lines is sincerely commended by the Public Printer.

RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES

The total resources available to the Government Printing Office

during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, including the Office of the

35
Superintendent of Documents and appropriations and payments for

work, amounted to $20,566,023.68 as compared with $19,778,914.79

for the fiscal year 1938, an increase of $787,108.89.

Obligations incurred during the fiscal year 1939 totaled $20,496,-

155.71, leaving an unobligated balance of $69,867,97 subject to over- adjustments or underadjustments on $1,884,138.60 outstanding

obligations to July 1, 1939. Obligations incurred in 1939 showed an

increase of $741,406.41 over those for 1938.

The total compensation paid to all employees, including those of

the Office of the Superintendent of Documents, during the fiscal year 1939 amounted to $12,120,114.74, which total included $416,-

705.88 deposited to the credit of employees in the retirement fund

through the 3^ percent deduction as required by law.

Table 1 gives the details of all resources available to the Government Printing Office for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, and all liabilities incurred against these resources during the fiscal year. Table 1.

Resources and liabilities under appropriations jor the fiscal year

ended June 30, 1939

RESOURCES

Appropriation for working capital, legislative act approved May 17, 1938 $3, 820, 000. 00

Second Deficiency Act, approved June 25, 1938_ 450, 000. 00

Receipts from all sources for printing and

binding 14, 894, 205. 01 Refunds from various sources 180. 10

Bills receivable July 1, 1939, for printing and

binding furnished 523, 840. 09

$19, 688, 225. 20 Appropriation for salaries, Office of Superintendent of Documents 630, 000. 00

Appropriation for general expenses. Office of Superintendent of Documents 227, 430. 00

Second Deficiency Act 1939, approved May 2, 1939 20, 000. 00 Balance of appropriation for equipment for Government Printing

Office Building i 368. 48

Total resources available for fiscal year 1939 20, 566, 023. 68

1 Appropriated in 1929, available until used.

36
LIABILITIES

Working capital and repayments for printing

and binding:

Disbursed to June 30, 1939 $16, 379, 966. 05 Outstanding obligations July 1, 1939 1, 815, 827. 59

Total disbursed and outstanding obligations $18, 195, 793. 64

Salaries, OflQce of Superintendent of Documents: Disbursed to June 30, 1939 $594, 723. 43 Outstanding obligations July 1, 1939 27, 990. 16 Total disbursed and outstanding obligations 622, 713. 59 General expense, Office of Superintendent of Documents:

Disbursed to June 30, 1939 $186, 959. 15 Outstanding obUgations July 1, 1939 40, 320. 85 Total disbursed and outstanding obligations 227, 280. 00 Equipment, Government Printing OflSice Building:

Disbursed to June 30, 1939 $368. 48 Outstanding obligations July 1, 1939

Total disbursed and outstanding obligations 368. 48

Total disbursed to June 30, 1939 $17, 162, 017. 11 Total outstanding obligations July 1, 1939 1, 884, 138. 60 Outstanding obligations Code of Federal Regulations 450, 000. 00 Outstanding obligations returnable to U. S. Treasury 1, 000, 000. 00

Total disbursed and outstanding obligations 20, 496, 155. 71 Unobligated balances (subject to 10 percent over or under on

outstanding orders) 69, 867. 97 Total 20, 566, 023. 68 Table 2 is a summary statement showing all financial transactions

during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, covering appropriations

made for the fiscal years 1937, 1938, and 1939. This statement also gives a summary of all expenditures for various items during the fiscal year 1939, regardless of the appropriation from which paid, together

with a recapitulation of disbursements by major items.

37
Table 2.

Summary of financial transactions in fiscal year ended June 30, 7939,

covering appropriations for fiscal years 1937, 1938, and 1939

APPROPRIATION FOR 1937

Resources Disbursements

Unexpended

balance on

July 1, 1939, from the ap- propriation for 1937

Public Printing and Binding: Unexpended balance July 1, 1938 .-- <piOi, ozo. yy

1, 347. 87

Credits to appropriation by payments from all sources for printing and binding and other receipts from miscellaneous sources Disbursed for material and supplies $113, 888. 39 Total 152, 676. 86 113, 888. 39 $38, 788. 47

Salaries, OflBce of Superintendent of Documents: Unexpended balance July 1, 1938 General expense, Office of Superintendent of Documents: Unexpended balance, July 1, 1938 Grand total appropriations . _ Unobligated balance of 1937 appropriations on June 30, 1939

15, 517. 73 15, 517. 73

243. 68 243. 68

168, 438. 27 113, 888. 39 54, 549. 88

54, 549. 88 APPROPRIATION FOR 1938

Resources Disbursements

Unexpended

balance on

July 1, 1939, from the appropriation

for 1938

Public Printing and Binding: Unexpended balance, July 1, 1938 $1, 282,116. 04

1, 591, 524. 44

Credits to appropriation by payments from all sources for printing and binding and other receipts from miscellaneous sources Disbursed for labor $473, 837.63

942, 489. 26

84, 910. 39

302, 520.75

1,000, 000.00

Disbursed for paper Disbursed for lithographing and engraving Disbursed for material and supplies Disbursed for Surplus Fund

Total 2, 873, 640. 48 2, 803, 758. 03 $69, 882. 45

Salaries, Office of Superintendent of Documents: Unexpended balance, July 1, 1938 30, 276. 76 Disbursed 27, 076. 61 Total 30, 276. 76 27, 076. 61 3, 200. 15 General expense. Office of Superintendent of Documents: Unexpended balance, July 1, 1938. _ - 58, 794. 30 Disbursed 58, 794. 30 Total 58, 794. 30 58, 794. 30 Grand total appropriations 2, 962, 711. 54 2, 889, 628. 94 73,082.60 Deduct for outstanding obligations. _ 72, 530. 74 Unobligated balance of 1938 appropriations on June 30, 1939 551. 86

38
Table 2.

Summary of financial transactions in fiscal year ended June 30, 1939,

covering appropriations for fiscal years 7937, 1938, and 1939—Continued

APPROPRIATION FOR 1939

Hgsoutcgs Disbursements Unexpended

balance July

1, 1939

Public Printing and Binding:

Legislative act of Alay 17 1938 $3, 820, 000. 00

450 000. 00

15, 418, 225. 20

Second Deficiencv Act of June 25, 1938 Credits to appropriations by pajTnents and bills re- ceivable from all sources for printing and binding and other receipts from miscellaneous sources Disbursed for labor $11, 024, 477. 07

4, 502, 913. 17

50, 093! 75

802, 482. 06

Disbursed for paper Disbursed for lithographing and engraving Disbursed for materials and supplies Total 19, 688, 225. 20 16, 379, 966. 05 $3, 308, 259. 15 Salaries, Office of Superintendent of Documents:

Legislative act of May 17, 1938 630, 000. 00 Disbursed 594, 723. 43 Total DoU, UUU. UU 094, i J.6. 4o 6o, Zlb. 67 General expense, Office of Superintendent of Documents:

Legislative act of Alay 17 1938 227, 430. 00 Second Deficiency Act of 1939, approved May 2, 1939. 20, 000. 00 Disbursed . . - 186, 959. 15 Total 247, 430. 00 186, 959. 15 60, 470. 85 Equipment, Government Printing Office Building,

Legislative act of February 28, 1929: Unexpended balance July 1 1938 1 368. 48 Disbursed to June 30 1939 36S. 48 Total 368.48 368.48 Grand total . 20, 566, 023. 68 17, 162, 017. 11 3, 404, 006. 57 Deduct for outstanding obligations 3, 334, 138. 60 Unobligated balances of 1939 appropriations on

69, 867. 97 Total unobligated balance, subject to change by 10 per- cent over and under on outstanding obligations: 1937 54, 549. 88 551.86

69, 867. 97

1938

1939Total.-.. 124, 969. 71

1 Appropriated Feb. 28, 1929, available imtil used. RECAPITULATION—ALL APPROPRIATIONS

Total paid for labor » $11, 498, 314. 70 Total paid for material and supplies 1, 218, 891. 20 Total paid for lithographing and engraving 135, 004. 14 Total paid for paper 5, 445, 402. 43 Total paid for printing and binding 18, 297, 612. 47 Total paid for salaries, Office of Superintendent of Documents 3 621, 800. 04 Total paid for General Expense, Office of Superintendent of Documents 245, 753. 45 Total paid for Equipment, Government Printing Office Building 368. 48 Total credited to Code of Federal Regulations 450, 000. 00 Total credited to Surplus Fund 1, 000, 000. 00 Grand total * 20, 615, 534. 44

2 Includes $395,221.37 deposited to credit of retirement fund.

8 Lacludes $21,484.51 deposited to credit of retirement fund.

< Includes $416,705.88 deposited to credit of retirement fund. 39
Table 3 is a statement of all moneys received during the fiscal year

ended June 30, 1939, by the Disbursing Clerk as repayments for

printing and binding for the several executive departments and independent Government establishments, and from the sale of waste

paper and other waste materials, and the appropriation to which

deposited. The receipts from these various sources during 1939

totaled $15,920,079.85 as compared with $15,384,081.18 in 1938, an

increase of $535,998.67.

Table 3 1929 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for public printing and

binding: Refund $127. 42

1935 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for public printing and

binding: Refund ,92

1936 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for public printing and

binding: Balance of appropriation „_ 5, 411. 58

1937 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for public printing and

binding: For printing and binding for departments $1, 345. 56 Balance of appropriation 3, 580. 87 4, 926. 43

1938 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for public printing and

binding: For printing and binding for departments. _ $1, 532, 074. 76

Miscellaneous printing and binding 63. 94

Refunds 59, 068. 22 1, 591, 206. 82

1939 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for public printing and

binding: For printing and binding for departments. -$14, 159, 438. 38

Miscellaneous printing and binding 79, 810. 66 Refunds 28, 069. 73 Damage to Government property 99. 55 14, 267, 418. 32

1938 Deposited to the credit of appropriation for salaries, Superintendent of Documents: Balance of appropriation 121. 05 40
Table 3—Continued

1939 Deposited to Miscellaneous Receipts:

Sale of waste paper $43, 717. 47

Sale of salvage 6, 744. 99

Discounts, rebates, etc 394. 00 Telephone messages 10. 85 $50, 867. 31 Grand total 15, 920, 079. 85 Table 4 shows comparative production records by major items for the fiscal years 1937, 1938, and 1939. It will be seen that there have

been decreases in some items produced in 1939 as compared with 1938

and that other items show substantial increases.

The number of actual impressions for 1939 is 14,413,117 more than

in 1938 even though larger-size sheets are used for obtaining fewer

impressions and greater production. The figures given for sheets

folded would indicate a reduction of some 33,000,000 sheets. This

reduction is also due to the use of larger sheet sizes and would in total comprise more printed matter than the number of sheets reported

under 1938. The number of signatures gathered is also related to sheet sizes with resulting increase in the number of pages in signatures.

Table 4.

Production of principal items entering into printing and binding in fiscal years 1937, 7938, 1939

Item Main Office and Congressional Library Branch:

Total charges for printing and binding

Jackets written number

Estimates made do..

Bills computed do..

Electrotypes, stereotypes, and matricessquare inches

Postal cards printed number Money orders shipped do-. Actual impressions ..do.. Sheets folded do..

Signatures gathered ..do.. Tips made do.. Copies wire-stitched do.. Books rounded and backed do.. Copies covered do.. Stamping impressions do.. Books cased-in do.. Books indexed do.. Sheets passed through ruling machine do..

Signatures sewed do.. Copies punched and drilled do.. Lines perforated do.. Tablets made.. .do.. Miscellaneous rebinding, etc... -_.do..

1937

$18, 163, 977. 24

79, 332

59, 614

101, 473

12,

2, 428,

282,

1, 084,

715, 218,

31, 86,

1, 15,

2,

1, 49,

37, 220,

12,

8,

942, 570

243, 040

095, 325

839, 488

915, 376

969, 549

398, 213

256, 978

206, 103

949, 612

658, 941

313, 203

487, 508

162, 498

440, 737

912, 293

462, 567

401, 788

127, 740

1938

$17, 959, 316. 06

80, 106

58, 058

95, 594

13,

2, 240,

262,

1, 141, 679, 290,

43,

78,

1, 14,

1,

1, 42,

48, 196,

11,

7,

468, 121

766, 100

511, 860

090, 031

169, 095

812, 096

306, 901

948, 103

762, 762

810, 426

987, 470

146, 603

268, 182

172, 615

606, 987

840, 923

630, 313

939, 214

179, 111

1939

$18, 238, 045. 10

82, 633

61, 798

97, 688

12,

2, 136, 261,

1, 155, 646,

250,

36, 91,

1, 16,

2,

1, 49, 46, 274,

16,

042, 180

804. 697

503, 148

236, 555

061, 724

188, 755

346, 895

648, 732

273, 119

123, 869

139, 039

463, 517

571, 494

631, 764

507, 203

652, 844

495, 253

156, 299

Other outstanding increases in production during 1939 above those

for 1938 are: Copies covered, 1,462,693; books indexed, 195,335; sheets

41
passing through ruling machine, 7,398,879; copies punched and drilled,

77,666,280; lines perforated, 5,022,531; tablets made, 1,556,039.

Table 5 shows the charges for printing and binding work and the

service for which the work was done during the fiscal year 1939.

The charges for printing and binding for the Congress amoimted to $2,700,000; for the Post Oflice Department, including the cost of

printing postal cards and money-order blanks, $1,881,791.91; Treasury Department, $1,521,430.92; Department of Agriculture, $1,447,-

208.19; War Department, $733,390.64; Department of Comimerce,

exclusive of Patent Office printing, $534,740.84; Patent Office,

$789,740.72; Navy Department, $714,731.04; Interior Department,

$861,599.48; Works Progress Administration, $817,902.04; Library

of Congress, $468,536.23; Department of Labor, $603,222.36; Agricultural Adjustment Administration, $538,877.76; Social Security

Board, $256,633.89; Department of Justice, $403,675.07; Federal

Housing Administration, $306,389.47; and State Department,

$215,092.82. The Superintendent of Documents ordered the printing of books and pamphlets for sale to the public at a cost of $486,-

616.99; for depository distribution the cost of pubHcations was

$97,213.51; for catalogs and indexes, $15,986.62; for price lists and

other Office printing, $77,494.28; and for supplies and services,

$50,675.15; making the total cost of work and services furnished to the Superintendent of Documents during the fiscal year 1939,

$727,986.55.

