Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-02-19

Governor BrOugh on State Printin,
and Binding at the Deaf ant
Dumb Asylum.
When the question whether 1t woulC
be expedient and profitable to estab
| lish a printing and binding depart
ment in the asylum fof the deaf and
dumb was first mooted, sGov. BrougE
wrote the following communication II
response to resolution of the Sen.
ate
To the Senate I have the honor tC
acknowledge the receipt of your reso.
luton of 2lst instant. to-Wit:
Resolved, That the Governor be requested
to transmit to the Senate, at his earliest pos.
sibIe convenience, what advantage to the
State, and what dtminution of the public
expenditure would result from the estab'
/ lishment of a printing bureau in connection
with the Deaf and Dumb AsylRm?
and to reply as follows:
1. The amount paid for printing and
binding during the fiscal year 1854, was
/ twenty-five thousand eight hundred
and twenty 18-1O0 dollars. This, how
| ever, did not complete the printing OF
the year, as, owing to delays in the de-
livery of paper, a large portion of the
| work was executed and delivered so
/ that the accounts passed over into the
! fiscal year of 1865. The amount named
I in the appropriation bill of this winter,
/ for printing and binding, is one hun
dred thousand dollars. Perhaps these
should not be taken as tests in ordinary
! years,-but this class of work must in
| crease with the increasing legislation
and business of the State. For the past
few years 1850 to 1864 inclUsive) the av-
erage annual amount expended for
| printing and binding has been twenty
seven thousand eight hundred and six
ty-seven dollars and fifteen cents. At
ter the return to former prices of labor,
| it is reasonable to estimate the average
amount for this service at thirty thOus-
and dollars per annum, il fairly and
reasonably contracted for. It may go
| largely above this sun, for experience
has demonstrated that the present mode
of letting the work virtually gives to
the party once in possession the monop-
oily of it, at such prices as he may see
proper to make. Other parties, not pro-
Yided with large printing establish
ments, or capital to procure them, on
the uncertain business Of two years, Will
not enter the lists as competitors for
the woTk-unless it be to be bought on
by the party in possession. He can al
ford to retire them with handsome sums
if the work is left to his own bid while,
as a matter of course, the State foots
the bill in the increase of his profits.
Whether this course has been pursued
is matter for your investigation. The
system admits of it, and therefore the
evil should be guarded against. The
present contract was assigned on a sin
gle bid, and at very large figures. The
"a N,w-E
but were compelled 70 take il. The
work under this contract will probably
average eighty thousand dollars per
annum. do not see anything in the
working of the present system to pre-
vent the next contract from being pro-
portionately extorti0nate.
2. The office of Supervisor of Public
Printing has become necessity, and
must be continued. Being practical
printer, he is a proper person to Su-
perintend the execution of the work.
The average attendance of pupils al
the Deafand Dumb Institution last year
was almost one hundred males, and
sixty-eight females. On the completion
of the new building, with its enlarged
capacity, this number will be, of course,
materially increased. From these
wozld be required, for the purposes of
printing and binding, not exceeding
twenty eight males and twenty females.
employees, in the positions of foremen
in the several rooms, pressmen, engi--
neer, &c. The ordinary expenses of
the Institution in 1864 amounted to
twenty-four thousand four hundred and
fiftv-one dollars and seventy-six cents,
The printing and binding need not add
to this more than eight thousand dol
lars, Independent of the salary of the
supervisor, which must be continued
under the present system, and this ad-
ditional sum of eight Thousand dollars
thus becomes the annual cost of the
work to the State. Taking the average
cost of the last five years, this gives an
annual saving to the State Of over
twenty thousand dollars, subject to a
small deduction for depreciation and
renewal of materials. AS the cost of
printing and binding under the present
system is Increased beyond the sum of
thirty thousand dollars per annum, the
saving to the State will be proportion
ately increased.
8. There must necessarily be an in
vestment preparatory to assuming the
work. The first item will be for the
erection of building on the premises.
The present building for shops is deem
ed necessary to the workings of the in
stitution, in affording facilities to pupils
for learning other trades, and the man
ufacture of many useful articles to the
institution itself. In light, ventilation,
and especially in the elevation of stor-
les, it is not adapted to the purpose Of
printing and binding. 1 have plans
and estimates furnished me of a three
story building, admirably adapted to
the work, which, at next years prices,
can probably be erected within the sum
of twenty thousand dollars. If the new
structure was completed, so that the
materials in the old building could be
used, the cost of the printing depart
ment would be reduced below fifteen
thousand dollars. These materials,
however, will remain on hand to be
sold, and will return a corresponding
value to the State. After careful tnqui-
ry, I estimate the maximum sum requi-
site, even at present prices, for the pur-
chase of the machinery, presses, type,
and other materials and fixtures neces-
sary for the prompt execution of the
work, at twenty thousand dollars. BY
judicious management 1t should fall be-
low this amount. This Will make tne
aggregate expenditure forty thousand
! dollars, or about two years saving on
the work, with building on hand rep
| resenting one-half the amount, and al
ways valuable to the institution.
4. Independent Of the pecuniary ad-
Vantages to the State, I regard the
! transfer of this work to the Deaf and
Dumb Asylum as highly beneficial to it's
pupils. I am aware that there is di-
versity of opinion on this point, but /
think the weight of argument is largely
in favor of the opinion here expressed.
| As a means of education, the printing
office is one of the most valuable insti-
tutlons in the country. 1t has gradual
ed it's full proportion of the active, en-
ergetic and useful men OF the nation.
Granted that our unfortunate mutes
cannot aspire to and fill the exalted
public positions 50 constantly filled by
men who have emerged from the print
ing Office into political life, yet they will
acquire the same educRtiOn-the same
education of mind-the same practical
teachings of life-and will make these
valuable and useful in other forms, to
themselves and the community But
their condition is otherwise much i'm
proved. They leave the Institution
masters of a trade or vocation in life,
in which employment will always be
open to them, at remunerative wages.
and for which they will be eminently
/ IOnu1fAad THAR TnfRfoF.