National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-05-20

Hutchns, which is, that they receive pay with
out doing any work but there are great
many more employed than make full wages.
Take the Folding Room for illustration There
are more than three hundred ladies In that
room, but they are paid sixty cents per thou
sand for folding. One-third of the number
could do the work, but the other wothirds
would be deprived of the pittance they make
The division is made on the principle that half
loaf is better than no bread"
There are very many men who are
paid by the hour and by the day who could
much more fairly and economically be EN-.
ployed by the piece" Did Helm or some other
discharged man tell YOU that? 1t sounds
good deal like it. Let us look ut the facts
have already said that Mr.. Charles III. Davis
measures and keeps a record of the type
set by every compostor in the Document
Room where work is done by the hour. The
following statement, made by him, will show
how much truth there Is in the charge:
WAsHISGroN, d. c., May II, 1879
Mr.. DEGREES: submit to you the following re-
port of composition in the Document Room Of the
Government Printing Office for the months of Jan
uary, February, March, and April, 1873
Jdnuory-Number of compositQrs. 1893 number
of hours at composition, %, 1872 number of ems set
2i,60S,9O0
2i60S 300 ems. at 80 cents per 800 80
1912 hours at 40 cents per honr........ lOi76 so
Amount earned at so cents per 1000 ems
in excess ofamount received at 10 cents
per hour ..................''.'.''. l,S2I ~
FtbrudrV-Number of compositors, 12s; number
of hours at composition 25092 number of ems set
206Oi,6S3
2O6Oi 6sS ems, at so cents per .s1OSC2 "a
DUP hours, at 10 cents per hour....... lOVb 81
Amount earned at 50 cents per 1000 ems
in excess of amount received at 10 cents
per hour..... ............,.....'....... 20 ~
March-Numbcr of compositors, 10l number of
hot aN M nF of nj
I,03O.2OO
1850 200 ems; at 50 cents per 1OOO..... sS5l5 10
19ilS hours, at 40 cents per hour. 1907 20
Amount earned at 50 cents per 1000 ems
in excess of amount received at 40 cents
per hOur.................. ...s'.'''.''' il1 w
Apra-Numbcr of compositors, 1922 number of
hours Ut composition, lf365; number of ems set
1l7Si700.
II 7Si 200 ems at 80 cents per 1OOO..... Sjs67 3j
1855 hours, at 10 cents per hour. 1916 90
Amount earned at 50 cents per 900 ems
In excess of amount received at 40 cents
per nOur... lst.l -
Total amount earned in the four months
at 80 cents per 1000 ems in excess of
amount received at 40 cents per hour. Si.l62 ~
Respectfully, &C., C. II. DAVIS, Accountant
There can be no reply to that. The compo.
siton in the Job-Room is paid for by the hour
Captain Nealy has charge of that room. He
mas llad great experiences rs u lOD printer. Inc
pay-rolls of that room for the last fiscal year
amounted to S39, 1888 Read his statement
Mr.. DEFREEs on measuring one hundred jobs
taken consecutivey, as they are numbered, find
the following result:
Cost by piece according to schedule of
prces) cl,2ll w
Actual cost, as now paid by the hour..... Ill 90
Difference OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1910 90
lam fully satisfied that the work Of the Job Room
would cost ut least five times the amount now paid
f1a,... 49, l,a ,,t,n f,tll,
o. ii. NEALY,
Foreman Job-Room.
This certainly needs no comment.
The character of work ut the branch
Office is such that it is not possible to do it by
the piece.
sixth-"That there is waste IN almost every
department--waste in the Stock Room, waste
in the Press.Room, waste in the Composition
Room, and enormous waste in the Bindery-is
II matter of evidence and of record" Who
swore to that? do not think Helm did. 1t
is stronger swear than he has the capacity to
undertake, rs anxious as he may be to do tall
swearing. GAS this swearing is by the whole
| sale, without specifications, | can only put in
the general issue.
The next is about the gold.leaf, and is as fol-
| lows:
Seventh" 1t is in evidence that the gold
leaf used in the Bindery costs from $4,000 to
$4,000 per annum, or an average of 5000;
| L.,
| that this waste Is the property of the Govern
ment, and should be collected and sold, accord
ing to the requirements of law, and the pro-
ceeds turned into the Treasury Department
and that this waste from 1861 to 1879, period
of eighteen years, which at these estimates
cost the Government u sum of not less than
$4,000, has yielded only the insignificant sum
of $4,000, the amount that has been accounted
for by the Public Printer" The gold leaf is
almost as thin as it is possible to make any
thing, and is used in putting the titles, mainly
in this office, on blank books. The process is
this 1t Is laid on the place where the title is
| to be put, then heated lettering pallet con-
tanning the letters necessary to make the title
is pressed on the leaf. The portion OF the leaf
pressed by the type thus heated adhcres to the
book and forms the title. That portion Of the
gold leaf which does not adhere is wiped off
with rag or rubber 1t is impossible to ascer-
tain this amount with any certainty. Where
there Is a close title of large letters which
is more often the case in this office than
any other bindery, the amount which does not
adhere is very small-not one.thrd of the leaf.
At least one-half of this third-being in small
partices-cannot be saved. This will leave
but onc-sixth that is saved by adherng to the
rag or rubber. Three pennyweights of gold
will make pack of 500 sheets. The value Of
this gold Is $50, as | ascertained from the
Director of the Mint a few days ago. The
amount OF gold leaf purchased by me from July
/, 1877, to May 10, 1879 was 625 packs, at an
average cost OF S6.17. 1t will thus be seen that
the labor bestowed on the gold by the manu-
flcturer is 1907. In estimating the amount
saved from each pack, the one-sXth must be
taken from the 1910, and not from the whole
cost of S6.17. This will show that it is only
possible to save 81 cents out of the pack, and
to this there is another loss when it goes
through the refining process so that it is safe
to say that not more than 40 cents pr pack
can be saved. From this will be realized the
enormous sum of S73l20! | have already
sold S2967l worth of this gold leaf extracted
from rags or ruhbers, and deposited the amount
i'm the Treasury. and shall soon receive a re-