A number of other branches of the service had printing and binding

costs during the year 1939 in excess of $100,000 each.

Table 5.Charges for work and to whom delivered during the fiscal year ended June 30, 7939

Congress:

Congressional Record $569, 321. 80

Publications for folding rooms 424, 351. 14 Miscellaneous for folding rooms 51, 475. 66

Publications for International Exchange 17^ 489. 40 Franked envelopes and document franks 58, 559. 38

Bills, resolutions, and amendments 357, 090. 56 Committee reports 58, 139. 72 Documents 300, 465. 35 Hearings 378, 615. 63

Miscellaneous publications 47, 082. 44

Miscellaneous printing and binding 437, 408. 92 Total congressional printing

The Federal Register

$2, 700, 000. 00

120, 000. 00

42
Table 5.

Charges for work and to whom delivered during the fiscal year ended June 30, Continued

Private orders by Members of Congress:

Documents, reports, bills, etc $20, 338. 23

Speeches 60, 488. 47 Other private orders 1, 797. 44

Superintendent of Documents 727, 986. 56

Library of Congress 468, 536. 23

Agriculture 1, 447, 208. 19 Commerce 534, 740. 84

Interior 861, 599. 48

Justice 403, 675. 07 Labor 603, 222. 36 Navy 714, 731. 04

Post Office 1, 881, 791. 91

State 215, 092. 82 Treasury 1, 521, 430. 92 War 733, 390. 64

Agricultural Adjustment Administration 538, 877. 76

Alley Dwelling Authority 550. 75 American Battle Monuments Commission 22, 019. 29 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 2, 584. 16 Board of Tax Appeals 30, 383. 63 Bureau of the Budget 38, 277. 04

Central Statistical Board 1, 468. 63

Civil Aeronautics Authority 41, 605. 63

Civil Service Commission 128, 732. 36

Civilian Conservation Corps 40, 030. 18 Commission of Fine Arts 406. 20 Commodity Credit Corporation 59, 531. 05 Commodore Perry Commission 1. 14 Court of Claims 27, 211. 75 Court of Customs and Patent Appeals 5, 733. 63

District Court of the U. S. for the District of Columbia 264. 72

District Government 83, 523. 55

Electric Home and Farm Authority 587. 04 Employees' Compensation Commission 41, 412. 71 Export-Import Bank of Washington 308. 18 Farm Credit Administration 104, 424. 25 Farm Security Administration 158, 536. 49 Federal Alcohol Administration 12. 00

Federal Communications Commission 42, 360. 59 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 8, 942. 77 Federal Emergency Administration of PubUc Works 134, 250. 44

Federal Emergency Relief 50, 70

Federal Home Loan Bank Board 14, 238. 56 Federal Housing Administration 306, 389. 47

Federal Power Commission 39, 563. 14 Federal Savings and Loan Insurance 1, 343. 48 Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation 16, 784. 90 43
Table 5.

Charges for work and to whom delivered during the fiscal year ended June 30, 7939—Continued

Federal Trade Commission $61, 872. 31 General Accounting Office 101, 002. 96 George Washington Bicentennial Commission 13, 103. 42 Home Owners' Loan Corporation 44, 813. 69 Inland Waterways Corporation 18. 50

Interstate Commerce Commission 209, 920. 77 Maritime Labor Board 493.32

National Academy of Sciences 187. 10 National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 19, 199. 55

National Archives 12, 476. 92 National Bituminous Coal Commission 36, 002. 66 National Capital Park and Planning Commission 73. 18 National Emergency Council 38, 870. 95 National Forest Reservation Commission 797. 03

National Labor Relations Board 91, 423. 78

National Mediation Board 2, 669. 80 National Railroad Adjustment Board 36, 117. 73

National Unemployment Registration 23, 193. 14 Northwest Territory Celebration Commission 4. 25 Panama Canal 6,679.82

Pan American Union 27, 701. 24 Patent Office 789, 740. 72

Prison Industries Reorganization Commission 45. 09

Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration 2, 900. 65 Railroad Administration 33.51

Railroad Retirement Board 27, 751. 88

Reconstruction Finance Corporation 160, 374. 24 Recorder of Deeds, District of Columbia 376. 99 Resettlement Administration ^_ . 50 Rural Electrification Administration 74, 665. 08

Securities and Exchange Commission 100, 930. 90 Smithsonian Institution 56, 463. 03 Smithsonian Gallery of Art 743. 38

Social Security Board 256, 633. 89 Supreme Court, United States 10, 949. 56 Tennessee Valley Authority 57, 775. 70 Thomas Jefferson Memorial 315. 99

U. S. Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission 1, 425. 03

U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia 1, 754. 27

U. S. Golden Gate Exposition 953. 94

U. S. Housing Authority 39, 895. 06

U. S. Maritime Commission 39, 170. 09 U. S. Tariff Commission 25, 665. 07

Veterans' Administration 131, 967. 54 White House 5, 552. 45 Works Progress Administration 817, 902, 04 Grand total 18, 238, 045. 10 44
I

iii s

SSI iiiiiiiss i

$56,

230. 905.

11,

134.

91,321. 495,

266.

676,

498. 90.

31,

070.

17,

531.

12,

878. 6,

492.

149,

306. 5,

700.

38,

207. 7,005.

16,

056.

39,

414.

7,597. 1,

702.

412.: 542.

191,

843.

426,

227. 3,

096.

i ; i is ; B\1 i i : !

:

58,

680. 35

574,

139. 19

13.

501.85

170,

474.

13

29,

917.

85

1,

569,

375.

02

3,

001. 89 ;

1 1

3,

195,

509.

01

204.

185. 46 is

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Table 6 is a statement giving the details of production costs for each

section of the Office, exclusive of the Office of the Superintendent of

Documents, grouped under the headings of salaries, wages, leave, and

holiday pay; materials, supplies, equipment, and machinery; maintenance and upkeep; administrative and clerical expenses, and other

major items entering into the cost of production.

Table 7 is an itemized statement of the classes of work delivered

and charged for during the fiscal year 1939. Of publications there were printed 154,477,389 copies, including speeches, private orders,

and copies ordered for sale by the Superintendent of Documents,

but not including the Congressional Record, of which 5,302,269 were printed. The table shows that the grand total of the number

of copies of the various classes of work printed in 1939 was 6,599,-

485,832, as compared with 6,524,377,197 in 1938 and 6,091,154,072

in 1937. The increase in the number of copies of the various classes of work printed in 1939 over 1938 was 75,108,635. The total charges

for this work in 1939 amoimted to $18,238,045.10, as compared with

$17,959,316.06 in 1938.

Table 8 gives the details of the inventory of stock and machinery

and equipment on hand at the close of the fiscal year 1939. The

value of supplies on hand, including paper, envelopes, and other

materials, was $1,186,620.34, as compared with $1,314,278.26 in

1938, representing a decrease in the value of stock on hand of

$127,657.92. The value of machinery and equipment in 1939 was

$5,580,573.70, as compared with $5,395,885.07 in 1938, or an increase

in the value of machinery and equipment of $184,688.63. The total

value of stock of all kinds and machinery and equipment on hand

at the close of the fiscal year 1939 was $6,767,194.04, as compared

with $6,710,163.33 at the close of the year 1938.

Table 9 shows the number of copies of publications printed in 1939

for the Congress, the executive departments, and independent Government establishments. During the fiscal year 1939 there was

printed a total of 130,770,510 publications, as compared with 117,-

450,064 in 1938. The figures in table 9 are exclusive of the number of

copies of speeches printed for Members of Congress and other private

orders.

47
Table 8.

Inventory oj quantity and cost oj paper and envelopes, materials, and

supplies, and machinery and equipment on hand June 30, 7939

Pounds Cost Paper and envelopes: Printing . 3, 328, 785

755, 300

30, 367

2, 697, 900

89, 090

351, 262

2, 206, 562

716, 314

571, 401

291, 815

369, 105

478, 226

489, 074

105, 032

2, 012, 320

157, 033

560, 520

$169, 955. 95

33, 429. 94

2, 762. 93

145, 486. 04

10, 183. 68

47, 904. 55

184, 344. 23

67, 540. 47

53, 803. 13

25, 830. 08

22, 857. 57

18, 756. 26

34, 511. 57

5, 613. 79

83, 934. 82

15, 579. 81

14, 917. 44

23, 959. 90

961, 372. 16

169, 360. 24

10, 291. 16

10, 214. 92

10, 351. 55

5, 422. 90

4, 239. 27

3 455. 23

3, 55L 49

2, 361. 42

225, 248. 18

Mimeograph

Safety writing ... Writing

Map

Manifold Bond

Ledger

Index Cover Manila . Kraft . Manila tagboard _ Cardboard

Bristolboard Miscellaneous ... Binder's board Envelopes

Total, paper and envelopes .. . . ... ... . Other material and supplies: Book cloth.. Ink ingredients Buckram.

.

... . Leather _ ! Gold leaf

TtiIt rTTiflrlp vn (T-nvPfmnPTit T-^rintitio" OfTipp^ Cartons and containers Imitation leather Total, materials and supplies

Total, materials and supplies, paper and envelopes Machinery and equipment

1, 186, 620. 34

5, 580, 573. 70 Grand total 6, 767, 194. 04

Table 9.

Publications, including annual reports and documents, printed on requisition during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, for Congress, the executive departments, and independent Government establishments Congress 4, 203, 350

The Federal Register 2, 059, 200

Superintendent of Documents 15, 567, 419

Library of Congress 155, 872

Agriculture 28, 780, 332

Commerce 2, 885, 937

Interior 2, 704, 383

Justice 542, 851 Labor 9, 545, 285

Navy 3, 435, 888 Post Office 9, 624, 179

State 594, 077

Treasury 2, 842, 939

War 8, 529, 191

Agricultural Adjustment Administration 20, 786, 021

Alley Dwelling Authority 1, 379

48
Table 9.

Publications, including annual reports and documents, printed on requisition during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, for Congress, the executive departments, and independent Government establishments—Continued

American Battle Monuments Commission 470

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System „_ 18, 576 Board of Tax Appeals 89, 915 Bureau of the Budget 46, 797

Central Statistical Board 8, 368

Civil Aeronautics Authority 494, 813

Civil Service Commission 207, 806 Civihan Conservation Corps 250, 886 Commission of Fine Arts 1, 506 Commodity Credit Corporation 78 Court of Claims 33, 352 Court of Customs and Patent Appeals 682

District Government 37, 577 Employees' Compensation Commission 96, 294

Export-Import Bank of Washington 09 Farm Credit Administration 1, 185, 153 Farm Security Administration 1, 294, 556

Federal Communications Commission 159, 867

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 1, 229

Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works 119, 617

Federal Home Loan Bank Board 89, 746

Federal Housing Administration 4, 260, 460

Federal Power Commission 32, 422

Federal Savings and Loan Insurance 11, 001 Federal Surplus Commodity Corporation 75, 503

Federal Trade Commission 111, 156 General Accounting Office 14, 838 George Washington Bicentennial Commission 6, 000

Home Owners' Loan Corporation 3, 019

Inland Waterways Commission 1 Interstate Commerce Commission 2, 037, 343 Maritime Labor Board 50 National Academy of Science 2, 800 National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 32, 791 National Archives 14, 665

National Bituminous Coal Commission 13, 617

National Emergency Council 777, 556

National Forest Reservation Commission 8, 000

National Labor Relations Board 564, 425

National Mediation Board 10, 033

National Railroad Adjustment Board 1, 501 National Unemployment Registration 38, 175 Panama Canal 6, 824

Pan American Union 109, 912 Patent Office 92, 856

Prison Industries Reorganization Commission 2 Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration 261 49
Table 9.

Publications, including annual reports and documents, printed on requisition during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, for Congress, the executive departments, and independent Government establishments—Continued

Railroad Administration 150

Railroad Retirement Board 14, 830

Reconstruction Finance Corporation 249, 029

Resettlement Administration 1 Rural Electrification Administration 1, 228, 842

Securities and Exchange Commission 208, 037

Smithsonian Gallery of Art 3, 500

Smithsonian Institution 116, 094

Social Security Board 2, 200, 694

Supreme Court of the U. S 1, 653 Tennessee Valley Authority 90, 078

U. S. Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission 12, 000

U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C 4, 000

U. S. Golden Gate Exposition 57

U. S. Housing Authority 293, 510

U. S. Maritime Commission 51, 836

U. S. Tariff Commission 17, 548

Veterans' Administration 49, 783

White House 12 Works Progress Administration 1, 608, 045

Total 130,770,510

Table 10 shows the receipts from the sale of waste paper, waste

materials, and condemned machinery, and the surplus from the sale by the Office of the Superintendent of Documents of Government

publications over the cost of their printing during the fiscal year

ended June 30, 1939.

Table 10

Condemned material, machinery, waste wood, waste metal, etc $6, 744. 99 Waste paper 43, 717. 47

Surplus from sale of documents 431, 566. 55

Discounts, rebates, etc 394. 00

Telephone messages 10. 85

Total 482.433.86

CRITICISM BY ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS

Sporadic attacks upon the Office and attempts by individuals and

organizations to gain personal profit through diverting printing from

the Government Printing Office took up much of the time of many of

the Members of Congress and of the officials of this Office in replying

to such attacks. The following letter received from a Member of

Congress illustrates the type of attack usually made:

50
Permit me to quote to you a letter which I have today received from the Secre- tary of the Printers' Board of Trade, : At the meeting of the members of the Printers' Board of Trade held yesterday,

I was asked to call your attention to the volume of printing which is being pro- duced for use in this area by the Government Printing Office in Washington.

When the Government Printing Office was estabUshed, it was generally ac- cepted and for many years it was the policy for it to print only material such as the Congressional Record, money orders, and other Government documents and

publications. Now, however, all sorts of forms and miscellaneous printed matter which is used in local areas are being produced by the printing department.

We feel that this is a discrimination against the wage earners in this territory

and against the employers who have heavy investments and who are paying large sums in taxes for the support of Federal departments and services. Moreover,

other industries do not lose as a result of Government competition, and purchases

of supplies in local areas are made through local merchants and manufacturers. We therefore hope that you will support the effort that is being made to correct

this situation so that the printing industry in may not be discriminated

against.

I will appreciate it if you will advise me how I may reply to my correspondent.

Sincerely, , Member of Congress.

