New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-08

SHOWN In report to Congress on the printing
ana distrbution Of public documents. The
contest for the Senatorship in Illinois is excit-
ing interest at Washington it is believed that
Senator Logan favors the reelection of Davis.
Nothing has been heard at the State Depart-
ment of the finding Of Lieutenant Chipps
party, and George KEENAN,, the Siberian
traveller. declares that the story is absurd.
HOW PUBLIC MONEY is sQUANDERED.
REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuyEl
WASHINGTON, Jan. 7.-0ue of the most Interests
ing, and IN some respects startling, documents ever
Issued by Congress Is the report Of Messrs Ames:
spoford aud Baird on the public documents and the
haphazard manner in which they are distributed
1t Is not uncommon boast that the United States
Government owns and runs the biggest printing
Office IN the world" A glance nj the report
mentioned shows that this great establish
ment is by no means idle. The
number Of documents printed by authority Of
the XLVIth Congress alone reached tho enormous
aggregate Of 2324,254 c pies while for the first
session of the present Congress the aggregate was
1,354947 copies. These staggering figures, when
one stops to reflect that in single session Congress
OIueIS du duOub VI printing alOSL infee times i1e
bulk of the great Library of Congress and that
each Senator receives his :" share" in
single Congress to dstrlbute-or sell IL
he chooses-5,79S COPIES and for single
session 3,742 coDiesj that each Rep.
resentative receives 4,164 aud 2,347 copies
respectively as his share" " for the same periods,
that $50, $50 aud 95,05S copies allotted, for
department use" and that there remain A" surplus"
copies to the number of 27,204 and 1890 respec-
lively for the dstrbu ion of which nobody appears
to be responsible. The foregoing figures it must be
remembered do not include this bills and resolutions
offered in Congress, which. to the number of moro
than one million, were PINNED for the XLYlth
Congress alone. This enormous mass of printing
and binding. of course, costs money the committee
evidently intended to show how much, but
gave up the attempt in despair as too
difficult. Some of the items, however are gwen.
The Agricultural Report for 1880 cost 1907 029,
and for 1879. $206,563. each edition numbering
800 900 copies. The report for 1879 was limited
to a certain number of pages. while that for 1850
was O very bulky volume. This doubtless accounts
for the difference of 100000 IN the cost of the
two editions, though the report says nothing on
this point. Among other large items are Report
of the Signal Office t4.900 copiesl, S35,020 Dis
eases of Swine, etc. 100000 copies, $il ,404j
Diseases of Domestic Animals 100000 cOpies),
S44, ,S19, Beet Sugar go. 900 copes. $40, 739; Re-
port on Education 1873 aud 1879 900 coples).
$42, 900 Contagious Diseases In Domestic Animals
10000 copiesl. S37, Tertiary History Grand
Canon 5000 copiesl $30,S54
The committee were deeply impressed with the
lack of system and economy IN the distribution or
these documents They found that nearly all
documents, whatever may be their cost or value,
are distributed by from TWO to four agencies" and
concluded that, "to no small extent docu-
ments are sent in duplicate and triplicate TO the
same partes.' They therefore repeat the recon-
mendation, which for half Dozen years has
been urged upon Congress, that all public docu-
ments shall be distributed through single agency.
Few will not agree with the committee that, in
any scheme of general distribution, the most
prominent places should be given to public. uni
versity and college librariesp and yet they found
that not more than one in eight of the principal
libraries now receives documents published by Con-
gress for general distribution" Under the present
law small portion of the documents Is regularly
sent to one depository in each Congressional
District and TO two in each State at
large-these repositories being designated by
Senators and Representatives Some OF these de-
po1tories are insignificant Libraries, aud the oOm-
mttee wisely suggest that minimum limit as to
the size of library entitled to such designation
should be fixed and recommend that hereafter the
repositories shall regularly receive copies OF all
documents ordered by Congress. No provision OK
law now exists under which Libraries except those
of States Territories and soldiers homes are en-
titled TO receive The Congressional Record few DO
receive it by the grace of Congressman,
but the number "Is surprisingly small. Of
twcnty-six State and Territorial Libraries
reporting, ouly eight had received COM
plete sets of The Record for the XLVith Con-
Qress; although by law all are entitled TO It, and
the Public Printer is charged with the duty OF send
ing il. Of $40 other public libraries each contain
ing S. 600 volumes or more, only seventy-four had
received The Record Of the last Congress.
Several years ago Congress bought for 100000
the copyright plates, etc, Of The Globe. and about
90. 900 volumes of that publication, consisting
of broken sets. Two years ago the
pnblc, Printer recommended the sale
of these volumes as waste paper
unlcss Congress would authorize the printing OF
volumes TO complete the sets. The committee
instead that these odd volumes DC used
10 sunply. as far as practicable breaks in the sets
owned by libraries throughout the country. They
fouud that of twenty-six State and Territorial IL
brares only four contain complete sets OF The GLOBE
and that of $40 other libraries. only two possess
oomnlete sets Most of these libraries contain par
tal acts some of them nearly completed amy addi'
ton 70 which would be highly priced
t1n " mmittee express the opinion that the num-
lne s nmhiic documents printed may be materially
Siminisbed without derriment. 1t appears thai, OF
the usual NUMBER Il 300 eopes OF all documents
a hint one-half are delivered in an unbound iorn,
g most of which are doubtless ultimately sold as
waste paperD Volumes amounting in the aggregate
70 about 08 600 900 pages were thus delivered
during the XLVlth Congress- alone; II the recon-.
maud stions of the committee had been in force
at that time the number, of volumes 1S Oh en
scutiye documents and abridgements Woul9a
ba ye been nearly 100000 sess than were prln,ea,
W. vhIe of those delivered in unbound FORM ana IN
large measure wasted there would have been bound
and saved for permanent use nearly oo'ooo WI
u"I The committee think the number of pamphles
comics of session laws printed is unnecessary sLge
aud recommend redqc ION OF about oUt buIE