Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-08
Bureau of Engraving and
Printing.
ANNUAL REPORT OF CHIEF IRISH.


The report Of Chief Irish, of the Bureau of
Engraving ana Printing, for the fiscal year
ending on the S0th Of June last, has just been
submitted to the Secretary Of the Treasury, and
it is summarized as follows: During the past
winter the demands upon the bureau conSe-
quent upon the refundIng operations, were un-
precedented. and resulted in producing the
largest ye ears work ever turned out. There were
delivered, finished 6,SI6, ,262 sheets Of notes and
securities, representing $1,000, 1885, ,132
sheets containing 2SO, 1885, l65 stamps for revenue
and customs service, and a large amount Of
miscellaneous work. The expenditures amount
ed to 1929, ,O07.2s, of which s25 929 63 we,e for
salaries; SG4 943 O6 for labor and sl4s SO for
material. OF this amount, Sl4,93027 were eX-
pended for macerating notes, etc, authorized to
be destroyed, and other matters not strictly
the real cost OF all the work done. The stock
OF unfinished work and material on hand Sat
the end of the year was. equal to that~of
the beginning, and the machinery and fixtures
In equally as good order Work TO the amount
of s642 494 60 was done for the several bureaus
OF The Treasury, and the printing bureau was
those bureaus. The amounts appropriated for
the legitimate work Of the bureau were for
salaries, s25,93o; for labor and other expenses,
$780, OOOO toltal OF s225 $780, and of this there is
an uneNpended balance OF $39,41741. 1t is
shown that. the premise OF the bureau officers
to do all the engraving work OF the government
Of it to private corporations has been verified.
During the year 1878 there were made upon
hand presses 20, ,490 Impressions containing
1910, $50 square inches, and during 1879 the
number increased to $685. 124 square inches,
containing sos, ,534 ,914 square inches. This
was equivalent to an increase of 80 per cent In
work, while the increase In cost was only 81 per
cent In the Wetting division. where sheets are
prepared for the pllnter, the Increase OF work
done was 80 per cent and the increase In the
payroll only Al per cent; in the examining d.
vision, where the Impressions are examined
and sorted, the increase In the work turned out,
over the year 1878, was 80 per cent, and the
increase In pay roll only 70 per perez cent: IN the
surface branch the increase In work turned out
over the year 1878 was 50 per cent, with only 20
per cent. increase Of cost. In the numbering,
Separating, and binding divisions there we're
11,S10,5l4 sheets, and during 1879 1886, 1922
sheets-an increase of Ga per cent; during 1878
there were bound 1860 volumes CT checks,
stamps, &C, and during 1871? 46s yolumes-an
increase OF 81 per cent; during 1878 there were
made s9, 1896, 220 numbers and during 1879 there
were made l92, I61 ,29l nurnbers-an increase Of
90 Per cent. The increase in the pay rolls of the
divisions that did this work was only 55 per
cent Considered as a WHOLE the Increase in
the work of the bureau during the fiscal year
1879, as compared with that Of the fiscal year
1s7s, Will very closely approximate 30 per ceat,
while the aggregate expenditures Of 1919
exceed those OF 1878 but tifty-four per cent
The years 1878 and 1879 are the only ones In
which the bureau has been conducted under
the present system, and 1T is already upon
strictly business basis. The large increase In
the work has necessarily increased the number
of persons employed, but nearly all the added
employees are paid according to the quantity of
work they do. The number Of persons employed
in the last day OF each month was:-July, 677;
August, 619; september, 7s2; OCTOBER 1876; No
vember, s44; December, s35; January, s53; Feb
Tuary, s12: March, S69; April, 929; May, 9l6
June 901. During the consideration by Congress
of the act changing the tax On tobacco, all work
on revenue stamps had to be discontinued and
the employees furloughed; then when the act
passed the demand for stamps was urgent, and
continued so TIL the close OF the year. In con-
clusiOn, Chief Irish commendS his assistants
for their faithful attention and efficiency, and
says to Secretary Sherman:-The results shown
by this report have been accomplished through
a steady adherence to those salutary reforms
which were inaugurated by you on the reorgan-
ization of the bureau, and to the Uniform sup
port which you have given to its officers in car
rying them into effect.