The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-02-05
TIL E DISPATCH.
FRIDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 5. ls,s.
Reports Of the Com mittee ON Pub
lie prinfing.

The joint committee, appointed by the two
houses of she Legislature, on the subject Of ths
Public Printing have made two reports. fhe ma.
jority report sets out with the statement Of the
fact that In every instance where public printing
has been let ont to the lowest bidder, either by
Congress or the States, application has been
made by the successful bidder for additional COM
psDsation, which has generally been allowed. In
addition to this, ii has resulted in badly executed
work, or a failure to execute, thus causing the
Federal and nearly all the State Legislatures to
abandon the system. The committee express the
opinion that the public printers should receive
10 per cent more for printing for the State than
for private printing, and say:
f'The propriety of this opinion is apparent.
when il s recoliected that the public printers me-
cessarly have large capital involved; and to get
the work ont promptly. have to keep employed a
large number Of qualified hands, who are some times
unemployed for several weeks, and who at the
same time receiving full wages; and 1t is frequent
ly necessary to employ them after the hour for
stopping work has arrived, according to the rules
Of the Typographical Society of Richmond. and
then they charge within a fraction of double the
amount per hour that they receive for work done
by them in the day time and at night they can
not do so much composition" or type setting in
the same time as in the day; and the evidence is
before us that one of the public printers is COM
PEELED to keep large quantity and variety Of type.
well as book bindery and other materials, only
useful in public printing Office and further that
the profits of private printing are often greater
than public printing, because the documents and
other work required to be done by the public print
er for the Legislature are small in number rarely
exceeding five hundred copies. The evidence further
dscloses that heretofore the public printer the
House has not been promptly paid, for work done
by him outside of the salary, and that pay ment
has been, on an average, deferred as long two
years; and he is, at the same time, subjected to
large demands in paying hands weekly, and other
cash demands. Yet whilst the majority of the
committee entertained the views above ex-
pressed, large majority of the committee believed
that the price of public printing should be re-
duced. and others thought that the evidence be-
fore the committee showed that there should be
no reduction under any circumstances, and that
the present rates afford only reasonable compen-
sati0n; and believing too, that the same conflict of
opinion may exist in the minds of others, the ma
jority decided to recommend the following rates.
viz 30 cents per 1000 ems; 55 cents per token for
press work and 81 10 per 1000 ems for rule and
figure work: and all blanks, circulars handbills.
advertisements and other kinds of printing, except
book aud pamphlet work. to be charged at the
customary rates OF printing for private individu-
ais concerns, all of which prices are not to in-
ciuie paper; but the public printers are to fur
nish the paper at the expense of the State, chaTg
ing small per cent. above cost, for waste and the
trouble of procuring the same; and for book bind
ing they only to charge the usual price or rates
established among other book binders in the city
OF Richmond. The minority of your committee,
not desiring to protract its abors any further and
disclaimiBg the inference that might be drawn.
that the proposed reduction of nearly 12I5 per
cent. was, in their Judgment, much as the pro-
positions before them warranted: and believing
that from the terms OF the resolution under which
they are acting, that their dnties would be dis
charged by reporting to both houses, the informa-
tion contained in the statements of Messrs Ruf1in.
Wynne, Clemmtt aud McFarane, acquiesced in
this report
The ma ajority report is signed by Messrs. WHITE,
SMITH, of Jackson. and BRANNoN of the Senate, and
Messrs. Seldom, CLAYBRo0K, POWELL and WoRD OF
the House. The minority report is from the pen
of ALFRED NJ. BARBOUR, Esq, of the House of Dele
gates. 1t states the compensation received by the
public printer from December l, '55, to December
I, 81, TO be $4,000, and says that Messrs Wynne
Clemmitt, Rufin and McFarlaue offered to DO the
work at reduction of - per cent. The price
paiG for the public printing is 62 cents per 0C0
ems; 621I cents per token of pages, and 81 %
per 1,00o ems for rule and figure work. Mr. W
H. Clemmitt, before the committee. offered to
do the work at 45 cents per 1000 ems Is cents per
token 90 cents for rule and figure work, Gables,
and 621% cents for rule work, mot tables) Mr.
Wm. McfarlaDe proposed to do it Mt the same
rate. Mr. Chas II. Wynne's proposition is the
same, and Mr.. Ed. Rufiiu thinks the work can be
done at 4612 cents per 1000 ems, aud 4615 cents
per token.
The report has been printed and laid before
the Legislature.