To the above letter the PubHc Printer made the following reply: Hon. , House of Representatives, U. S.y Washington, D. C. My Dear Mr. : I am pleased to have your letter in which there is quoted a communication re- ceived from the Secretary of the Printers' Board of Trade, . I trust the

following comments will be of assistance to you in replying to your correspondent, Mr. . There appears to be some misunderstanding on his part, as he states that there has been a change in policy with regard to Government printing. This is not the

case, as by Joint Resolution, approved June 23, 1860, the Superintendent of Print- ing was authorized and directed by Congress to establish a printing office for the purpose of producing printing and binding for the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Executive and Judiciary Departments, and the Court of Claims. Having this general policy outlined, the Printing Office was acquired in 1861, and

there appears since that date to have been no change in this policy as expressed

by Congress in the creation of the Government Printing Office. It may be that the printing to which Mr. has taken exception was not done in the Government Printing Office. All Government printing is not done

at the Government Printing Office for the reasons that: (1) many of the Federal departments and agencies have large field plants in which they produce the work

urgently needed in, or peculiar to, their respective localities; (2) the Joint Committee on Printing authorizes the various Federal agencies to procure approximately $2,000,000 worth of printing annually from commercial sources through- out the United States for the use of the agencies in the field; (3) the Public Printer,

under the law authorizing him to release to the departments for purchase by them

any job which in his opinion it would be in the better interests of the Government

as a whole to procure from commercial printers, releases annually another approximately $2,000,000 worth of printing for such purchases. These are facts with

which Mr. apparently is not familiar. 51
With reference to Mr. 's statement that by having its work done in the Government Printing OflEice the Government is discriminating against the wage

earners in his locality, I must say that he is again misinformed on this point, as the Government Printmg Office selects its employees through the Civil Service Commission from among the wage earners in every State m the Union. Any

reduction in the work of the Government Printing Office necessarily means a

reduction in its force with a resultant increase in unemployment in the various

localities from which the Government Printing OflBlce employees were originally

drawn. That the wage earners of the country do not agree with Mr. is clearly shown by the action the American Federation of Labor recently took

before the congressional Joint Committee on Printing when that Committee was considering the question of turning over certain Government work to private

interests. The wage earners know that such action would be of no benefit to them, and for that reason vigorously opposed the proposal.

With reference to Mr. 's statement that the Government, by having

its work done in the Government Printing OflBce, discriminates against employers

who pay large sums in taxes for the support of the Federal departments and

agencies, the answer is that the action proposed by Mr. would most

certainly tend to increase rather than decrease such taxes. To realize the truth

of this it is only necessary to recall that it is unquestionably cheaper to have a

Job set up once and printed at one press run for distribution throughout the

States than it would be to have the job composed and run off in 48 or more

different localities. In addition, no one, in so far as this Office knows, has

questioned the advisability of mamtaining a Government Printing Office as a

service bureau for Congress and the departments to handle jobs that could not

possibly be handled with any degree of satisfaction in commercial plants, such

as the Congressional Record, in some cases the large volumes of hearings that have to be gotten out practically overnight, and many tremendous departmental

jobs which in order to meet requirements of law must be gotten out within record- breaking time, as, for example, the 87 million unemployment census cards. All who are at all familiar with the production of printing know that the more

work a plant has—up to its capacity—the cheaper each individual job can be

produced. This is borne out by the records of the Government Printing Office, which show, by comparing the volume of work completed in 1930 with that completed in 1939, that there has been a 69 percent increase in the number of copies of printed material completed and delivered with an increase in expenditure of only 29 percent; in other words, and as stated, the greater the number

of jobs, the cheaper each individual job.

It naturally follows from the above that if Mr. 's recommendation to decentralize the work of the Office were approved, the taxpayers' bills for printing

would be much heavier than they are at present. As to Mr. 's statement that "other industries do not lose as a result of Government competition, and purchases of supplies in local areas are made

through local merchants and manufacturers," the comment is that the Govern- ment is in no way competing with the printing industry, as it handles no work

under any conditions other than its own. As to purchases of suppHes, Mr.

, if he is a printer, most certainly recognizes the difference between the type of supplies purchased locally by the Government, and printing, which

results from a manufacturing process. Mr. would certainly not insist that an automobile be manufactured in a town where it was to be used by the Government.

52
The above is only a brief outline of the situation as it appears to the Govern- ment Printing Office. If you need any additional information, we will be very

glad to furnish it to you, and if we may be of further service in this or in any

other matter, please let us know.

I am happy to report that no action has been taken as a result of

this type of attack and that the only loss suffered by the Government

as a whole so far is the time lost by various Members of Congress and

the officials of this Office which they necessarily have to devote to the consideration of such misguided and unfounded charges.

DIVISION OF TESTS AND TECHNICAL CONTROL

Samples Tested

The total number of samples tested during the year was 8,864. The

following is a tabulation of the various materials tested during the

fiscal years 1938 and 1939:

Material 1938 1939 Material 1938 1939 Paper and envelopes 5, 881 88195

736

24

376

16

5,969

74692

694

55 296

7

Oils and greases 42

71 210

633

35

70

199 701

TextUes Gasoline Bookbinding leathers Chemicals. Metals- Miscellaneous Glue Ink-making materials Total 8, 965 8,864

Inks... There were 266 dehveries rejected for noncompliance with specifications. Of these rejections, 147 were of paper, 48 of envelopes,

and 71 of miscellaneous materials.

Paper

Paper received during the year totaled 90,725,830 pounds, an

increase of 7,572,967 pounds or 9.1 percent over last year. Of this

amount, 2,953,663 pounds or 3.3 percent were rejected. The following is a tabulation of paper rejections and the causes for such rejections

made during this fiscal year:

Cause of rejection

Deficient in—

Fiber content Bursting strength Folding endurance

Opacity

Thickness Ph value Not within weight tolerance- Excessive rosin Unsatisfactory general ap

pearance

Number

of re- jections Pounds

1 7, 725 7 78, 405 28 617, 312

16 305, 326

7 51, 452

9 140, 169 20 808, 284

1 11,589

40 671, 920

Cause of rejection

Unsatisfactory color Unsatisfactory finish Unsatisfactory writing qual

ity Unsatisfactory erasing qual

ity -

Total

Number

of re- jections Pounds

1 38, 741

4 25, 704

10 182,461

3 14, 575

147 2, 953, 663

53
Several changes in paper specifications were made during the year.

In deliveries of roll paper, nonreturnable fiber cores with detachable

metal plugs are now specified in place of the 3-inch iron cores formerly

permitted. Since their introduction there has been a decided decrease

in the number of rolls which have had to be rewound for the press- room because of damaged or bent cores. A requirement for smoothness has been added to the lithographfinish map, 50 percent rag lithograph-finish map, and 75 percent rag

lithograph-finish map papers in order to improve their printing

qualities. The moisture content for these grades of paper has been

changed from a definite percentage to a requirement that it be in

equilibrium with an atmospheric condition of 50 percent relative

humidity.

Because of certain difficulties from specks experienced in printing

solids and halftones upon offset book paper, a requirement has been

added to the specifications that the paper shall be free from lint,

fuzz, and loose particles which will pick or lift under normal press

conditions.

In order to obtain more permanent and durable calendered tag

paper for printing tabulating cards, a pn requirement was added to the specifications, the bursting strength increased from 50 to 60 points,

and the ash decreased from 7 to 5 percent. A 3-months' normal

aging requirement has also been included.

The bursting strength of pressboard has been increased to obtain

a product of better quality.

The work of evaluating the printing qualities of paper was continued

throughout the year. In cooperation with the National Bureau of

Standards, a study was made of the effect of different kinds of fibers

and fillers upon the printing properties of paper. On the semicommercial paper mill at the National Bureau of Standards, 45 book

papers were manufactured from old rags, soda-sulphite wood pulp, and

purified wood fibers. Clay, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, and

zinc sulphide were used as fillers in these book papers. In addition

to the usual routine paper tests, determinations were made for smoothness, oil penetration, opacity, and air permeability as a means of

indicating the printing qualifications of these papers. Printing tests were also made by the letter-press and offset processes at the Government Printing Office under actual operating conditions.

As a result of this study it was found that the kind of fibers of which

the papers were composed had very little effect upon their printing

qualities. It is interesting to note that, among other conclusions

drawn, papers containing calcium carbonate as a filler showed the

54
best printing qualities. The full results of this study were published

in Research Paper No. 1180 of the National Bureau of Standards,

copies of which may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents of this Office.

An article on Paper Quality in Relation to Printing was prepared

by a member of the technical staff of this Division for the annual

meeting of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry

in February 1939. The tests used to evaluate the printing quality

of papers prior to actual presswork were outlined. The instruments

used in making these tests and the significance of the results obtained

in predicting probable defects were discussed. This article was published in the Technical Association Papers, Series XXII, No. 1: 119,

469 (June 1939).

Envelopes

During the year the number of envelopes purchased totaled

65,433,571. Of these purchases 48 deliveries, or 3,237,185 envelopes, were rejected. The following is a tabulation of the principal causes

of rejections and the number of envelopes rejected during the fiscal year 1939, together with causes for such rejections:

Cause of rejection

Deficient in—

Folding endurance. Fiber content Bursting strength.

.

Unsatisfactory color. Total

Corrugated Fiber Containers

With a view to reducing the cost of containers for shipping United

States postal cards, a trial was made of the use of corrugated shipping

containers in place of solid fiber containers. After 3 months' trial of

the corrugated containers in which postal cards were shipped to vari- ous parts of the United States, the Post Office Department reported

them entirely satisfactory. Accordingly corrugated fiber containers

have been adopted for the shipping of postal cards to replace solid

fiber containers at a saving of approximately 40 percent in cost. The

following specifications for quality and construction were developed

for use in their purchase:

To be double-faced corrugated fiberboard, with B flute corrugations. Box: 200-pound double-faced corrugated fiberboard. Nominal thickness K inch. Facings: To be water-resistant. Thickness, 0.016 inch. Bursting strenght, average not less than 100 points.

Number of Number of deliveries envelopes

32 2, 122, 185

1 25, 000

1 5, 000

14 1, 085, 000

48 3, 237, 185

55
Corrugations: 0.009-inch kraft or strawboard.

Construction: Shall be a one-piece slotted container, sides of the box forming

the seam or joint shall lap inside not less than 1}^ inches, and shall have staples or stitches not more than 2 inches apart; two staples at top and bottom, % inch

from top and bottom.

Samples: Bidders must submit 10 pieces cut 8 by 10}i inches to show quality

of stock they propose to furnish. All dimensions given are inside measurements and are in the following order: Length, width, and depth.

Ink and Miscellaneous Products

The total production of printing inks, including mimeograph,

stamp-pad, and numbering-machine inks, for the year was 368,977

pounds, an increase of 46,847 pounds over last year. There were also produced a number of miscellaneous products which

are classified as follows:

Material: Blue toner pounds.. 25, 031 Molding wax compound do 150 Turpentine substitute for lithography do 260

Electrotype backing fluid quarts. _ 120 Ruling inks do 2, 890

Writing inks (all colors) do 21, 774

Striping ink for tabulating cards do . 435

Special ink solvent do 1, 600

Lacquer thinner do 640

Mucilage do 212

Other Government departments and agencies were furnished with

miscellaneous materials manufactured by the Government Printing

Office. The following tabulation compares the quantities of different

materials furnished to the Government departments during the

fiscal years 1938 and 1939:

Material Pounds

1938 1939 Mimeograph ink, black 107, 897

13, 498

36

1 18, 578

6, 074

683 1428

2,591

11, 173 602

154, 402

15, 833

70

1 22, 596 4,594

484 1488

3, 835

8, 100 500

Printing ink, black and colored, including multigraph Addressograph ink, blue and black . Writing ink (all colors) Stamp-pad and numbering-machine ink

Check-signature ink

Special ink solvent Molded glue, including canceling-stamp composition

Paste - - Roller composition... .

1 Quarts. S6
Some difficulty was experienced with black ink stampings on

pyroxylin-impregnated book cloth. Investigation revealed that

certain plasticizers added to the pyroxylin composition during manufacture imparted an impervious finish to the book cloth which retarded

the ink from adhering or anchoring. The addition of a small quantity

of a butyl alcohol and butyl acetate mixture to the ink eliminated

this difficulty.

Attention was given to multigraph ink during the year in connection with its use requirements by several Government departments.

The formula was in certain instances modffied to impart to the ink

qualities suitable for their special uses. An investigation was made

of several ruling inks, resulting in improvement in brilliancy of the

red and brown colors. At the request of the Department of Agriculture special mimeograph inks were developed in red, green, purple,

and blue colors. Type Metal

The total amount of type metal standardized during the fiscal year 1939 was 10,123,124 pounds, a gain of 1.23 percent over the

preceding year. The following table gives in detail the various quantities of metal

employed in the correction of the type metals to standard formulas.

This includes metal returned for remelting, correction metal, dross,

percentage increase due to correction, and the percentage loss due to drossing calculated on the quantity of metal remelted:

Universal Electrotype

9, 414, 260 737, 223 Correction metal used: Lead-antimony alloy do.... 12, 696

7, 688

52, 118

3, 468

1,001

67, 765 Tin do.... do.... Total do.... 72, 502 72, 234 Total corrected metal

Dross

Increase due to correction

do....

do--.. percent-.

9, 330, 959

155, 803

0. 77

792, 165

17, 292

9. 80 Loss due to dross, - do 1.65 2.35

During the year 12,500 pounds of tin, 5,000 pounds of lead-antimony

alloy, 150,000 pounds of lead, and 100,000 pounds of Universal metal were purchased by cash payment.

In addition 135,000 poimds of electrotype backing metal, 205,000

pounds of Universal metal, and 5,000 pounds of lead-antimony alloy

57
were bought, for which the following materials were exchanged in

Press rollers manufactured during the year required 29,198 pounds

of composition and totaled 5,725 in number. Of these, 1,352 were

mechanically coated upon a specially prepared core by a process

whereby the core is rotated while the hot composition is being evenly

deposited upon it. For this purpose 37 additional base rollers,

having a foundation of a tough and resilient composition over the

steel core, were purchased during the year. The use of sorbitol, a hexahydric alcohol, in rollers reported last year in connection with research conducted upon glycerine substitutes, has been continued throughout the year. The changes which

have been made in the formulas for roller composition have produced

press rollers of excellent merit and service.

A decided advantage in the use of sorbitol in roller composition over glycerine substitutes previously employed is that it permits the

reclaiming of approximately 90 percent of the composition from

used rollers returned from the press. This reclaimed composition

replaces a substantial quantity of the glue and glycerine in the manufacture of new rollers and flexible glues.

