The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-12-15
COLUMBIA
Saturday Morning, Dec. Is, 1866.
The State Printing.

UIi1SiuS private dua1fS Oc1Oie tue
readers of the Pheair, and it is with
reluctance we do so now; bat circum-
stances demand, in our own justifica-
.tion, that we should submit to the
Legislature, and our readers gene
rally, a plain statement of facts with
regard to the State printing.
In response to an advertisement
calling for proposals for the public
printing, to be handed in on Monday,
the 26th ult., published by the Clerks
of both houses of the Legislature,
the proprietor OF the Columbia
Ph@ni.c presented his bid at the time
specified. It had been rumored that
the work was, hereafter, to be ''lead-
cd" instead of "solid,' as decided
by the Legislature at the regular ses-
sion of 1864. In order to receive
definite information on this point,
application was made to the Chair
man and one of the Committee on
Printing, who stated that the work
was to be solid, and the bid of the
proprietor of the PAeni.c was based
upon, as he thought, this authorita-
tive information. The day after the
bids were called for-on Tuesday,
the 9th ultimo-a bid was submitted
by the proprietor of the South Caro-
Hnidn. The two bids were considered
by the committee, and the printing
awarded to the proprietor of the
Carolinian-his bid, as was stated by
the committee, being the lowest-ac-
cording to their estimate, about $500
for the entire work.
The printing to be executed is clas-
siied as follows:
Bills, in sspica''- by eleven
inches.
Temporary journals, calendars, Sc,
In '1ong primer ,705 ems per
page-2OO copies.
Permanent work-journals, reports
and resolutions, &C., 'long primer
1,705 ems to the page-1, 900 copies.
Acts, with side notes.)
Rule and figure work, sc.
An examination Of the temporary
work shows that the journals, as now
printed, are leaded, making a differ
ence of ten lines to the page, thus
extending ten pages-the average
length of the journalistic fourteen
at an extra cost to the State, at the
present printers bid, of $40 per day
on each Journal, or $40 daily for the
two. This is an actual adca1ace upoa
tie cost Of tie acorh, as proposed to be
erecuted by Me proprietor Of tile PAoe-
ni.c, Of about secentee1a Iojito's per- day.
In this calculation, we make no re-
ference to calendars, reports and
similar work, executed daily-being
satisfied with the evidence furnished
in the heavier work. In addition to
this, the pages of the journals are
often shorter than required by the
contract, and, consequently, the work
is extended over greater number of
pages.
A further examination will show
that the ''bills' "a portion of them at
least-instcad of being eleven inches
long, as required by the terms of the
contract, are only nine inches, thus
increasing the number of pages-ride
the bills fto Incorporate South Caro-
lima Loan and Trust Company" 'sto
lend credit of the State to the Green
vile and Columbia Railroad Compa-
n.y. "relativc to insoivent debtors, -
and others, making five pages, (but
according to custom charged as six, }
which if of the required length would
only have made .fosu pages-a loss to
the State OF four dollars and eighty
cents on each bill.
The assertions we make can be
verified by an examination of the
work, which, in justice to the ex-
printer, is respectfully solicited.
Again, the printing, according to the
terms Of the contract, is to be prompt
ly executed and in workman-like
manner The fran1ant DELAYS Tn