The Empire County argus., 1854-05-20
. squares 49 insertions, at 81 per square
$405 90
Over charge. S2Oi

Over charge. 1902 so
Vouchers $50 to 862 shows an allowance of Sc,
3I9 65, for composition presswork, and folding and
stitching on the Appendix to the Journals of 1853
and III every instance SO far as we have been able
to find and examine other vouchers the composition
on these same documents paid, under an order
from one or the other of the two Houses, and most
frequently from both.
We do not believe that any portion of this sum,
excepting only $546 rs for press work. is q legti-
mate CHARGE and therefore we consider that there
is error against the State of S5,S26 80. OF this
amount about 50 500 90 is for folding and stitching
charged at per cent, per page and we find ID
cents per page is again charged in the account for
printing the Journals, on the entire Appendix, thus
making the Appendix cost q cents per page for
folding, stitching and covering, whilst the body of
the Journals cost but / "a cents per page
We also find that 10, 900 Foreign Miners Licen-
SOS are charged as 356 reams, each single License
being estimated ut the one-four hundred and eigh-
tieth part of ream, and the whole are charged as
rule work at S35 per ream, making the cost $12,
AGO, or about IL cents per License which is equal
to 21a per cent upon the amount for which it is is
sued. proportion of this immense cost may be
justly attributable to the late Controller for not de-
signaling how many Licenses should be printed on
a sheet. An examination however shows that the
actual mode in which they were printed and deliv-
cred was two q sheet, which reduces the number
of reams chargeable SO per cent and it also shows
that they contain no work such as is known among
printers rule work; therefore, the most extrava-
gent charge that could be made, would be ITS
reams at $25. or total of 81 45C leaving an error
against the State in this item of $500.
This startling result in what would ostensibly
seem small item of the State work. led us to in
vestgate the vouchers for Poll Tax Receipts these
we found charged in the same manner, every 480
single receipts being computed as ream The
following are the dates of the bills:
March 49, 1858, "a reams (45000) at $35 $4,000
April 10, 1858, AZ reams (200O0) at $35 $1,47O
June 20, 1853, 73 reams (36000) at S35 S2555
March 20, 1854, 2l0 reams QO0,0O0) at $35 1850
Sl4665
These receipts being printed five on sheet, the to-
tai number of reams for which there is any possbi-
iy of charging for the above 20l ,000is but 84 and
there being no rule work on them the price accor-
ding to the contract should be $25 per ream or a
total of 81, 10O which shows an overcharge during
the year of So, ,565 on POI 900 Poll Tax Receipts
AS an evidence that "a reams are all that can be
charged for on the POI, 900 receipts, we annex a
statement of the account againsts the late State
Printers for furnishing for them, the last 100000
receipts, which were executed in job Office distinct
and separate from their own office 1t Will be seen
that the basis of computation adopted by US regard
ing the number Of reams chargeable is precisely the
same as that charged by one printer to another
MARCH, 1854