The introduction of more effective agitation paddles in the cooking

kettle and the method of cooking the composition, in addition to improved methods of oiling, heating, and chilling the molds, and of transferring the composition from the shooting kettle to the guns, have

ehminated oil scars, air holes, and sinks in the finished roller. The manufacture of molded glue during the fiscal year totaled

122,699 pounds, as compared with 126,070 pounds last year. The

manufacture of glucose-glycol paste amounted to 23,000 pounds and

of flour paste 95,000 pounds, as compared with 25,000 and 94,000

pounds, respectively, last year.

The cooperative research with the Employing Bookbinders of

America and the Book Manufacturers Institute, Inc., on bookbinding

problems was continued during the year.

partial payment: Pounds Old electrotype plates.

Universal metal dross. Electrotype dross Electrotype shells Brass rules Brass galleys

150, 000

176, 653

18, 428

14, 803

1, 155

22, 262

Press Rollers, Glues, and Pastes

Bookbinding Research

58
A new formula for a flexible glue was developed during the course

of experimental work with sorbitol as a softening agent in bindery

adhesives. This was intended primarily to overcome a tendency on

the part of large thick books to crack open along the backbone between the signatures during the rounding and backing operation.

This new adhesive, designated as Formula L, contains a high ratio

of softening agent to glue, and this tends to slow up drying after the

gluing-off operation. The formula for this flexible glue is as follows:

Percent Glue 22. 5 Water 51. 4 Sorbitol 25. 9 Terpineol . 1 Beta naphthol . 1 The grade of glue used in the above formula is that which has a jell

strength of not less than 400 grams, a viscosity of not less than 130 nor more than 140 milUpoises, and a pn value of not less than 6.4 nor more than 7. A report on flexible glues, which it is hoped may be printed as a

technical bulletin in the near future, has been prepared during the

year. No changes in the formulas for flexible glues given in the Annual

Report of the Pubhc Printer for 1938 have been found necessary during

the year. Mention was made in last year's annual report of assistance given

to a national committee engaged in preparing suitable specifications

for the printing and binding of school textbooks. That assistance was

continued during the present year until the committee reached a final agreement on the specifications.

During the year the research associate of the Book Manufacturers

Institute, Inc., cooperated in the preparation of a tentative classifica- tion of bookbinding techniques for use in the compilation of a classified card index of current literature. Assistance has been given to a committee from the Roll Leaf Manufacturers' Association in investigating the tarnishing of roll-leaf imitation gold. Either flat gold leaf or roll gold leaf backed by paper has

until recently been universally used for genuine gold stamping. Now

roll gold leaf backed by a thin sheet of cellophane has been placed upon

the market. This has been tested in the Government Printing Office

and found satisfactory. Due to the fact that the cellophane sheet is only one-third as thick as paper backing, the gold impression is sharper

and cleaner, giving a much better appearance to the work. In addition to producing better stamping, a saving in the time necessary for 59
hand cleaning of cases occurs in the bindery, and some classes of work

require no cleaning whatever. As a result of tests made on cello- phane-backed roll gold leaf, specifications were written for the purchase

of this type of backing during the year. Stamping-leaf manufacturers have also produced aluminum and

bronze roll leaf on cellophane bacldng, and these have been tested and

found superior to the paper-backed leaf in stamping characteristics.

All aluminum roll leaf now purchased by this Office is cellophanebacked. Technical tests made on bronze roll leaf, backed by cello- phane, show it to be unsatisfactory because of its poor resistance to tarnishing.

Difficulty was experienced in obtaining the proper adhesion of

pyroxylin-impregnated vellum purchased for general bookbinding

purposes, in binding the edges of money-order books. Investigation

revealed that the temporary uses to which these books were subjected

did not necessitate using a waterproof and vellum resistant binding

material. Therefore a lightweight starch-filled vellum was selected as more satisfactory for this special binding purpose, and specifications have been drawn for its purchase.

In cooperation with the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, United

States Department of Agriculture, work has been continued on the

development of more permanent bookbinding leathers. As a net re- sult of this research so far, all purchases of sheepskin, goatskin, and

cowhide leathers during the past year were made on specifications re- quiring a combination chrome-vegetable tannage, eliminating the use

of straight vegetable-tanned leathers.

In general, leathers of combination chrome-vegetable tannage

appear to possess greater resistance to rot than straight vegetabletanned leather. However, accelerated aging tests of deliveries continued through the past year showed that some of these leathers did

not have the expected degree of permanence. Study of this problem

has failed to yield significant results, but research is being actively

continued to determine those factors and materials which govern the

rot resistance of combination chrome-vegetable tanned leathers.

Two sharkskin leathers, identified as Caribbean and Eastern shark,

have been tried in the bindery. Extreme difficulty was experienced

in forwarding the Caribbean sharkskin leather. When the leather was ' 'broken," or softened, to enable working down around hubs, the

surface was eradicated, exposing small holes and leaving a veiny

appearance. Much efi'ort was required to turn the leather at corners

or joints because of its tendency to fall away. It was considered

unsatisfactory for binding. In forwarding the Eastern sharkskin

60
leather no difficulty was encountered. This leather was pliable and

soft and proved easier to work than some other leathers now being

used. No trouble was experienced in the finishing process. Accelerated aging tests of these two leathers are now under way.

Electrotyping and Photoengraving Materials

Iron powder in particle size passing a 325-mesh sieve has been used

to replace iron filings for oxidizing electrotype molds. This form of iron has speeded up the process of initial deposition and requires only

one-third the quantity of iron formerly used. The iron powder is purchased under the following specifications: 100 percent shall pass a 40-mesb sieve. Not less than 90 percent shall pass a 325-mesh sieve. Shall be free from dirt and oil. Tests were made to determine the efficiency of commercial photoengraver's zinc having an electroplated metallic backing which is resistant to the attack of nitric acid in the etching process. This

eliminates the necessity of using such materials as shellacjor asphaltum,

generally used to protect the back of the zinc plate from acid attack.

The use of this type of zinc has the advantage of saving much time

and labor in the production of zinc cuts. After a thorough trial of

this material the foreman of the Photoengraving Section reported it as being satisfactory. As an economy measure, zinc with this metallic

protective backing has been adopted for regular use in the Govern^

ment Printing Office. The following specification was written for its purchase:

Sizes: 15 by 36 inches and 30 by 40 inches. Thickness: 0.065 plus or minus 0.002 inch. General requirements: Shall be soft by etching and routing tests, and be uniformly

attacked by the etching acid. The back of the zinc plate shall be acid-proofed

by application of a thin, smooth, permanent, acid-resistant, electrolytically

deposited metal coating. This coating shall permit five etching bites on the face

of the plate, in the usual acid etching bath, without showing erosion. Chemical requirements: Zinc, not less than 99.28^percent; lead, not more than

0.40 percent; cadmium, not more than 0.30 percent; iron, not more than 0.016

percent.

Assistance to Other Departments

As in previous years, the Government Printing Office, through the

Division of Tests and Technical Control, has rendered valuable

assistance to the various Government departments in connection with

6i
technical problems pertaining to paper, ink, type metal, glue, bookbinding, and various printing processes. An example may be cited to illustrate such assistance to the

departments during the year: At the request of Mr. Edward J. Shaughnessy, Deputy Commissioner, United States Department of

Labor, Immigration and Naturalization Service, a study was made

of methods of preventing alterations or forgeries of immigration

reentry permits. A report was made to the Deputy Commissioner

outlining the results of our study, with suggestions of means tending

to the solution of this problem. The following letter of appreciation was received from Mr. Shaughnessy:

I wish to thank you for your very exhaustive study in connection with the matter of perfecting some method by which to minimize the forging of reentry

permits. At the first opportunity I shall be glad to go into the matter further with you in the hope that a solution may be found for the problem.

The work of putting recommended means for accompUshing this

purpose iuto practice is now in progress.

Publications

DuriDg the year the following publications were prepared by the

Division of Tests and Technical Control:

"Permanence and Durability," Technical Bulletin No. 22. "Tentative Condensed Classification of Printing Industry Techniques," Technical Bulletin No. 23. "Paper Quality in Relation to Printing," Technical Association Papers, Series XXII, No. 1 (1939). "Effect of Atmospheric Humidity on Paper and Printing," Paper Trade

Journal, Vol. 108, No. 26 (June 29, 1939); Paper Mill and Wood Pulp News,

Vol. 62, No. 32 (August 12, 1939).

"Paper Defects," Paper Trade Journal, Vol. 108, No. 26 (June 29, 1939); Paper

Mill and Wood Pulp News, Vol. 62, No. 32 (August 12, 1939).

Contact with Printing, Binding, and Allied Organizations

As in previous years, this Division has continued to maintain co- operative contacts with the United Typothetae of America, Lithographic Technical Foundation, American Newspaper Publishers

Association, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry,

American Society for Testing Materials, American Standards Association, and the Printing and AUied Trades Eesearch Association

of Great Britain,

62
Correspondence

Technical information gathered from the investigation of printing

problems and the overcoming of difficulties which often arise in the

Government Printing Office has proved an invaluable source of help

to the printing, bookbinding, and aUied industries. Each year more

than a thousand letters of inquiry, from all parts of this country

and from foreign countries, are answered to assist in the solution of

printers' and bookbinders' problems which are also the problems of

the Government Printing Office. The expressions of appreciation in

response to this service are very gratifying and are an indication of

the general trend throughout the trade for more scientific knowledge

of the causes and effects upon which the advancement of the art of printing depends.

63
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER

PRODUCTION

CONGRESSIONAL PRINTING

Most of the printing for the first session of the Seventy-sixth Congress was included in the charges for the fiscal year 1939. During this

session 16,263 pages were printed for the Congressional Record, an

average of 98.6 pages per issue, which is 4.3 pages less per issue than

for the preceding Congress. It is interesting to note, however, that

for the last week of Congress the Record made 1,111 pages, an all- time record for any one week.

The bill work for the session was very heavy, there being a total of

21,927 bill prints, an increase of 9,816 prints over the preceding session.

Committee reports and documents were about normal in number

but there were some very large and imusual committee prints, notably

those on the Senate Transportation Bill and the report on the Tennessee Valley Authority. There was a total of 3,235 editions of House

and Senate reports and documents.

The hearings this year ran exceptionally heavy. Besides the 41

House and Senate appropriation hearings, making 20,645 pages as compared with a total of 16,386 pages for 1938, 349 other hearings were printed. The total number of pages of hearings was 93,703.

The appropriation hearings often taxed our capacity and frequently

required overtime to complete. On one night, the House Appropriations Committee sent 2,224 folios of copy on one hearing. This made

786 pages of type and required nearly 9,500 page proofs. All this

work was prepared by our copy preparers, and the proofs were delivered

in the morning.

The following statement gives a summary of congressional work for

the first session of the Seventy-sixth Congress:

Record:

Total pages 16,263

Senate 5, 276

House 5, 949

Appendix and miscellaneous 5, 038

Daily average of pages . 99 64
Bills:Senate: New bills 2, 974

Joint resolutions 186 Concurrent resolutions 29 Simple resolutions 181 House:New bills 7, 541

Joint resolutions 380 Concurrent resolutions 34

Simple resolutions 294

Total new bills 11, 619

Total prints 21, 962

Total bill forms 14, 738

Reports: Senate 1, 154 House 1, 471 Documents:

Senate 129 House 471 COMPOSING DIVISION

The year's work in the Composing Division has been one of unusual

activity, the amount of work being in excess of that in any year since

1918. Eighty-one thousand jackets were handled, as compared with

less than 79,000 last year. During the year 2,169,470,000 ems of

composition were set and made up by the Linotype and Monotype

Sections, an increase of 8,000,000 ems over the preceding year. Of

this total, 1,164,655,000 ems were set on slug-casting machines while

1,004,815,000 were monotype composition. Nearly 1,000,000 folios of copy were prepared and read by the Proof Section, excluding congressional work. Patent Office work, and the work for the Library

of Congress. During the year the Hand Section imposed and sent to press 57,634 forms for the printing of document work.

The Plating Lock-up Section prepared 152,443 pages of type for

electrotyping and stereotyping. The Job Section also felt the increase

in work, as revealed by the handling of an additional 1,113 jackets over the preceding year, bringing the total to 42,285 jackets. The

Patent Section experienced the largest single increase of the Division

and will be treated in a separate section of this report.

Every effort is being made by the officials of the Composing Division

to reduce the cost of operation and at the same time to maintain the

standards required for good work. Throughout the Division it is evident that the employees are cooperating with their foremen toward

6s
this end. As revealed in the first paragraph of the report of this

Division, a substantial increase in the volume of work was received,

yet the Division operated with approximately 50 less employees than

during last year. A study was made of the problems involved in the make-up of the

Federal Register and the Congressional Record, with the result that a new twin make-up bank was designed by our officials and constructed in our machine shop. This greatly facilitated the make-up

of these two publications and contributed substantially to our ability to absorb the great variation in the number of pages and yet to adhere

strictly to our delivery schedule. The linotype machinist in charge,

working in collaboration with his foreman, completed a control study

of replacement and repair parts for typesetting machines, resulting

in the reduction to an average cost of only $20 per machine per year

for parts and supplies. Steel cabinets have been designed and

constructed for the storage of make-up in the Monotype Section.

The statistical and fact-presenting nature of Government publications requires the use of a large amount of tabular matter. The

headings for these tables are set by monotype machines and the head

and column rules are inserted by hand after the type is cast. It

is not uncommon for this hand work to require more time than the

actual setting of the heading type, and the accuracy of the hand

ruling depends upon the manual skill of the employee. During the

year the Production Manager proposed a method of using special

low-alinement monotype dashes designed to conform with normalcharacter monotype matrices for the machine composition of horizontal heading rules. It is now possible for the monotype operator

to compose the horizontal ruling of all headings at the time of setting

the wording. This machine composition of the rules requires no

extra time, as quads would otherwise be needed for positioning by

the keyboard operator. All hand work incidental to horizontal rul- ing of box headings is thus eliminated, with a saving of time. The

alinement of the ruling is excellent and the printed result is superior

to the old. A notable improvement developed by the foreman of the Proof

Section during the year has not only tended toward an increase in

production per employee but has also increased the quality of proofreading. The larger part of governmental work heretofore was first proofread with the assistance of a copy holder; this was followed by a

silent reading. By reversing this procedure and having the silent

reading performed first, the reader is better able to detect errors in

general instructions, typographical lapses, wrong fonts, and so forth. 66
Upon second reading, with copy, the reader is not required to interrupt

the copy holder nor to divert his own attention from copy comparison

for the marking of typographical errors, machine faults, and similar

corrections. This procedure, due to the higher degree of concentration

obtainable, improves the quality of printed matter. PLATEMAKING DIVISION

During the fiscal year 1939 the Platemaking Division produced

15,126,270 square inches of plates. The following figures are in square

inches for each class of plate produced: Electrotypes, 6,037,986 square

inches; stereotype plates, 4,961,637; stereotype, mats only, 982,274;

rubber plates and stamps, 56,162; photoengravings, 828,459; and

offset negatives, 2,259,752.

