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

gentlemen connected with this Office on the subject
Of your inquiry aud that is decidedly opposed 10 the
policy Of obtaining supplies by contract Instances
are referred 10 which establish the correctness OF
that opinion heyond doubt, and which 60 TO show
| that il ought TO be abandoned.
am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
JAMES Ii. PIPER.
Messrs. RIrcHIE & HEIss.
But il is for Congress to decide in their own wis
dom what is the best system for them hereafter TO
adopt We have no right to interfere in a matter
over which they have the exclusive control To
their decision, whatever il be, We most eheerfully
submit. All we desire is, 30 long they honor us
with their confidence, and we undertake the work,
to receive fair and reasonable compensation for It.
Many Of the jobs which are executed for Congress
at the present prices bring in little or no profit The
heaviest, when they run out to many long numbers,
will admit Of some retrenchment. But this We may
be permitted TO say, that never shall call upon
Congress, after having made bargain with them
at one price, to make up for alleged losses by
estimating our work at higher prices. We shall
never expect friends TO vote US some $40 600 at
the fag end Of a session--as the chairman Of the
COMMITTEES on Printing once did TO his whig friends
Messrs. Gales Il Seaton.
But whatsyer prospective change Congress may
see fit to adopt either by altering the elective into
the contract system, or by diminishing the rates
now allowed by law, we do protest-most emphati-
cally protest-agains all retroactive legislation in
this matter applicable to ourselves. We made this
protest when the subject first referred 10 the
committee; and further reflection and examination
have only served to convince that, in so protest
ing, we proceeded upon the most impregnabie
ground of equity and justice. We have no appre-
tensions, however, that Congress will adopt any
retrospective legislation to diminish the prices for
work already faithfully performed by contract
Such measure must, in our judgment appear
wholly Objectionable to the view Of fair and candid
men.
From .NtssrS. Gales & Stss0n.
The editors Of the lnteIligencer present their com
pliments to the Hon. MIR. Benton; and being una
ole, within any reasonable time, to 90 into the
extensive calculations and examinations requisite
for full answers 10 the nterrogaories addressed 10
them by Mr.. B., they referred the questions 10 their
intelligent foreman, MIR. GeoIEe NJ. Grouard HhO
has had the superRiendenee and Management Of the
sTssstOna! printing, % and on, for res IRE year,
past, and who Is more familiar than any other man
in Washington with it, details At their request,
! Mr. Grouard went into a very careful examination
Of the subject, and has drawn full and salts
factory answers to the various questions submitted
TO him as he Is capable Of furnishing, and which are
y herewith communicated 10 Mr.. Benton for the use
| VI the committee.
Extracts from 10 inierToga,Orie gTop0tsnAtd b
ii: Committee On Pubic Printing.
Questions |, 2, and 3 are informally passed over
ii Answer 10 question 4. IL Is very difficult, II
practicable at all, to make accurate comparative
estimate Of the relative expenses OF the public print
Il 10 20 L. -
differently, and mainly with different machinery
md appliances. Press-vork, in 1919, cost pruba-
bly, four tunes as much as al present. Paper has
iaen in price more than one-hslf Printing types
also, have been reduced in price from 10 tn 20 Del
cent. This item, however, Is OF no great moment
As an offset TO these circumstances, II may be sta
ted mai the cost OF composition and labor generally
to the contractor has been increased upon him frnH
10 to Is per cent, and that the printing Of late yea.
has been done much more economically for the p,5-
hc than the law formerly anticipated authorized q
TO lie done, by the cutting of Of title pages, com
pressing the tabular statements into the oclavo form
and increasing the size Of the page to amount
equal, AT least, u Is per cent. The average bills o.
the printing for the House Of Representatives from
ls20 to 1873, was $500 per session. Iu present
amount may be estimated at from ST5 600 10 sl0j-
900 per session.
! Answer to question 5. II il believed that tn,
= rates now paid (being a reduction Of 20 per cent
: from the prices fixed by the joint resolution Of
1879 may be deemed fair and Just compensation
taking into view the value Of capita invested III,
u wear and tear Of materials, the care, labor, and
responsibility, and the contingency OF long mum
beers of press-work being ordered, from Wheno,
4 arises the principal profit, and without which The
old standard of prices could not be considered toC
$ high, yielding as they did, probably, upon reguls
r numbers, (say 200 copies,) profit of 20 TO 2:
per cent. further reduction, perhaps, might b,
made (without doing injustice) upon all extra mum
bers over and above 5000 copies of Is or 20 Pc
cent, as extra long numbers Of late seem to be OF
. the increase.
eleven dollars per week, Of ten hours a day, twenty
cents per hour for extra work, and two dollars fOl
s Sunday. Readers and preSsmen, from twelve tc
. sixteen per week.
=. Answer to question I. compositor should b:
able to complete eighteen pages per week, (lhai is
to distribute, compose, and correct them, being
d about five thousand ems per day. 18th fair copy
He could always do 1t from 4 reprint, bat bad OF
lndIferenhy-wri,ten manuscript would substrac
= from his labor twenty FIVE and sometimes Fifty
per cent and so, again, it material alteration shoult
r be made in his copy or proof
. Answer to question 8. No definite number o.
hands can be fixed upon to be employed on ths
public printing, it depending entirely upon III,
= quantity Of work TO be executed in a givsr time
n An approximation can be msde however by takins
4 an average busy week or month Of pasi sessions
As an example, then, | iranscribe from Messrs
Gales & Seaton's books the number Of persons EN-
= ployed, and the amount Of wages paid for each
= House Of Congress, a, the periods stated rsspec
lively. By adding two weeks together Of the ex
Pendlture and force for eseh Hoase there viii b
seen pretty nearly the amount required, coujune
d lively, for both houses-remarkng that The sdvAn-
age Of executing the printing for both houses ., th,
same Office would be equivalent 10 the expense q
ten persons, or about 500 per week, and ihs; tht
amount for wages and hands Is suf;eisn; for busi
: ness Of 800 coo per session.
At the 81 session a5th Congress fos the Hocse O
Representatives, there was pad, for the week end
= ing
Dec Is 1855 sss foT wages heys Az girls
1 Dec p, ls1s, So 90 - 20 - d 30
| Jan. 10, lsSa, IS - s. 50 % se
Jan. -, ISIS, 1861 d s. 80 81 a. ~
ID session 9th Congress, (Ioass Of Represents
uTes(-
Feb IS IsIs sra fs7 wages to 81 sa - ssy, and r-,x
Mar lsts, rs % - 30 ~ g %
I NJ