The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-05

iii pages, al 25 cents Der page for each 100
copies, $9s41 30.
Section 10, paragraph s, act No. 40, 1878 :,
2,419,000 ems extra rule and figure work, at 30
cents per Thousand, 1896 20.
Thirteen thousand nine hundred and sixty
three dollars and seventy cents, $13,963 10.
AUDITORS OFFICE, July %, 1878.
/ hereby certify that the above Ii true
copy Of the original on file In this Office.
Witness my hand and seal Of Office, this
Approved March 20, 1878.
WILL A. STBONa, Secretary OF State.
The contract under which this volume Is
claimed to be printed was executed on the
third day Of December, 1877, between his Ex-
cellency Francis r. Nichols, Governor Of the
State Of Louisiana; Hon. Louis A. Witt,
Lieutenant Governor; Hon. Louis Bush,
Speaker OF the House Of Representatives.
and Messrs. Louis Leonhard and just M.
Lamare, members Of said House OF Repre-
sentatives, acting under act No. 40, approved
March Ia, 1877, and George W. Dupre, Of the
parish Of Orleans. BY the terms Of said con-
tract, the said George W. Dupre binds him
self to do and perform ali the printing, pub
lication, book and job work required by the
State and specified In said act No. 40, except
so far as hereinafter changed and provided
for. Since there Is no authority In act No. 40
for printing two thousand volumes such as
the. State Printer has been paid for upon the
bill dated March 40, 1873, and since the last
clause Of section 20 Of act No. 40 expressly re-
peals call laws or parts OF laws conflicting
Herewith, and all laws or parts OF laws on
the same subject matter" The grand jury can
find no authority for the printing Of such a
book. IT, however, the printing Of these two
thousand volumes has ever been authorized
the work has not been done In accordance
with paragraphs 2 and Of section 10 OF act
No. 49, ~ those paragraphs are changed by
the contract under which said work Ia claimed
to have been performed. In the first place, In
the bill, a certified copy Of which accompanies
volumes Of 2ts7 pages each. charged under
section 10, paragraph q OF act No. 40, as fol-
lows: $50 copies, OF 218f pages each, at 81 per
page, and 1850 copies at rs cents per page for
each 100 copies. Paragraph OF section 10, as
changed by the contract made with Geo. W.
Dupre as State Printer, and dated December
8, 1877, reads as follows: "The journals OF
each house shall be printed in the English
language IN book form, In minion type, and
made up from the general matter as published
In the official newspaper, the pages to be
forty live ems plea In length, including head
and foot lines, and two columns In width. the
book to be stitched and covered with colored
paper, and delivered to the Secretary OF State
within the time. fixed by law. for which there
shall be allowed not more than seventy cents
per page for $50 copies, and for each addj-
tional 100 copies not more than eighteen cents
per page, the required number Of copies TO be
ordered at one time"
Upon the testimony Of experts In printing,
the grand jury believe that In this book, for
which charge Is thus made, under the para
graph 2, section 10, act No. 40, above recited,
there Is not o line Of minion type to be found.
the book being printed In long primer, much
larger type, by the use OF which, and being
loaded, as 1t is, the volume is made to contain
more than One-third more pages than IL It
had been printed In the style OF type express
ly provided for In the contract.
Again, charge is made for printing this
book at the rate OF 81 per page, when the cor
tract provides for but seventy cents per page
for the first $50 copies, and at the rate Of
twenty-five cents per page for the subsequent
1850 copies, for which the contract says that
but eighteen cents shall be allowed Thus.
by the use Of larger type than the contract
provides for, and by an overcharge OF twenty
seven cents per page In tho other, the bill is
very largely Increased.
Again, the second item In this bill Is for
2,419,000 ems extra rule and figure work
Upon the testimony Of experts the grand
jury believe that there is In these figures an
ems, which would reduce this single item
some $500 or more In view Of the above re-
cited facts, the grand jury would respectful
ly suggest that the attention Of the Executive
and law officers Of the State be at once called
to this matter, with q view TO taking such
steps as may most directly lead to the re-
cOvery OF any amount Of which the State may
have been defrauded by the payment OF the
bill above referred to-
SAMUEL NJ. TODD, Foreman.