The Plate Vault handled 32,440 requisitions for plates. It released

455,648 pounds of stereotype metal and 224,241 pounds of electrotype

metal for remelting, and 12,496 signatures of book plates were received

for storage.

Improvements in equipment and methods are being carefully

watched and are being adopted as they prove applicable to the work

of the OflSce. The recent installation of a new-type vertical curving

machine for electrotypes has effected a great improvement in the

quality of our curved plates and now permits the curving of two document pages at one operation. This has resulted in a saving of 4 square

inches of electrotyping per form and a reduction in the required lockup time per form in the Composing Division. Through the adoption

of a new quality of iron powder, oxidizing speed has been increased,

and a reduction has been effected in the yearly consumption of iron

powder from 5,000 to 1,500 pounds, resulting in substantial savings

of money for material and time of the operators. The cost per square

inch of electrotyping has been greatly reduced during recent years. Late developments in electrotype and stereotype molding materials

adapted to the work of this Office have been very interesting, and their

adoption has both produced satisfactory results and has been a large

factor in lowering our costs. Electrotypes come from the foundry to the Finishing Section in better condition, with a consequent reduction

in finishing operations.

Experiments and studies were begun during the latter part of this

year in the use of dry mats for a large part of our stereotyping. At

the time of writing this report, it has been demonstrated that on much of the document work the use of the dry mat will effect a

material saving in the amount of type reset, due to the quicker

67
wearing out of the wet mats, many more casts being possible from a good dry or plastic mat. Data from the Accoimting Section as to the cost of making wet mats are used in determining the procedure

most likely to effect the greatest economy in production of work.

In the past year, due partly to the introduction of dry mats on

certain classes of work and due also to economies effected in making

wet mats, oiu* entire mat costs have been greatly reduced.

The year 1939 has been an interesting period in the Photoengraving

Section owing to an increase of 40,000 square inches over last year's

production. This indicates that the use of illustrations in Government printing is increasing. A study made of the trend of photoengravings during the past decade reveals remarkable facts. A production of 23,000 square inches of combination engravings in 1936

nearly equaled the 3-year period 1930 through 1932. Since that

time the production of this type of plate has increased steadily to reach 51,838 square inches for the year just closed. Halftone production has fluctuated from 143,000 square inches in 1930 to 75,000

square inches in 1934 and to 186,000 square inches ia 1939. The production of zinc etchings has remained more nearly constant than any

other type, varying only from 515,000 square inches in 1930 to 590,000

square inches in 1939. The most phenomenal trend is in the production of offset negatives during the past 10 years. Beginning with

333,332 square inches of negatives in 1930, the yearly volume reached

680,437 square inches in 1935. The remarkable production for the

past fiscal year of 2,259,752 square inches emphasizes that the offset process, from the standpoint of economy, efficiency, and quality, is adapted to certain kinds of governmental printing, due in large part

to the perfection of offset machinery.

The trend toward the use of combination engravings has brought

with it the further need for general explanation to the departments

of the technical hmitations involved. Through personal contact

with department executives connected with printing and binding, a

considerable amount of money has been saved for them by explaining

the methods and precautions to be observed in preparing copy for photographing. The use of our strip-film camera makes possible

the photographing of copy from both line and halftone engravings on

the same film. This makes possible savings in the cost of the negative

inserts, formerly somewhat expensive.

An interesting evolution in skill, methods and machinery employed,

and iu cooperation of employees is illustrated in the 10-year comparison of photoengraving referred to above. In 1930, 19 men

worked 48 hours a week to produce 669,000 square inches of plates

68
for the year. During 1939, 23 men worked 40 hours a week (a total increase of but 8 man-hours per week) to produce 828,459 square

inches.

PRESS DIVISION

As indicated by the increased volume of work flowing through the

Divisions herein reported, the Press Division felt the increase toward

the end of the fiscal year. It was found necessary to increase the

force in order to operate the presses 24 hours a day. The total number of impressions for 1939 was 1,155,503,148, an increase of 14,413,117 over 1938. The increase as reported is not fully indicative

of conditions of production, as it does not reveal the full extent of the

improvement effected through the use of a greater number of largesize sheets and the consequent increase in copies printed at each

impression. Through the cooperation of the Composing and Planning

Divisions the forms came to the Press Division in the most economical

and practical sizes. The number of jackets handled by the Division as a whole rose to 61,902. Postal cards printed for the Post Office Department dropped

to 2,136,042,180 from the 1938 figure of 2,240,766,100. The production of money orders was substantially the same as duriag 1938, a

total of 261,804,697 beiQg delivered during the year. With the contemplated move into the new building, which makes

possible the realiaement of equipment and the installation of some new presses, consideration has been given to the type of presses best

suited to the needs of the Office. The Accounting Division has made

exhaustive studies of the classes of work received in the Office for the

purpose of determining the most practical means of production and the

advisabfiity of a revision in the format of the work. The result of these studies, which included the consideration of all work printed

during the past two years, has been the adoption of a program for the

replacement of old and obsolete equipment with new presses better

suited to the changes in the work of the Office resulting from developments within the Government departments. Contracts have been

placed for 30 presses to be installed directly into the new building,

to be in operating condition prior to the moving of the Division

from the old building to its new quarters. It is beheved that the plan

developed for the move into the new building will permit continuous

production of all congressional and departmental work without a

single material interference.

The capacity of the offset printing equipment in the Government

Printing Office was increased by replacing two small and old presses 69
with two large-size offset presses of the same general nature. A steady

increase has been noted in the volume of color work handled by the

Office in recent years, and during the year the volume reached a point

making it advisable to purchase a two-color press. This press has

been in continuous operation on color work since its erection and the

saving made on two-color printing has proved the wisdom of its purchase. The Postal Card Section has from time to time found it necessary to operate a night shift. During the year, a new rotary

web press was installed to provide for increased production planned

to eliminate night work and to insure against mechanical breakdown

causing production losses. Three rotary web presses, replacing old

equipment, were installed for the printing of money orders. Five

new high-speed cylinder presses procured to replace old, worn-out

presses have proved to be a decided benefit to the Office. Increased

speed and greater accessibility and availability of operating mechanisms, permitting quicker preparation or make-ready, have reduced

operating costs. These reductions are, of course, passed on to the

departments through reductions in their printing bills. BINDERY DIVISION

As all work of the Government Printing Office must pass through the

Bindery Division, there is a constant effort to prevent congestion. The

increased volume was particularly difficult to handle in the bindery

because it has been even more handicapped for operating space than

the other Divisions.

In this and previous reports attention has been called to the introduction of new production features, improvements in methods, and

innovations in the use of present machinery. Such features have been

installed in the bindery as well as in other divisions. For example, an order was received for 660,000 case binders for the Federal Housing

Administration. This order required reinforcing through the gluing

of flaps. No existing machinery was designed for such operation and

normally it would have been performed by hand. Such a method

would have resulted in the completion of approximately 4,000 cases per day. Experiments were conducted and one of the mailing machines designed for the wrapping of publications for mailing was

adapted to the work. The result was a machine production of over

six times as much per day as hand work, with a final unit cost of less than 30 percent of what the latter would have cost. Another economy was effected by employing a flexible-shaft machine

to clean book cases after they were stamped. This work heretofore

had always been done by hand, and the normal production had been

70
approximately 50 cases per hour. With the aid of the newly developed

machine a production of over 175 per hour has been achieved with an improvement in the quality of the work.

An order which arouses annual interest and concern is the Yearbook

of the Department of Agriculture. This year the book amounted to 252,260 copies of 39 double signatures, making a volume of approximately 2 inches in thickness and containing 1,232 pages. Each year

the production of this order has caused concern, due to the fact that

its great size and volimie require careful routing and control to prevent

interference with normal flow of work. A new production plan was

followed this year whereby the order was handled in blocks of 50,000

copies each and was maintained from one operation to another in

blocks without interfering with normal production, and yet permitted

dehvery earlier than anticipated.

Large rush orders have become almost routine; an illustration of

such an order was the binding of 110,618 volumes of Income

Tax Regulations within 8 one-shift days from the time it reached

the gathering stage.

During recent years a number of novel and practical methods of

binding have been developed and adopted by binderies and book

manufacturers. They consist in the use of wire, metal, and plastic

materials inserted by punchings along the back of the book and producing flat-opening bindings semi-loose-leaf in construction. The

Government Printing OflB.ce has installed machines for the production

of such work, thus allowing Government departments a wider range

in the binding of their publications.

PATENT OFFICE PRINTING

There was an increase in the number of patent specifications

printed in 1939 as compared with those in 1938. The total printed

in 1939 was 58,073 as compared with 52,714 in 1938. The number of

pages in 1939 totaled 158,906 as compared with 140,183 ui 1938.

There were also prmted during the year 179 decisions, 223 disclaimers,

and 28 certificates of correction.

The Official Gazette, issued weekly, made 15,396 type pages in 1939

as compared with 13,768 pages for 1938. For the Gazette, 56,280

illustrations were made in 1939 as compared with 51,059 for 1938.

The total number of copies of the Official Gazette and Annual Indexes

printed in 1939, including copies for the Patent Office and those

ordered by the Superintendent of Documents for sale, was 233,038 as compared with 227,607 in 1938.

71
Part of my report for the fiscal year 1938 (beginning on page 27) was devoted to the problem the Office faced during the year in meeting

the attempts made by a private concern to secm-e a contract for

Patent Office work. The private interests seeking the patent work

led the appropriation subcommittee considering the appropriation

for the Patent Office to believe that it could handle the work for

$100,000 less than the amount for which the Government Printing

Office was then doing the work. As a result, the committee reduced

the appropriation to the Patent Office by $100,000. The Appropriation Committee, in its report commenting on this reduction, stated

that it hoped the Joint Committee on Printing would consider the use of new printing methods very thoroughly, indicating that it thought that economies running into hundreds of thousands of

dollars annually would be made possible as a result. In accordance

with this, the Joint Committee on Printing went very thoroughly

into the proposition submitted by those seeking to do the patent

work by alleged new methods. The high lights of the hearings were

outlined in my last annual report. It is, therefore, sufficient here

to say that it was clearly demonstrated that no saving would have

resulted from the transfer of the work from the Government Printing

Office; that instead the Government as a whole would have lost approximately $100,000 as a result of such transfer and would not

have had the assurance of satisfactory and uninterrupted service that

it now enjoys. I also advised the committee that the Government

Printing Office was making every possible effort to determine the

cheapest and best way to produce every job submitted to it and that,

with specific reference to the patent work, plans were at that time

nearing completion which we believed would enable the Office to do

the work for even less than the figure quoted by the private concern. Shortly after the hearings and before the beginning of this fiscal year

these plans were ready for discussion with the Commissioner of Patents. During the discussions it developed that it would be impossible to reduce charges for Patent Office printing by an amount

even approximating $100,000 and still perform for that office the

many services with relation to the preparation of copy for printing

which it was then performing and to deliver the same high-quality

product. In other words, the plan required certain changes in the

policy of the Patent Office with reference to its printing and called

for the closest cooperation between the Patent Office and the Government Printing Office. It was estimated that under this plan printing

costs could be reduced by approximately $70,000. The Commissioner

of Patents agreed to the proposal and the entire plan was set in

72
operation on July 1, 1938. The result of its operation for 1 year

shows a reduction in the total charges for Patent OfSce printing of

$75,842. This is the difference between the total bills rendered for

1938 and for 1939. Included in this reduction has been the 12 percent

increase in volume indicated in the first two paragraphs under this

heading. It is with definite satisfaction that I point to this accom- pUshment as an indication of the results to be achieved by mutual

cooperation between governmental departments and the Government

Printing Office. A continuation of the development of the revised plan as started

during 1939 indicates that additional economies will be made, further

reducing the cost of patent work. In my report for 1938 I stated

that the commercial contract proposed before the Joint Committee

was based on figures which in effect were erroneous. I also stated

that the character of patent work and our knowledge of the problem was such that its successful production depended on its continuance

in the Govermnent Printing Office. Today the rates charged for Patent Office work are less than the rates proposed in the contract considered by the Joint Committee, and I desire to thank the Commissioner of Patents and the officials and employees of his office as

well as those of the Government Printing Office for their cooperation,

aid, and assistance in making this possible.

TABULATING-MACHINE CARDS

The manufacture in the Government Printing Office of cards for use

in tabulating or electrical accounting machines has in the past been

a source of complaint from some of the Government departments.

Realizing the extensive use of the machines by the Government and

the vital part played by the cards in the successful operation of the

system, an exhaustive study was authorized of the conditions which

affect both the production and use of tabulating-machine cards for the purpose of determining the cause and eventual elimination of

complaints.

The necessity for these studies arises from the fact that the Government Printing Office, by manufacturing and supplying these cards, is largely responsible for the accurate performance of highly complicated

electrical accounting machinery. The following is taken from a report on this subject: ''Irrespective of the finest mechanical, electrical, and

engineering skill expended on the machines, accuracy in accounting

or other machine uses cannot be assured if the cards which actuate them do not have the proper size, texture, and quality to withstand

the operations which they must pass through." The slightest failure

73
of the card to actuate the machine precisely as intended may result

in completely destroying the value and accuracy of important ac- coimting and statistical studies. The combined efforts of large staffs of employees working in conjunction with highly efficient electrical

equipment, costing the Government thousands of dollars per month

in rental, might be rendered entirely useless through the production

by this Office of unsatisfactory cards costing only a fraction of the

other investments involved. It was determined that the card stock

available for purchase by this Office and its equipment and experience

in their manufacture were not sufficient to guarantee satisfactory

production of the larger and newer type of tabulating cards. Therefore, the Government Printing Office notffied the departments that

until satisfactory cards could be guaranteed, either the cards would

be purchased for them by this Office from commercial dealers or the

departments would be authorized to supply their own needs from

commercial sources. It was determined, however, that applications

for the cards both in the Post Office and the General Accounting

Office were not affected to an appreciable extent by the action of the

cards dehvered by this Office; neither were the machines appreciably

affected ; and under these circmnstances we would continue to furnish

cards for these activities. The total tabulating-card production for

this type of work and other miscellaneous orders during the year

amounted to 382,262,500 cards. The Government Printing Office

tabulating-machine installation is being used as the trial laboratory

for the experiments and tests that are still being conducted; the majority of the cards thus being used are printed in this Office. While

this undoubtedly has caused an increased cost of operation of the

machines in the Accounting Division, it is considered to be the most

practical means for conclusive experiments.

