National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-05-20
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OF
FICE COMPLETELY AND TRI.
UMPHANTLY INDICATED.
THE PROPOSITION TO DE-
STROY II EXPOSED.
OFFICE OF PUBLIC PRINTER,
WASHINGTON, May Is, 1879.

speech few days ago, made in favor of his
proposition to change the method of doing the
public printing and binding. did so because
/ do not want to enter into controversy with
him or any one else on this subject. | reply
now only in compliance with the request of
the committee.
In order to arrive at a proper understanding
of the important subject involved shall show
how the business of the Public Printing House
is managed and by whom managed. 1 shall
then answer the objections made by him to its
management, and close by attempting to show
the effect of the measure advocated by him.
The business of the office is divided into the
following branches rooms: 1, Clerks Room /;
2, the Document Composition Room; 3, Job
Room; A, Press Room 5, Record Room; 9, Pat
,ent.Ofice Specification Room; z, Stereotype
and Elcctrotype Room; 8, the Bindery; y,
Branch of the Office at the Treasury Depart
ment; 10, Folding Room IL. Warcroom for
Printing Papers; ~, Wareroom for Writing
Papers; 10, Wareroom for Ledger Paper and
Bndery Stock.
When Congressional orders are given for
work they are sent to the Document Room and
entered in book kept for that purpose by the
is filed with the Chief Clerk, who makes out
its cost as near as may be for the annual re-
port of the Public Printer.
When acquisitions for work are made by any
of the Executive Departments they arc handed
to q clerk, whose duty it is to put them into
what is termed Jackets" on the outside OF
which he must indorse the quality and guam
THY of paper required for the job The jack
cts are entered on the books and turned over
to the estimate clerk, whose duty under the
law is to make an approximate estimate OF the
cost of each job, which must be sent to the
Department making the requisition. That
estimate must be approved by the head of the
Department and returned After the estimate
has been approved and returned the jacket
containing the copy is sent to the Job Room,
where the foreman enters it in book before
placing it in the hands of the compositor. The
progress of the job, when sent to press, when
completed, and when sent to the delivery
clerk is entered on the book. On receiving
the form and Jacket from the foreman of the
Job Room the foreman of the Press Room sends
to the warehouse keeper for the kind and guam
tity of paper marked on the jacket. When a
form aud paper is given to II pressman it is
entered on book to show who is responsible
for carelessly spelling paper. Should 1t occur
the person responsible for the loss is charged
with the amount, and it is taken from his pay
at the end of the month. When q job is
completed it is sent to the delivery clerk, who
sends it by wagons, belonging to the office, to
Congress or the proper Department taking a
receipt for its delivery. The same routine and
. nIn plra nran bG
of all the work of every character committed
to the charge of the office.
On the 10th of February, 1877 Congress
passed the following law in relation to the
wages to be paid compostors and bookbndcrs
Provided further That from and after the close o
the present session of Congress the Public Printe
shall pay no greater price for composition thar
fifty cents per thousand ems and forty cents pc
hour for tme.work to printers and bookbinders'
The law went into effect before took charge
of the office, June l. 1877 Although there
seems to be n discretion given to the Public
Printer to fix the prices at less sum, under
stood that it was accepted by the Joint Com
mittee on Printing ut that time, and by MIR
Clapp, my predecessor, as the price meant b!
Congress to be paid, and l did not attempt t
change it.
The composition in the Document and Jo
Rooms, and at the branch of this office at tn
Treasury Department, is done at the rate o
forty cents per hour, and in the Record Room
Patent-Office Specification Room, and the Su
preme Court work by the thousand ems. Tn
work done in the Document Room is of sucl
character as to render it best for the Govern
ment that it should be done by the hour, in
stead of by the piece. The compostors are re
quired TO make an average of $500 ems plail
matter and 1000 ems rule ard figure for eigh
hours. Some of them exceed it, and Others d
not quite make it. The type set by each com
positor is measured by Mr.. G. II. Davis and tn
amount properly recorded. The bookbinder
are employed at forty cents per hour, as
would be very difficult to arrange scale @
piece prices for that department. They are re
auired, however, to do fair days work, an
any man found Sinking it is discharged TIL
pressmen are paid at the rate of forty cents pc
hour, the same as compostors. The wages pal
for what is known as unslSilled labor are tixe
in accordance with the character of labor to b
performed The women employed in the Bin
ing and Folding.Room are paid either by tn
hour or piece, and those in the Press-Room b
the hour Laborers are paid by the hour.
When the paper is delivered at the ware
rooms, the gentleman in charge reports til
fact to Mr.. Ofiley (the clerk having in charg
the paper accounts, and who has been manr
facturer and dealer in paper, who examine
its quality and determines whether or not
comes up to the standard fixed If so, it
received If not, rejected. This paper is onl
given out to the Pross-Room on presentatio
of the Jackets" of which | have alread
spoken. Not sheet can go out in any oth'
way. When the paper required by the Jacket
is counted out the quantity and quality is el
tered in book and transcript nude out an
filed with the paper clerk every morning,
that his books will show how much paper hi
been used every day and he can tell no
much of the various qualities ARE on han
This method is applicable to paper for jot
printinr nnnnr Is obtained on the reanistiI