The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-11

Of money, # he is man OF business without extra
copies amounting 20 as much as the printing re-
quired for the legislation Of Congress- tha. is, II the
printing required for legislation should amount 10
say 900, there should be s25 900 worth Of extra
numbers. | don't believe that most persons who
are estimating about Congress printing take into
view at all the amount which the printer pays for
folding and stitching. You are no doubt payng at
least $50 a week for folding and stitching. Should
Mr.. Nless bill pass, your continuing to execute the
public printing will then depend whether you are
most DESTROYS of making money or making good
character, You cannot, think, make both under
IT, You may make money under II, IT Congress
shall give to you the usual quality and quantity Of
printing, asd you shall read the proofs once only,
and fellow copy 1--WE used to read them well, twice,
and make grammar ofit,) printing on low-price pa
per, and take your time To execute the printing
You will find out, II you have not done so already,
that the PAINTING WINCH roo DO AT MIGHT on ON
SUNDAY, cosrs rHE rUbLIc rkiSTsh ABOUT FIFTY
rIR CENT, MORE than that done in daytime IN the
working days OF the week. No printers ever made
any money under the JOINT resolution Of lSl9-or,
II they did, they did not keep it-except Mr.. Blair
and myself; and ever since We made money under
IT, almost every democratic member Of Congress
seems TO think the prices are too high, None know
how we made our money. | hardly know myself.
know this much, that We made at least third
Of all that worth on one fat job, which we
mad our own time to do in-l mean the census
olADhs anu npics % lOfOs iuo HiiNNs VI
are now just % per cent lower than the prices fixed
by the joint resolution Of 1919, and per cent lower
than we were ever paid for the public printing,
They are about one.third what they were previous
to lsl9-IhaI is, printing that cost 50 previous TO
1919, is now printed for ST. The prices Of 1919
were fixed by members Of Congress who were print
ers. The prices Of press'work and paper are lower
than they were in 1885, but the wages Of work
men are higher than they were then IL Congress
shall ever establish a national printing Office, the
members will find, think, that the public printing
sill cost at least so per cent more than does now
have not time to read what have scratched down.
II you eau read At, you will be able to form some
thing SpproxImanng to correct OPinloa OF what
think on the subject.
JOHN c. RIvEs.
Major J. p. Htrs, Washington, ID. c.
beg leave now to refer you also To House report
No. 29s, lat session 26h Congress, Goth March
1870 for minute information on the whole subject
Of public printing, That report (of l49 printed
pages) contains the statements, under oath, OF
Nessrs, Gales & SeAton, John Q, RiVes, Me-
Gideon, and others; and, after the most thorough
investigation, the majority 9th committee were an
favor Of reduction OF Is per cent from the prices
of 1919 The minority OF the committee were in
favor ofa reduction OF q per cent The House Of
Representatives eoncurred in the views Of the major
iIy; but the last session Of Congress, further
reduction Of per cent. made and under those
reductions (of - per cent the present public print
ing is done. AZ Mr.. Riyes has declined TO appear
before your committee in consequences OF differ
enee between him and ourselves on another subject,
can only refer to his letter Of the llth February
last, indicating his opinions and experience on
the subject. You will see that he eoncurs in the
belief that further reduction may I've made without
loss to the public printers, Il they would SlsA the
| work.
As the reports both Of the majority and Of the
| minority Of the committee, made 26lh March, ls40,
| show the great difference between the cost Of the
public printing and Job work, due allowances are to
I've made for all statements made upon the basis oi
The latter now beg leave to call your attention to
.ome other facts, entirely overlooked, no doubt in
| he statements before your SommIIgee. lndepSn-
lent Of the cost Of our printing establishment, We
had advanced, IN cash, for materials and LABOR on
Congress work, upwards Of 900 before one dol
lar was paid us-6ye and a half months after the
commencement Of the session; $50 zoo were the
refunded TO US; and We are again st this 'ir,
| ABOUT $50 900 in advance for such materials and y
| Dor, independent OF all estimate of profit Thsse
materials and the labor had TO be furnished at all
hazards, and without regard TO cost rs from their
| failure the detriment TO the public interest might
have been inappreciable. Estimates Of tho cost OF
Job printing, which take no notice Of considerations
such rs these, must be delusise in great degree.
So satisfied Was the Senate that the evidence before
the eommitre in lS40 did not justify the reduction
proposed by either the minority majority report,
that hoaorab,e body, after asserting the reduction
Of 20 per cent, subsequently, motion, and upon
the petition Of the journeymen Of their printers Of
kee Erecting that profit would accrue under tina,
reduction Of ~ per cent, reinstAied the prices OF
| 1919, and Messrs Gales & Seaton are now finish
ing the work given them a he prices # 1919. That
| arm has never executed any pubic printing at less
| than those prices. We are working al % per cent.
| less. They are now Tor were few days ago. en-
gagged the public printing ordered the last
SINfN NJ the md Al
than We receive. The Senate was satisfied that no
| such enormous PROFITS as represented had been
made, and SO resolved was that body on reinsating
their printers the prices of 1919, that the provis
| ION for 1t was inserted in the great Appropriation
bill, which itself hazarded TO the extent OF q
conference between the two houses on the subject.
in which conference the House Of Representatives
| yielded.
| The amour, Of public printing for the Senate is
already shown in my letter Of The l6sh, above re-
cited, to have been greatly more las, winter than
| during the present session. The whole amount
paid Messrs. Gales & Seaton for the prih,ing or
ierd the last session Of three months of the Sen
| ate, is about Sl94.0o0, at profit Of 10 per cent
above that which we receive on 500 a0l 50 for the
int four sasaiAs Of this session. Our h however.
~ill be considerably increased by the Patent oSos
| report, which, although less by half IN number OF
copies, than ordered last year by the Senate, IS
\ larger IN siEe. .
| | make this comparison in no inviiious spirit
bat to show that political opponents mishI rea-
sonahly be satisfied at our receiving 30 per cent
less than they perseyerngly insisted, with all the
printed evidence before them, paying 10 Their po
hacsl friends. In this connexinn viii also state,
| that paper for congressional work is now higher
than IL has been for three or four years. ard that
| Journey mems wages are more than % per cent
above the prices paid in 1919
To show the entire sincerity (if that were peoos-
ssry) of Mr.. Rives in the opinions expressed in his
letter o. llh February, 1886, II may not be on; Of
place TO say, IN negotiations with hira for the
purchase Of the printing establishment, he, the
vendor, had the oanaor to inform u.s. The prices Of
public pruning, cut down first TO the extent Of Is
per cent, and then again 5 ger cent more were 50
low, that he thought, after de3aetRs sW proser
| PenSoS, no profit whatever could be made 90 the
cr6iazry business Of Congress, unless the printing
for both houses could be obtained and the price Of
composition for each shoa'd he allowed. He told
| US, moreover, no profit whatever made on the
newspaper; Nss al absorbed in the delInqusncies
Ike added, however, ths, the profit co the "Eons
! numbers" afforded an ample remuneration,
and tha, the success Of the experimen, de-