In addition to these actual running tests, the Technical Division is continuing its analysis of various stocks produced for this purpose.

When the results of these technical experiments and investigations,

coupled with actual running experiments, demonstrate that this

Office is in a position to guarantee performance of its product and so assume responsibility jointly with the manufacturers of the accounting

machines for the correctness of the financial statements and statistics desired by the agencies, it will immediately resume the printing of

these cards.

STORES DIVISION

June 30, 1939, completed the first fiscal year for this Division in

Warehouse Building No. 4. This year set a new record for actual

74
number of freight cars unloaded—2,402 carload lots of paper, material,

and machinery were received. Paper accounted for 2,365 cars, totaling 94,368,174 pounds gross weight. Miscellaneous materials

and machinery accounted for the remaining 37 cars, amounting to 1,195,371 pounds. This is an increase of 302 cars over the previous

year's receipts and, with the addition of the less-than-carload lots of paper, envelopes, materials, and supplies received from various

sources, shows a daily average of approximately 11 carloads, or one

carload per day more than last year. In addition to the carload

lots noted above, 2,229,788 pounds gross weight of paper were delivered by outside trucks. The net weight of all paper amounted to 90,725,830 pounds.

The experiments conducted with nonreturnable fiber cores mentioned in the 1938 report have been entirely successful as far as the

3 -inch-diameter cores are concerned. Six-inch iron cores are still used on postal-card, bristolboard, and tagboard rolls. Orders drawn

on the Superintendent of Stores for the issue of paper and envelopes

amounted to 91,980 and for material and supplies 33,690. Issues of some of the principal items of materials and supphes to Government

departments and to this Office were as foUows:

Standard forms copies.- 31,667,325

Mimeograph ink pounds.. 176,964

Printing ink do 210, 144 Continuous forms sets.. 6, 187, 880 Copy paper and blank paper copies. _ 3, 680, 000

Writing ink quarts __ 80, 319

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BRANCH COMPOSING AND

BINDING SECTIONS

As indicated in my last annual report, the Library Composing Section of the Government Printuig Office was moved into its new quarters in the new Annex of the Library of Congress on February 1, 1939.

It occupies an area of 11,151 square feet. After the approval of a carefuUy laid out plan, specifications were drawn up for the purchase of aU new steel equipment, awards were made to the lowest bidders, and dehvery was made on specified dates.

Twelve new slug-casting machines were erected and placed opposite a predetermined electrical floor outlet, and matrices were run in, proved,

and checked on all machines. Three hundred and fifty cases of new

hand type were laid and printed labels were inserted in holders, all sort-storage cabinets were fiUed, lead and slug racks checked, proof

presses and line-up tables were tested, and the new cylinder presses 75
were erected and put in running order. Job presses and cutting and

drilling machines were positioned and tested, and the necessary paper

stock and forms for the presses were arranged for. The moving date of February 1, 1939, was set in advance and all employees reported for work as per schedule on that date. One cylinder and one job press continued to run in the main Library building

until their runs were completed. Thus removal into the new quarters was accomplished with a minimum loss of production in the composing

and pressroom divisions.

This removal was made necessary because of the increase in librarycard orders from year to year and the lack of available room for expansion in the main Library building. An idea of the congestion can be

gained from reports of the chief of the Card Division in the annual

reports of the Librarian of Congress. His 1936 report reads in part

as follows:

In last year's report I expressed the hope that measures would be taken which

would prevent repetition of the congestion in the Library Branch Printing Office that had prevented us from giving the subscribers a satisfactory card service. Part of the 1937 report reads:

The congestion in the Library Branch Printing Office discussed in the report

of this Division last year and the year previous has continued to increase. The 1938 report states:

It is again necessary to report chronic and increasing delay in the production

of the cards. The average periods required to produce cards for publications of the various classes have increased fully 20 percent in the past 5 years. They are

so much longer than the periods named in the sixth edition of the Handbook

published in 1925 that those figures have come to mean very little to the

subscribers. Their dissatisfaction with the present service is registered m an

increasing stream of queries and complaints. Part of the delay in supplying cards at the present time is due to inadequate

printing equipment. The new Library Branch Printing Office, to be put in operation in the Annex, should overcome the delay as to printing and reprinting, that office being a thoroughly capable and efficient organization which can be

counted on to do its work properly if adequate equipment and funds are provided.

Adequate space and equipment have been provided, and it is gratifying to note that on February 1, 1939, the day the new quarters were

formally occupied, there were 22,000 titles, or library-card orders, on hand. Without the aid of a night shift, this section has reduced

the 22,000 titles to 6,000 titles, which indicates satisfactory progress

in completion of delayed orders. The Library officials heartily com- mend this achievement, as they are now able to render much better

service and have reduced the expense of correspondence due to delayed

deliveries.

76
Numerous visitors who have inspected this modern printmg office have commented on the many up-to-date features, such as controlled

air-conditioning, sound-proof construction, indirect lighting, all-steel equipment, straight-line production, 15-foot ceilings, and Venetian

blinds on all windows—a modern print shop second to none. The most important addition to the composuig-room equipment consists of 12 streamlhied slug-casting machines of the latest design, 4 of

these machines beiag 8-magazine Model F mixers, each equipped with

4 maia and 4 side magazines, and 8 Model C 3-deckers, each equipped

with 3 maui and 3 side magazines. All auxiliary magazines carry 34

of the most frequently used accents, a great benefit when 30 percent

of the titles set include 60 or more languages and dialects. One

Model F is capable of setting Kussian and English in the same line,

while another is similarly equipped for setting Greek and English, and

the other two are equipped to set black-letter and roman. Each of

the 8 nonmixers carry fonts in addition to the 8- and 10-point roman

required for card and book composition.

The proofroom is another attraction to all visitors interested in

printing. This room is completely enclosed with steel and glass partitions and is soimd-proofed and air-conditioned. The sLx steel ohvegreen proofreaders' desks are of the very latest design. One feature

is the sound-deflecting boards at the ends and backs of these desks,

making it possible to locate the proofreaders nearer to the source of supply, with minimum disturbance from the usual noise in a proof- room. The reading boards are adjustable to any convenient angle

and can be completely removed from the flat top of the desk. Each

reading board is equipped with a bail at top and bottom which makes

it possible to maintain a clean, smooth writing surface at all times;

at the top of the rear sounding board are five open bins for convenient

storage of proof and copy. Each desk is equipped with two lighting

fixtures consisting of two parabolic shades mounted on flexible conducts. The necessary steel bookshelves and filing cabinets are included

in the equipment,

A large proof press with inking attachment, and a craftsman line-up

and register table for a 25- by 38-inch sheet is also new equipment.

With this it is now possible to prove, correct, line up, and register

all forms before going to press, thus saving many hours of press- standing time. Previous to this installation 8 forms a day, each form

of 40 hbrary cards, were printed on each cylinder press; now it is possible to print from 12 to 16 forms a day on one cylinder press. The addition of two 12- by 18-inch automatic job presses has enabled

the Library Branch pressroom to reclaim most of the job work that

77
had previously been printed in the main office. The past four months

showed a 35 percent increase in job work over a like period of the

preceding year. The installation of these 12- by 18-inch automatic

job presses has enabled the Library Composing Section to make

daily deliveries of ' 'special rush" library cards and all

* 'extra one- hundreds/' and, most important, it enables this section to make full delivery on all large orders of new cards; previously only part deliveries were made. These cards are now printed 10 at each impression and it is possible to print from 40 to 45 forms a day on one press. The chief of the Card Division of the Library of Congress has voiced

his approval regarding these deliveries and has commented favorably

from time to time regarding improved conditions in general.

As to the production, the plant is at present geared to print 3,000,000

cards per month in addition to about 240 thousand 5- by 15-inch bysheets. This section has also taken over the printing of the entire

Catalog of Copyright Entries, totaling over 6,000 pages per annum,

the greater part of which was formerly printed in the main office because of inadequate equipment in the main Library building.

The following statement shows the production record for the

Library Composing Section for the fiscal years 1937, 1938, and 1939.

The reduction of jackets written and jackets closed out in 1939 is due

to combining many jackets previously written as single jackets.

1937 1938 1939

Chargeable impressions 32, 107, 634

2, 731, 496

9, 274

5, 174

140, 993

426, 332

1, 142 1,129

38,076,724

2,785,473

9, 272

5, 809

127, 617

382, 851

1, 041

1, 065

38, 458, 891

3, 311, 205

10, 660

8, 091

186, 272

568, 816

975

971

Actual impressions Chargeable forms sent to press Actual forms sent to press Subject headings—lines sent to press Subject headings printed --- Jackets written

Jackets closed out —

The Library Binding Section of the Government Printing Office

moved into its new quarters in the new Annex of the Library of

Congress on April 3, 1939. The bindery has a total floor area of 10,820

square feet. All the new equipment purchased for the Library bindery is of steel construction and finished in an olive-green baked enamel. This modern equipment has been placed so that the maximum production can be accomplished with the least expenditure of time and human energy.

A new 44-inch precision electric automatic-spacer paper cutter was

installed in the pressroom in line with the battery of presses to carry

out straight-line production. This machine is used to cut all paper

stock for the presses and all library cards. It cuts so accurately that

78
40 cards cut separately from a sheet, then stacked together, will appear

as though cut at one stroke. As these cards are sold to Hbraries all over the world and must fit a standard-size file case, exactness and

consistency of size is essential.

A new heavy-duty paper-drilling machine, hollow-drill type, is lined up with the cutting machine and drills a Ke-inch hole in the

cards and will drill as many cards as the paper cutter will cut in a day.

In the forwarding unit there are 21 steel tables with maplewood

tops inches thick, and a built-in jogging or pounding iron, also a

large drawer for storage of tools ; the tables are equipped with electric

glue pots. The installation of the iron in each table is a saving of

many steps each day. Back of these tables is a steel table with a masonite top used to hold both finished and unfinished work. This

enables the worker to do more and efficient work, as his work table is clear at all times for the particular job in hand.

Four board shears are lined up with these tables so that each

worker must traverse only a short distance to cut his boards. Two

new roller book-backing machines, self-centering adjusting type, are conveniently located at the ends of the tables. These machines have

greatly reduced the hand labor and have increased the production on

backing of books. The addition of a pneumatic standing press

eliminates the dangerous manual labor that was necessary on the old

presses; this press is capable of greater pressure and turns out a

solidly made book.

One large steel shelving unit with six compartments is near the

board shears and is used for storage of binder's board and is both

neat and convenient. One steel cabinet with four compartments and

doors is used for storage and preservation of glue. Two steel cabinets

with six adjustable shelves are used for the storage of bindery supplies.

One 7-inch ball-bearing grinder, pedestal type, equipped with safety

eye shield and goggles, replaces an old and obsolete grinder. Six

large steel shelving units with various-size compartments are used for storage of sewed books; this arrangement is a great protection for the

books and keeps the separate groups in proper order.

Nine steel racks make ideal protection for press boards when the

latter are not in use. Four steel tables with masonite tops serve as stock-cutting tables and for storage of books. One reconditioned

44-inch cutting machine trims the edges of books and does miscellane- ous cutting for the Library, and in case of emergency can be used to cut library cards. One drilling machine with two heads is used for

miscellaneous drilling and can be used to drill library cards.

The stockroom contains one heavy steel shelving unit with eight

79
shelves which store heavy rolls of buckram. One large cabinet

protects valuable skins of leather. Four steel tables with masonite

tops serve as stock-cutting tables and are used for the storage of

books awaiting completion.

In the finishing unit there are 30 steel tables with masonite tops.

Eighteen of these tables have a 14-inch shelf which serves as storage

for the finisher s work in hand. Each table has also a large drawer

for tools and supplies. Twelve tables are equipped with electric stoves to heat tools and type used in the finishing of books. Type

cabinets are arranged on shelves under the tables and at the ends of

the table so that they are accessible to each man. One steel cabinet

with six adjustable shelves is used for storage of finisher's supplies.

The new book-finishing and stamping machine has proved to be a

very wise investment, as it is used to stamp all leather titles and set books which were formerly done by hand. These methods contribute

to speedier production.

In the sewing unit there has been great improvement in working

conditions for women employees. This unit was formerly crowded

into a small room where many women worked at one large table and

were seated on wooden chairs of various descriptions. In the new

unit there are 10 steel bindery tables with masonite tops; each table

is 10 feet long and accommodates two women. Special-type chairs were obtained for the women employees of this unit. Each chair is adjusted for the comfort and correct posture of its user and has

greatly reduced the element of fatigue.

Six steel tables with stainless-steel tops were obtained for use in the

dampening of newspapers for pressing and binding. They have proved

to be very satisfactory. The new compressed-air press is a great

improvement over the old-style hand press in that it not only makes

newspapers and books more smooth and solid but also does away

with the use of a heavy iron bar that has caused injury to a number

of men in the past. Twenty-two steel tables with masonite tops are used for work tables and the storage of books; and two steel shelving

units are used for the storage of end papers and sewed books. One

large steel cabinet with doors protects paper stock. One steel cabinet

with six adjustable shelves and doors is used for the storage of sewing

supplies. One reconditioned 32-inch paper cutter was added to the

equipment and proves very satisfactory.

The moving of the bindery into its new quarters was accomplished

without confusion and with a minunum loss of production. Each

bookbinder assembled his uncompleted books and his tools on a portable table and proceeded through the connecting tunnel to his

8o
designated work table in the new annex to the Library, where everything was in readiness for the continuance of his work.

For the past 2 years the Library Bmding Section, due to lack of space, was unable to satisfy the demands of the Library of Congress

and was compelled to send much of its work to the main office. This

condition was alleviated by moving into new quarters, and the section

is now able to handle all its work without sending any away. With

the additional space and equipment, the Binding Section is now in a

position to clear up the 314,000 volumes to be rebound as soon as funds are available.

