Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-02-08
GOVERNMENT PRINTING.


Very little is. known, except IN a
general way, about the Importance and
immense operations of the govern
ment printing Office at Washington, Of
which the Hon. Sterling P. Rounds is
| now the official head. 1t is the larg-
est publishing house in the world, and
has grown from small beginnings un-
til, with the wonderful advance in the
art of printing, it has become the
most perfect and complete establish
ment of its kind in every possible de-
tail and item of management.
1t is, of course, within the memory
of many now living when the old Ram
age press with "devil" and "dob-
ber" performed the printers Office.
Then came the improvement of the
Washington hand press, which was
followed by the power press, first in
troduced into this country by Major
Mordecai M. Noah and used in print
ing the edition of the New York
Ere'ai1lg Star, in the days of the +" six
penny press" somewhere about 1885.
| People Aocked from far and wide to
witness the operation of this press.
turned by hand, which performed the
marvellous Office of printing something
less than 1000 copies an hour. In the
past forty years, and in response tothe
demands of the reading public, inven-
vention has produced and reproduced,
until now we boast printing presses
which print, fold, cut, count and de-
liver from $4,000 to 10000 sheets per
hour.
Printing became necessity with
the first organization Of the govern
ment, and up to 1919 the public print
ing was done by contract. In 1927
the historic firm of Gales & Seaton
were printers for the House, and Gen
eral Duff Green printed for the SEN
ate. These gentlemen were followed
by Blair & Riyes, Thomas Allen,
Ritchie & Heiss, Wendell & Van
Benthuysen, Boyd Hamilton, General
Robert Armstrong. Beverly Tucker, A.
T. P. Nicholson and Cornelius Wen
dell.
Then the office of superintendent of
public printing was created, Mr.. John
T. Towers being the first incumbent,
followed in turn by A. G. Seaman,
George w. Bowman, John Heart, John
d. Defrees, Cornelius Wendell, John
D. Defrees again, Colonel A. NJ. Clapp,
John D. Defrees third time, and
Sterling P. Rounds, the present public
printer. 1t has been estimated that
from 1889 to 1881 the total outlay for
government printing has been some
what in excess of s100,0OO,O00. OF the
| predecessors of Mr.. Rounds only "Bey.'
Tucker and Colonel Clapp survive.
The building occupied as the print
ing house has u frontage of over 300
feet on H street, and 1871 feet on North
| Capitol street, running back to an
alley. and covering some 100000 square
feet, or little more than four and
half acres of ground. tits four stories
in height, and has been gradually i'm
proved and enlarged since its original
establishment by Cornelius Wendell,
in 1861, at cost of about $150,000,
until the property is now valued at
| s5,0000O0.
Estimates for engraving and litho-
| graphing are now called for before
| giving out this character of work. and
contracts entered into at stipulated
prices;so that, for the FIRST time IN the
history of the Office, this class Of outside
or expert labor, now involving consid-
cradle expense, is controlled in prices
and its cost fixed. Every piece of
work coming from the departments
upon requisition is accompanied by
| printed history which shows its
progress by dates from the hour re-
ceived until completed and delivered,
together with its cost, which is charged
up at once to the item Of appropria-
tion.
The employees of the document-room
are paid on the third working day of
each month, the job and press work
men on the eighth, and the folding
room and printers on the thirteenth
Of each month. The employees come
to the cash-room in relays of
twenty-five, their names called, and
their money counted and paid, each
on Identification of the foreman, who
stands at the cash counter. Thus the
pay days are divided into three classes,
and the wages, which amount to s6S,-
900 at a time, and which is the limit
that Mr.. Rounds can draw from the
treasury under his bond, are never in
arrears, as the vouchers for each pay
ment constitute credit with the
treasury for the eamount shown to have
been disbursed. The pay of employees
is about $1,000 daily, or 100000 per
quarter.
I'll .shber Of employees in the
different branches is about 2.250,
divided between the bindery, about
600; folding-room, $50; press-room.
240; job-room, 65; stereotype, S5 !;
specification, 125 Congressional Re
| cord, rs; miscellaneous. 80; interior