The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-04-28
Conversational Printing.

that tho Vohc rlhter eccVou py Ihc
XXXIIId Congress and the Public Printer of
the Senato OF the XXXlyth Congress coll
trncted, each one respectively, with another
or third purty, % do the required work-re-
serving each "a himself large percentage,
which was net reward or profit for simply
taking. undcr the name of Public Printer, the
nrintine Of Congress, and sub-letting it to
suotheT-neither OF them having done any
portion of the work himself. The Public
Printer elected by the lloase for the
XxX1Vth Congress, (Wendell) did the re-
quired House printing himself, and, in ad-
dition, Us sub-contraetor under tho Senate
Printer, did the printing for that Congress, as
he did all of the printing for the Public PIin
ters of both the Senate and House Of the
XXXIIId Congress, and is now doing that
for the Public Printers of both the Senate and
the House Of the present Congress. More
over. the Same party, sub-contractor under
the Senate and House officials, is printing the
PostofIico blanks as sub-eontractor for the
person having that contract.
The PERCENTAGE paid to the sub contractor
above mentioned To the various printers
em0lument Of their nero sinecurc Offices
amounts ut present to about twenty Thousand
dollars per month. And this includes no
ALLOWANCE of percentage upon the House
printing for the XXXIVthT Congress-th
sub contractor mentioned Wendell Us Pub
lie Printer of that body, doing that work for
himself as principal, and SO being saved any
payment for privilege. Tho gross amount
so paid,as stated, as percentage or bonus for
privilege, by the party now doing the pub
lie printing for officials of the Government,
varies but little from $40 900 year. At the
same time he realizes over and above that
vast profit, handsome reserve for himself
The printing OF neither the AAAllld nor the
| XXXIVth Congress is yet completed, bu;
that for both is in course ofexecution. There
fore, the aggregate of percentage named as
being raid To the officials by the sub-contract-
or. who is doing the work, is. the percentage
on that printing, OH the printing for the
present Congress, and OH the printing o.
Postcticc blanks, which is separate from tho
| Congressional printing, and amounts to about
$4,000 per year. F'sl- tfF
| In the matter of the binding of Congress
aud the Departments, similar state of fact.
has been found to exist. The House binding
for the XXXlVth Congress may be taken a.
u fair illustration of the manner in which
that work has generally been executed
| That binIiBg was contracted TO be done a
| twenty two per cent. loss than former prices
The person contracting Williams, of Ohio,
sold that contract, or rc-let the work to b
done to n gentleman of Washington, for tn
|
him on the gross amount of binding done
and this sub-contractor again sub lie: hi
contract to another party, Tor the considera
ton, to be paid him, of one half of the prof
OH the doing of the work, after the deduction
OF the twenty per cent to be paid to tn
binder who had contracted. Upon iniorma
ton which tho Committee arc not dispose,
to question, it is believed that the twenty %
cent. reserved ~ s.ist contractor to be pai
him by the fir ,tssub-contractor, has alread,
amounted to $4,000, and that the secont
sub-contractor has received q very conside
rable sum ont Of profits which have bee
made IN doing the work, after the pay
ment Of the twenty per cent. to the tirs
contractor, Is stipulated in his contract.
!, Is just to the third party, or second sub-con
tractor doing the work. to add that Inc Ina
been so satisfied with the rcsiduum TO him
self under his contract as to have felt i'm
PEELED, for what ne received, to do th
; binding in a better manner than that here
, tofore done.
The COMMITTEES say this particular illus
tration has been selected, not with q view
find fault with the first contractor, but O
aptly showing the general practice Of pei
sons assuming to do the public work. VIII
, not themselves, ior the most part, mechar
les, but spectators, obtain contracts and us
the mechanics to execute them under RI
!, serve, from the actual operatives, of larg
, per centagc as profit to themselves.
= The gross amount of binding for IL
. XXXiIId Congress il $3.50 Ass, and that Il
, the XXXlVth s365,osS. But in addition
the Congressional works, there is larg
u amount Of binding annually done for ii
I several executive departments and bureau
The prices are much higher than those e.
tablished by Congress. The work is give
-,&l, l.%t
n regard for economy. The binding for I'll
: departments and bureaus, including Il
q printed heads, i'm some instances, Tor ii
y year 1857, amounted in gross to SIT 500, an
: will probably be about the same for Il
| present year.
The Committee have asccrtained that Il
engraving for Congress and the Department
= can be done for fully thirty-threc and n thi
S per cent. less than is now paid. The voc
engraving for the Patent Office Report
Z 1857 may I've taken in illustration of a gener
}, manner. Those engravings cost tic Go
i, ernmcnt per page, of thirty three and thi
u inches, s26 80. The person contracting Ia;
e &. large part OF the work done in New Yor
: and thus he sold or sub let his contract to
J. second party at very large discount fro
5. the price which he himself was to rccei
>, from the Government. That second par
!" again sub-lct his contract to n third part
n who actually did the work for $40 per pag
10 The Committee arc assured that the who
cost OF the cngraving-tho wood, the dra'
u ing and the electricity ping-need, and Dug
n not to have been more than So per pas
while il cost the Government S32 10.
a The whole amount OF the cost Of cngr
wings. Autographs and elcctrotypes for t
XXXIlld Congress, is SS2s.S5 %; that
the same for the XXXiVth Congress
Re 1851, S54 So. The saving of but 20 per Gel
,s on these large amounts, more than which
was possible to have made, would have i
10 with the Government all aggregate N,
7, gone to contractors and SPECTATORS, not
- meritorious artisans of 1887 ,S42 81.
to Abuses as to the quality OF paper, &
"A were likewise discovered.
The grand total of the cost of printir
a binding, engraving, lithographing and ell,
IN trotyping of Congress AMI of the Depa
ments during the XXXllll CongSess-
S. that Is, for . two yesrsCis
~ for the xXXIIld Congress. ............ s3a,6IO
vi Total %, OPS, s3i
Cost for the same during the XXXIVth
Ia Paid to Globe. .................-..--d s5',s0l
"a Total.. .... s9,l5l,sll
- Addto these large amounts $780, 900
IL annum for stationary in the Department
ne the Clerks offices and folding rooms, maxi
S5OO,00O per Congress. $3.50.
S. The Committee with q view to end
6 abuses In the present system, propose to
tablish Bureau for the execution of pril
ing, binding, Dc, the office of the Super
tendent To he ahol,shad They AFRO Sutisf