The following table shows the comparative production records of

major items for the fiscal years 1937-38 and 1938-39:

Class of work 1937-38 1938-39 Volumes bound and lettered 33, 525 1,895

104, 933

1, 370, 597

3, 836, 128

4, 690

14, 319

1, 832, 000

35, 891

2, 056

120, 017

1, 426,486

4, 904, 896

5, 152

16, 499

2, 401, 400

Volumes newspapers bound and lettered ..- Extra lines of lettering in gold Miscellaneous cards cut and drilled Miscellaneous sheets cut Block dummies covered with paper

Miscellaneous pads made

Miscellaneous card comers cut DELIVERY SECTION

The incoming and outgoing carload and less-than-carload shipments

of freight, which once constituted an important item in the Delivery

Section, have been practically eliminated through the construction and

operation of No. 4 warehouse and the establishment of the free pick-upand-delivery service by the several railroad companies. However,

during the year 186,986 pounds of out-going freight, consisting of metal

and cores, were shipped. The shipping of postal cards, which was one

of this Division's largest hauling problems, is now almost entirely

handled by the Stores Division through the use of automatic conveyors

and carlo ading platforms, which materially reduce manual handling.

Only 17 shipments of postal cards were handled during the year as compared with 193 for the previous year. Of finished products,

200,416 dehveries were made. It was necessary for the Delivery

Section to haul 2,447 loads of printed matter to the Superintendent of Documents' warehouse, located at 613 G Street NW. During the

year the Government Printing Office fleet of motor vehicles, comprising

32 trucks and 3 passenger cars, traveled a total of 184,973 miles. The

nimaber of accidents amounted to only 5, which is an enviable record

for any delivery section.

8l
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS

The increase in all activities of this office during the past year and

the shortage of funds to provide sufficient additional personnel

naturally had its effect on service rendered. Aside from the increase

in activities of all divisions of the office, there occurred the largest

turn-over in its force since the office was established. Changes in

the force are decidedly detrimental to the work, because experienced

personnel is needed to furnish satisfactory information service to the

public.

In the last annual report, comment was made on the upward

trend in sales of Government publications, and it was believed that

the increase was transitory. As shown by the following comparative

statement for the last 7 years, the contrary is indicated:

Fiscal year Number of orders Number of publications

sold Amount of

sales

1933 481, 295

496, 215

538, 698

548, 848

595, 823

697, 970

773, 464

8, 255, 490

10, 459, 964

9, 499, 205

8, 832. 162

10, 074, 337

11, 546, 273

12, 748, 804

$540, 532. 29

594, 007. 64

637, 414. 43

680. 725. 69

813. 246. 60

845, 779. 16

928, 459. 88

1934 1935

1936 1937

1938 1939

For the fiscal year 1938, 102,147 more cash orders were received

than during the previous year, and, although the increase was not

expected to continue, it is shown that for the year 1939 there was a

further increase of 75,494 over 1938.

A review of business for the period 1933-39 shows an increase of over 50 percent in operations, whereas during the same period there was only a 14}^ percent increase in appropriation for salaries and

wages.

82
Comparative statement oj activities. Public Documents Division

Fiscal year

1933 Fiscal year1939 Increase Percent of increase

$550, 000

205, 705

481, 295

$616, 655

49, 297, 052

8, 255, 490

$540, 532

36, 047

$630, 000

321,292

773. 464

$1, 033, 624

75, 249, 194

12, 748, 804

$928, 459

60, 125

$80, 000

115, 587

292. 169

$416. 969

25,952. 142

4, 493. 314

$387, 927

14, 078

14.

5

56.2

60.7

67.6 52.6

54.4

71.8 39.4

LettPrs of inquiry . . Number of orders . ... Cash remittances

Publications distributed for departments

Publications sold - Amount of sales Number of publications received in library— - SERVICE AND DISTRIBUTION

Where there is no control over the amount of busmess to be handled,

the administration of an office presents many difficult problems,

especially in estimating the requirements of the office 10 months in

advance of the time in which the appropriation becomes available.

When the volume of work exceeds the capacity of the available

force, which is now the case, employees who are needed for the proper

recording and stockkeeping must be used for handling current mail.

This means neglecting certain essential features, such as sales promotion of excessive stock and elimination of obsolete pubUcations, which

in many cases are of an ephemeral character. It must be remembered that there probably is no commercial concern which carries a stock of 8,076,752 publications, involving more than 65,000 titles. Service is a most important factor in the promotion of a sales and

information business. Comparison is not possible with commercial

mail-order houses, where all orders received have been selected from

catalogs and purchasers are required to use stock numbers. In our

business the handhng of sales orders is more complicated because of

the frequent necessity for reference work to determine which publication the customer wishes and then to determine its stock classifica- tion. There are hundreds of bureaus and offices supplying information

regarding Government publications, and the result is that requests

for pubHcations Ust the titles in every conceivable manner, which

makes the filling of orders a difficult problem.

In order to simplify the purchase of pubHcations, this Office issues

coupons in denominations of 5 cents which are accepted in payment

for orders. During the year 662,000 coupons were sold. In addition, deposit accounts are maintained against which orders are charged. There are 5,875 such accounts, against which 61,167 orders were charged during the year. An advantage of the deposit system

is that it is not necessary to know the price when ordering.

83
Although the Superintendent of Documents is the sales agent for

Government publications, he must exercise discretion in their purchase, as publications printed for sale must be paid for from sales

receipts. Frequently the Government issues publications of such

nature that the anticipated demand does not justify extra copies

being ordered for sale by the Superintendent of Documents. Then,

when a request is received, there is delay occasioned by effort to obtain copies from other sources. The noticeable increase in sales might indicate a corresponding decrease in free distribution, but such is not the case. Last year the

Office distributed 1,579,672 more copies for the departments than

during the previous year, and since 1933 there has been a 52.6 per- cent increase. In previous reports mention was made of added activity

in mailing forms for governmental emergency organizations, and this

work seems to be increasing. The number of pieces mailed last year was 846,560,038.

The following statement shows the number of publications on hand

July 1, 1938, the number received and distributed during the fiscal year 1939, including forms, and the number of copies on hand June

30, 1939:

Free publications received and distributed during the fiscal year 1939

Department or establishment

Copies of publications on hand July

1, 1938

Copies of publications received during

year

Forms re- ceived during

year

Copies of publications dis- tributed during

year

Forms dis- tributed during

year

Executive departments

State Treasury. .

.

War

Justice Post Office- Navy

Interior Agriculture. Commerce..

Labor

Independent offices American Battle Monuments

Commission

Central Statistical Board

Civil Aeronautics Authority

Civil Service Commission Employees Compensation Commission

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Power Commission

Federal Reserve Board

Federal Trade Commission

General Accounting Office Interstate Commerce Commission

513

856, 379

1,111

2, 583

32, 572

63, 141

1, 178, 597

12, 642, 121

1, 706, 174

919, 535

00

0

631

1, 746

601 2,227

657

71, 2610

75, 374

6,513

2, 217, 929

1,925

202, 419

11, 31,065

10, 448

2, 996, 783

30, 634, 223

2, 586, 547

9, 477, 724

150

1, 835

160, 976

46, 301

1, 2500

0

0

47, 266 975

.1, 040,222

1, 040, 000

0

00

0

00

35, 799, 200

0

00

00

8, 017, 830

0

0

00

0

5, 432

2, 034, 668

2, 903

205, 002

11, 200, 312

46, 089

3, 050, 056

26, 921, 552

3, 087, 706

8, 921, 473

150

1, 835

160, 976

46, 832

0

0

0

53, 958

975

1, 039, 947

0

1, 040. 000

0

00

0

0

0

35, 799, 200

0

0

0

00

8, 017, 830

0

0

0

0

0

84
free publications received and distributed during the fiscal year 1939—Continued

Copies of Copies of Copies of Copies of publica- Forms re- publica- Forms dis- publica- Departineiit or establishineiit

piiblicS" tions on

V»5^nH ThItt" tions received ceived during

tions dis- tributed

tributed during

tions on hand

1±CIJlL\jL o \X\y

1, 1938 during

year year duringyear year June 30, 1939

Independent o^ces—Continued

National Advisory Committee

for Aeronautics 0 430 U 417 0 13 National Archives 6,787 62, 680 0 65, 663 0 3, 804 Personnel Classification Board 2, 138 0 A

U 2, 138 0 0 President's Committee on AdminLstration Management 15, 876 15 0 6, 027 0 9, 864 Railroad Retirement Board 0 2, 499, 900 16, 318, 900 2, 499, 900 16 318 900 0 Smithsonian Institution 170, 065 ' 139,' 981 0

' 123, 728 0 186, 31 U. S. Tariff Commission 0 61, 235 0 11, 695 0 49, 540 Veterans' Administration 0 '399 0 399 0 0 Judiciary D . S. Court of Customs and

Patent Appeals 1, 070 350 0 72 0 1,348 Congressional Bicentennial Commission . 6, 727 2, 000 0 0 0 8, 727 Congress... . . . 13, 474 5, 784 0 13, 375 0 5, 883 Government Printing Oflace 0 8, 683 0 8, 683 0 0 Library of Congress 124, 409 18, 831 0 142, 640 0 600 Ennergency administrations Agricultural Adjustment Administration . 1, 108 13, 819, 758 216, 311, 460 13, 819, 758 216. 311, 460 1, 108 Civilian Conservation Corps 0 227, 323 0 106, 600 0 120, 723 Commodity Credit Corporation.. 7, 350 0 24, 234, 371 0 24, 234, 371 7,350 Emergency Conservation Works. 2, 490 0 0 0 0 2,490 Farm Credit Administration 788, 610 3, 711 0 785, 756 0 6, 565 Federal Crop Insurance . _ 0 399, 000 5, 725, 210 399, 000 5, 725. 210 0 Federal Home Loan Bank Board

.

0 74, 040 0 74, 040 0 0 National Bituminous Coal Commission. 0 0 3, 236, 500 0 3, 236, 500 0 National Emergency CouncU 0 0 406, 550 0 406, 550 0 National Planning Board 1,626 0 u 184 0 1,442 National Resources Committee.

.

9,452 255, 767 0 193, 806 0 71, 413 National Unemployment Register . 0 7, 041 0 2, 150 0 4, 891 Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration 0 0 576, 750 0 576, 750 0 Public Works Administration 2, 639 111 0 2, 750 0 0 Rural Electrification Adminis0 168, 551 0

1A1 Qsa iOl, i508 Q 7 193 Social Security Board 0 0 378, 520 0 6, 378. 520 0 Works Progress Administration.

.

0 866, 041 528, 514, 747 866, 041 528, 514, 747 0 Total 18, 708, 944 79, 371, 182 846, 560, 038 1 76, 068, 215 846, 560, 038 22, Oil, 911 Superintendent of Documents 5, 056, 057 24, 468, 514 0 2 21, 447,819 0 8, 076, 752 Grand total 23, 765, 001 103, 839, 696 846, 560, 038 97, 516, 034 846, 560, 038 30, 088, 663

1 This total includes 819,021 copies of departmental discarded obsolete publications, making total dis- tribution 75,249,194.

2 This total includes 1,470,590 copies of Superintendent of Documents discarded obsolete publications, making total distribution 19,977,229, Total actual distribution of departmental and Superintendent of Documents publications is 95,227,292. Mailing Lists

There are many publishing houses with larger individual mailing

lists, but it is believed there are none with so great a variety as that

handled by the Mail List Section of this Office. At the present time

85
it has 3,355 lists, which vary in size from 100 to over 100,000 names. At the close of the year these lists comprised 1,565,507 stencils, and

during the year there were 529,981 additions and 368,629 names

dropped.

The regulations of the Joint Committee on Printing require all departments to revise their mailing lists every 6 months by making

inquiry as to whether the publications which they distribute are

desired by the persons to whom addressed. With such requirements

for revision of the Usts, one can appreciate the work involved in

making the corrections.

Depository Libraries

The last annual report stated that in order to meet changed conditions as they exist today, an investigation of depository libraries was

essential before an attempt could be made to amend the law providing

for such libraries. The difficulty experienced in obtaining the neces- sary funds has prevented this investigation.

Mr. Thomas P. Fleming, Chairman of the Committee on Public

Documents, American Library Association, has not been successful in

securing funds from any of the foundations. As a final recourse, he

addressed a letter to the President of the United States, recommending

that the Science Committee of the National Resources Planning

Board be directed to make the survey, in view of its interest in resources for research. This survey, of course, was recommended to be made in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, the

Public Printer, the Superintendent of Documents, departmental

libraries of the Government, and interested nongovernmental or- ganizations.

Congressional Bills

Distribution of public bills and resolutions was started iu the Seventy-sixth Congress, first session, and during the session approximately

9,000 prints of bills and resolutions were distributed to the depository

Hbraries making selection of this class of material. It will be iuteresting to learn from the librarians the conjectural value of these bills, and whether or not their use will justify the service, in view of the

work involved in making them available to the pubhc.

Special Libraries Association

At the Thirty-first Annual Conference, held in Baltimore May 25

to 27, 1939, resolutions were adopted explaiuing the interest in Gov86
emment publications on the part of research workers of the country

and the public at large. The Conference stressed the need for prompt

service in order that the Special Libraries Association could function

satisfactorily in supplying information to its membership, which

includes libraries of banks and investment houses; chambers of commerce; trade, professional, civic, religious, and labor associations;

boards of education; insurance, public-utility, manufacturing, engineering, and advertising firms; museums; foundations; and pubHshing houses and newspapers.

Monthly Catalog Index

There has been a growing demand from libraries for an index to each

Monthly Catalog, in addition to the present index issued at the end of the calendar year. An index with each monthly issue would unquestionably facilitate its use. The make-up of the Catalog is a classified arrangement by publishing oflBces, and many of its users, not being familiar with the organization plan of the Government, find it difficult to locate the publications

in which they are interested. However, the printing of an index is contingent on Congress appropriating fimds for that purpose.

Exhibit at Pan-American Exposition, Tampa, Fla,

The Superintendent of Documents was allotted space for exhibit

of sales pubHcations. The Exposition was held 19 days in February,

exclusive of Sundays, during which time nearly 200,000 visitors

entered the Government building. Many visitors commented favorably on the exhibit and many appeared to be particularly interested in

the large representation of a book which stood 8 feet high, the open

pages of which furnished information regarding the sale of publications

by this Office. The United States Commissioner of the Exposition congratulated

this Office on its interesting presentation in the Federal Building, and

also on the efficient service of its representative, who was on duty during the entire period of the Exposition.

