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

ent Ofhce document lA5,T3e ~
Our account rendered to the Senate, for
| printing executed during the prs,sni
Session. from December to April l, four -.
| Hnoaihs, amounts to 2SOl oO
For the House, from December to 49,
| March |, three months $4,000 %
Total -s7s,9OI so
Showing an excess OF the last session Of three
months over the present session Of four months,
| of 500 $40 40.
| In our account up to the time specified above, all
l the large documents with extra numbers are IN
eluded, with the exception of the Patent othee
document, which 10 not yet completed for the Sen.
ate.
These facts lay before you for the purpose Of
showing the perfect falsey Of the many statements
now in circulation 10 reference to the great amount
Of printing ordered the present session, and the inn
mense profit OF the public printers.
Very respectfully,
! Your obedient servant,
JOHN p, HESS.
Application was alSo made to our foreman Soou,
the time, for information in regard TO this mat.
ter and the following was submitted by him to a
member Of the committee,
| WA,assrox, May -, 1886
SiR In answer to your inquiries. feel no hesita-
ton In saying that the estimates Of the actual cost
to the printer" in executing certain documents sub
mlIted by Msssrs. Gideon and Towers, are greatly
below the reality, Time will not enable me to 90
into minute examination Of the estimates OF those
gentlemen, or even TO remark upon each document
separately; but as the Patent 0tfee report may be
considered as the principal, both in extent and in
the alleged magnitude Of profit it may suffice to
take that as specimen, and to point out some i'm
and Towers have fallen "By this may the others
be Judged"
hS PAlsni 0Sies doesrsatnl answers Of
Messrs. Gideon and Towers to the in,errogatory
proPounded to them, arc based the assumption
that the whole number OF copies (62000) Of this
document were worked of froN one composition.
So far from this being the case, however, eircum-
stances have compelled Messrs. Richie Hess to
incur the COS, OF this important item no less than
Arss ti-rs. This vas rendered necessary from the
fact that many members Of Congress were DESTROYS
) oC procuring some copies Of the document at the
carries, possible dsy; and had the printers worked
Of the whole 6S.0OO, one edition, 1t would have
occupied them i've or months before hey could
have furnished a single copy. AT their own
expense, therefore, SiIh the vi"v OF obv'slng
% great delay AMI Inconvenience, Richie &
teiss printed edition Of IS mo for the House,
nd distributed the types IS they progressed; they
tre NV advancing rapidly with the Senate's edition
OF IS 90 and are OF course distributing again; when
this is finished, they will nave the r-msinder Of the
House document 10 complete making another edt.
ton % about 5000 This arrangement, II must be
manifest TO you, Of great convenience 10 Con-
gresS; but it must be equally lear that the 'eusi to
ne prisisr" was increased by III a ratio Of to J.
IL is morr than probable that, had the work been
! given out 10y contract, and executed ct saailsr
Office, the whole IS 900 copies would have been
worked at once, and would have involved a delay
Of ten, or perhaps tvelve months, before single
copy Of the document would have been delivered.
The estimates Of Messrs Gideon and Towers are,
in other particulars, very wide OF the mark. The
last named gentleman mas based his estimate on
s., 900 copies of 400 pages; and Mr.. Gideon his
on only so 600, Both are, OF course, hypothetical;
but as Mr.. I. approaches more nearly the rtaii
n, as regards the number OF copies printed, shall
lake his statement tn remark
Mr. I. estimates the cost 10 the printer Of s. 900
} copies at S30,7t5.
Now, the cost Of t.ec lsnss aIuns viz paper and
, prssswork, would amount to about So, $50
In the above two items, have put down the "a
per at the present Wholesale market price, and the
| press~ork al journeymens ~sges [Mr Towerss
own avowed meihcd.)
, These two items, ard the erroneous estimate OF
the composition putting II al cns-ih.ra OF Its real
cost, viii enable you TO Judge of the reliance ths,
ought TO be tlsced on statements based on theory
alone, and TO determine whether Messrs G. and T
know quite much Of the actual Of the public
printing as Mr.. John c. Rves whose long practical
experience m these matters taught him not omit
any items whatever entering into The cost 70 the
przIsr, his balance sheet necessarily had in
eude all. He kar,s that thousands and thousands
Of dollars were, Of necessity, expended in printing
congressional documents besides the cost OF paper
J composition, and presswork; which, though not
med in the lsw, nor Paid for a such by Con.
sreSs items entering largely into the Ices. 10 the
Frtas6y." He would Certainly no; only take into
consideration the above items, but would include
others probably not thought Of BY Messrs- G, and
Ito Wit the large expense attendant on the con-
ani r-plesmtni # Sf1s Aanls IN The fOstfsx-reo as
wall he nF
branches in the Office, house rent, insurance, taxes
| watehmen, messengers, ink, horses and wagons
fs lights, wesr ard tear Of machinery, Investnen;
Of capital &c, besides other ard various contingent
u expenses which cannot be enumerated.
Il To make q inmate estimate Of the proper pro
portion Of each and ell Of these items as ehsrCezbe
10 the document IN question, would consume vas;
deal Of Tine II Attsn.ble al all. But TO COM
plete it, viii take considerably than halt Of the
session to itself excluding al other work. Some
idea Of the maCpiuds Of these expenses may there
fore be arrived al, SO far regards this document.
/ Ii IS one thing 10 make estimate p.pgr ard
another aud very different thing to arrive 81 the
actual cost Ii must he well known to you tina,
perhaps no esn ever made TO Congress for pab-
ho work Of any description has come within Any
thing like the actual cast This is peculiarly the
case with pablle printing There are 50 many IN
foroseen contingencies to the inexT srlenced 50
many drawbacks and difficulties, that upon many oi
the documents, Sc sctnal loss results the pub
VIC pfindcf we have ha1 sSNeFA OF then tnfs Ses
ssoa on Which the expenditures much greater
II than the receipts
u The estimates Of Messrs- Gideon and To~ers,
respectable ss those gentlemen are seknoSlodEed TO
BE- rest theory alone; whereas the statement al
Mr.. Rves is founded long experienee; the former
are hascd on opinion me-ry-ths latter 10 know
i etCe. Choose between them. So far as nv our
practical observations have enabled lodge,
should have no hesitation in adopting the stsiesr,
q MIR r, believing thar that grhsmsn bstisr SC
qusinted wiih the Rarure and expenses incident to
4 the puoSe printing, and with the prokts arising
ihsrsfrou, than sny other living person, ard IN
whose GRATED character thsr, Is the surcst EosrAa-
4 tee frcn nlsxssfement
In conclusion, I have iuss time to say, hist
i the theory of MeSxrs Gideon ard Towers were
csnfOruaabls 70 the reality, the pross on TIE Or
a'nsry ~oTk ef Cnncress would bs very barge; the
proAfs q TIE prHsers 10 The Sensss Al hs last
saon % Cong ess ~ould be in2eed spOrrncas on the
eoresFcnsIns rerNrt Of that period. Taking the
estimate ot Mr. Towers ss the hssis the re~uh
~eaa Be - follows; n 81 600 ocrie. a. ! An