Exhibit at Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, Calif.

The Public Printer accepted an invitation to set up a bookstore

which would be a central information booth, and it attracted an unusual amount of attention from the public. Being the main information booth for the Federal exhibit, it was allotted space at the en- trance to the building.

87
The Office representative reports that an exhibit of this type is appreciated, especially since this is the first opportunity that many

residents of that section of the country have had to familiarize themselves with the services offered by the Office of the Superintendent of

Dociunents.

There seems to be great demand for information regarding Government publications, and consequently there have been distributed

approximately 20,000 catalogs on various subjects. Knowledge of

the services rendered by this Office is spreading, and there have been numerous inquiries from school teachers and professors, resulting in

the use of a number of publications by schools and colleges as text and

reference books. Many requests have been received from school

Hbrarians and book dealers for complete sets of catalogs for the purpose of acquamting students or customers with Government publications and methods of obtaining them.

Suggested Legislation

This Office has advocated for many years the elimination of the dual

printing of the same publications; e. g., first printing the matter as a congressional report and then, after removing the report serial number, printing it as a departmental serial publication.

In 1907 a resolution was passed by Congress making effective such

a policy, but in January of the following year the superintendents of

the Documents Room at the Capitol persuaded the Printing Committee

to amend the law so that they would continue to receive the class of

publications that had been eliminated.

It is my understanding that the superintendents of the Documents

Room now entertain a different feeling in regard to these documents

and are anxious to have them segregated from the congressional series. I would recommend, therefore, that the Joint Committee on Printing consider amending sections 131 and 142 of Title 44, United States

Code, so as to eliminate printing the same publication both as a document and as a plain-title edition.

There is an insistent demand by the pubHc that the Superintendent

of Documents render a service comparable to that of a mail-order

house, but it should be obvious that this is impossible unless the

personnel of this Office be increased in proportion to the volume of

work.

Congress has given its approval to the sale of Government publications in Heu of their free distribution. In recent legislation re- stricting the use of the penalty frank, no limitation was placed upon

the distribution of lists announcing pubhcations for sale. 88
The trend of demand for Government publications is decidedly

upward, and to meet this trend the Office should be equipped to handle the business. It is pleasing to report that Congress evidently

recognizes the need for additional funds, and it is hoped that the

increase granted for the coming fiscal year will permit the Office to render a more satisfactory service.

RECOMMENDED CHANGES IN METHODS OF DISTPvIBUTION

In my last annual report (page 24), I recommended that Congress

give serious consideration to the adoption of a sales procedure that

would provide a method by which the public could purchase Government publications cheaply and easily. The reasons upon which the

recommendations were based and the benefits to be derived from the

action recommended were outhned in detail and are again called to the attention of Congress as one of the pressing problems facing those

interested in the printing and distribution of Government publications.

The Inter-Departmental Committee on Printing, created by the

Executive order of October 28, 1938, has had this question under

consideration for some time. It has assembled previous comments

and recommendations of interested agencies and has discussed the

matter thoroughly. I am, therefore, pleased to be able to quote the

following from its tentative report covering this point, as I feel the

information contained therein will be of interest to all concerned and

I fully concur in the recommendation made:

The Urgent Need for Legislation Which Would Establish a Plan or System to Facilitate the Sale oj Publications For more than a decade those concerned with the operation of Government

services of research, regulation, and service work, and the dissemination of information useful to citizens rising from these activities, have sought to find a way to make the publications containing such information easily available for purchase by interested citizens. The sales system in use at present is somewhat cumbersome and does not

serve citizens as efficiently and economically as others that could be devised. The defects in the system have previously been pointed out by official groups which have studied the problems of printing and distribution, and suggestions

for ehminating these defects and establishing a sales system that wiU give better pubHc service have been advanced. The Permanent Conference on Printing in 1932 advanced such proposals, and they were approved by the Coordinator

and the Bureau of the Budget. However, they were not put into effect by the Congress. In its report of April 6, 1938, the Special Committee designated to make a study of the production and distribution methods of printed, processed,

and duplicated matter pubUshed for the use of the executive branch of the Gov89
ernment made a comprehensive summary of the reasons why changes are sought

in the system of selling Government publications, outlined the changes needed,

and offered for transmission to the Joint Committee on Printing and for its consideration a draft of legislation which would effectuate the desired changes.

The report of that committee follows: The committee feels that Government publications generally should be offered to the public on a sales basis rather than free in order to eliminate distribution

to those who do not desire the information, to achieve a wide distribution of useful information at a small cost, and, in fact, to increase net revenues to the Government. Any decrease in free distribution is mainly dependent upon the development of an improved and modern sales system. Accordingly, the committee has developed such a plan which it recommends herein. Next to the lack of knowledge of availability, the greatest hindrance to the sale of Government publications is the confusion the purchaser faces when he attempts

to order them. At present the Superintendent of Documents cannot accept

stamps, because they are not redeemable by the Post Office Department. Coins

must be mailed at the purchaser's risk. Consequently, what often happens is that a person who wishes to purchase a 5-cent publication buys a money order for which he has to pay a service charge, then he writes a letter and places it and a money order into an envelope which must be stamped at a cost of 3 cents more. The person often spends more for the stamp, money order, and stationery than

the price of the publication itself. Moreover, he will probably address his letter to a department rather than to the Superintendent of Documents. The department, upon receipt of the letter, will then have to send the money to the Govern- ment Printing Office. All of this complicated official procedure is costly to the Government, and there has been a long-standing need for its correction. Because of the money, time, and confusion involved in purchasing low-priced

publications the sale is negligible compared to the possibilities. Ease in buying

is an essential factor to any successful sales plan. Such a system can be made

possible by legislation providing that special cards for use in ordering Government

publications be placed on sale at post offices in the United States. These cards,

in different colors and for different amounts, would be good only for the purchase

of Government publications; for example, a blue card might sell for 5 cents and a

green card for 10 cents, and so on up to cards selling for 50 cents. For amounts

exceeding 50 cents other means of remittance may be used. These cards will be

self-addressed to the Superintendent of Documents and the purchaser would

simply place a 1-cent stamp on the card, fill in the name of the bulletin he wants,

sign his name and address, and drop the card into a mail box. Buyers on rural routes could obtain the cards from carriers. The Superintendent of Documents would receive the cards, fill the orders, and

present the cards periodically to the Post Office Department for redemption, and

the receipts would be deposited in the Treasury as required by law. When

supplies of publications requested by purchasers are exhausted the cards would be

returned to the senders by the Superintendent of Documents for redemption or exchange at post offices. This plan would be readily understood and, further- more, the departments could promote increased sales without additional cost through the use of information services already available. The promotion of sales of publications through such means as poster lists in the

post offices throughout the country could readily be arranged. These notices would make known publications of national as well as general interest. In all 90
cases they should be prepared by the department issuing the publication in cooperation with the Superintendent of Documents. The committee, therefore, recommends the enactment of legislation that would

embody the above plan. A suggested draft of such legislation follows: That the Postmaster General, within 90 days after the approval of this act,

is authorized and directed to place on sale in all post offices and branch post offices in the United States, special postal cards of various cash-value denominations for use as a medium of exchange in the purchase of Government publications. Sec. 2. The form, style, design, color, size, and cash-value denominations of such

cards shall be determined by the Public Printer, subject to the approval of the Postmaster General and the Comptroller General. On the face of these cards

there shall be printed the required postage and the following address: "Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C."; and on the reverse side shall be printed the cash value of such card, together with

suitable blank spaces for the insertion of the number and description of the

publication or publications wanted, the name and State of the post office where

the card was procured, and the signature and address of the purchaser. Such

cards shall be redeemable only as provided for in sections 3 and 4 of this act. Sec. 3. All these cards shall be accepted at their face value by the Superintendent of Documents, who shall fill the order or orders contained thereon,

and cancel each card in such manner as the Postmaster General may direct. The Superintendent of Documents shall transmit periodically to the Postmaster

General for redemption all canceled cards received during the preceding period.

The Postmaster General shall accept, at their face value, all cards which show

that the order, or any part thereof, has been filled and shall remit by check, to the Superintendent of Documents, a sum equal to the total face value of all the cards

so presented and accepted for the preceding period. Sec. 4. Whenever an order, or any part thereof, described on a card cannot be

filled, refund of the price of such card, or the unfilled portion thereof, shall be

made to the person submitting the same in such manner as may be determined

by the Postmaster General and the Public Printer, Sec. 5. In order to facilitate the sale of Government publications, it shall be

the duty of the various executive departments, independent offices, and estab- lishments of the Government to prepare the necessary descriptive manuscript

required for the printing and distribution by the Superintendent of Documents

of sales notices, poster lists, and other matter designed to invite attention to the

contents and availability of their publications offered for sale and to the method

of purchasing provided by this act. Publicity matter to promote the sale of publications shall be displayed in post offices throughout the United States under

such rules and regulations as may be promulgated by the Postmaster General.

Sec. 6. The Superintendent of Documents is authorized to expend from appropriations, which are hereby authorized therefor, not to exceed $25,000 annually

for carrying out the provisions of section 5 of this act. To supplement the regular sales promotional work of the departments and the Superintendent of Documents, the committee further recommends that the Superintendent of Documents be authorized to order from the Public Printer the printing of sales notices and that additional funds be made available to him for that

purpose. 91
On May 11, 1938, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing requested

the views and recommendations of the Director of the Bureau of the Budget

with respect to this legislative proposal, and the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, on June 9, 1938, replied to the Chairman of the Joint Committee on

Printing as follows: Mr Dear Mr. Lambeth:

Reference is made to your letter of May 11, 1938, requesting the views and rec- ommendations of this office regarding the feasibility of enacting a bill, draft of which was transmitted with your letter, designed to facilitate the purchase of Government publications from the Superintendent of Documents and pro^Jide additional revenue for the Government.

I have referred the draft of the bill to the Secretaries of Commerce, Interior,

Agriculture, and Treasury and to the Postmaster General, and I am attaching

hereto copies of their replies. Each of these Departments, with the exception

of the Post Office Department, is favorable to the enactment of such legislation.

The Postmaster General is opposed to the proposed legislation because of the

administrative and accounting difficulties set forth in his letter. As you are aware, the substance of this proposed legislation was recommended by

a Special Committee composed of representatives of the principal departments

concerned with printing, processing, and the distribution of Government publications, as well as other representatives from the Legislative Branch of the Government, after having made a careful study of the entire printing, processing,

and distribution methods in the Executive Branch of the Government Service. As indicated to you in my letter of April 12, 1938, it appears that the report of the

Special Committee embodies, in general, a variety of practicable suggestions for the improvement of our printing and distribution situation.

It seems to me that the proposed legislation should be beneficial to the Govern- ment as a whole for the following reasons:

First, it should very substantially reduce the present large volume of printed

and processed material distributed by the departments free, and thereby reduce

the amount of material handled by the Post Office Department free of postage;

Second, it should considerably increase the miscellaneous receipts of the Federal Government realized from the sale of Government publications;

Third, it would make more generally known to the public at large the publications that have been made available through expensive and extensive research by the Government.

I am, therefore, inclined to concur in this legislation recommendation of the

Special Committee and of the Departments chiefly concerned with the issuance of Governmental publications. While I appreciate the administrative and accounting difficulties with which the Post Office Department would be confronted should

such legislation be enacted, it seems to me that these additional costs will be more

than offset by the increase in postal revenues that may reasonably be expected

to follow the enactment of the legislation.

Very truly yours,

(Signed) D. W. Bell,

Acting Director. Enclosures: Copies of letters from Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, Treasury,

and Post Office on above subject.

92
The Post OflBce Department, in its letter of June 1, 1938, to the Bureau of the Budget, set forth its objections to the proposed legislation as follows: My Dear Mr. Bell:

The receipt is acknowledged of your letter of the 14th instant, transmitting

advance galley proof of a Bill amending the present printing laws relating to the sale of documents by the Superintendent of Documents. The plan outhned in the proposed Bill to place on sale at all post offices cards

of assorted face values to be used in the purchase of documents would make it necessary that each post office must have available complete information regarding

the different documents on sale at the Government Printing Office as well as the

price thereof. It would necessitate a considerable amount of work on the part of the clerks in furnishing this information and completing the transaction. This Department is opposed to the proposed legislation because the administrative and accounting difficulties involved make the plan impracticable from the standpoint of the Postal Service. No doubt, a considerable portion of these pamphlets are sold in rural districts, served by the smaller post offices, which would

aggravate the problem of handling this accountable stock. The cost of administration and accounting here in Washington also would be an item of some consequence.

It is freely conceded by the proponents of this measure that its enactment would be burdensome and expensive to the Postal Service, the arguments ad- vanced in its favor being based on the benefits accruing to other Departments of the Government, as well as the general public. The Postal Service has been

glad to extend its cooperation in solving the problem of distribution for other Departments of the Government in important matters affecting the general public

welfare; in most of these cases it has been compensated, at least partly, for the

extra expense involved. A relatively small portion of the public would take advantage of the convenience of the facility suggested. The extra work, both in the Field and here in the Department, represents a non-postal activity which I do not feel the Department should be called upon to undertake. Very truly yours,

(Signed) Ramsey S. Black,

Acting Postmaster General. The Inter-Departmental Committee, the member of the Committee from the Post Office Department dissenting, reiterates the reasoning given in the report

of the Special Committee, above quoted, and urges the enactment of legislation

establishing a system that will facilitate sales of publications as a means of making the public service more economical and more efficient. * * * CONCLUSION

In concluding this annual report I will advert to some of our out- standing accomplishments during the past fiscal year. While not of a spectacular nature, they contributed largely to the economical and

efficient administration of the Government Printing Office. Our

method of cost accounting, coupled with the work of the Production

Control Committee, the release of governmental printing to depart93
ments, our work for the Patent Office, and the manufacture of cards

for tabulating machines are examples of some of the things that

required diligent effort and careful thought. The suggested plan for

better control over departmental printing and the adoption of a more

convenient system for placing Government publications in the hands

of the public are considered of much importance to this Office, and it

is hoped that corrective legislation will be enacted soon. Under authority of the act approved February 28, 1933 (Public,

No. 381, 72d Cong.), the practice of printing supplementary records

and statistics in the Annual Report of the Public Printer has been

discontinued, and original copies of such information as has been

prepared are on file for public inspection.

A. E. GlEGENGACK,

Public Printer.

94 191656