Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-28
THE BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND
PAINTING.
what Would Happen II the Civil Sundry
bill Passed i'm its Present Form.

What Would Happen II the Civil Sundry
Bill Passed i'm its Present Form.
CHIEF BURRILL SAYS THE REVENUE srAMrs WOULD
STILL BE PRINTED BIT his BUREAU-BU THE
kMFLoYKs WOULD SUFFER A GREAT REDUCTION OF
PAf-wHY PRIVATE CONTRACTORS CAN DO THE
WORK CHEAPER THAN THE GOVERNMENT, 40
As stated in yesterdays STAR, a clause in the
civil sundry appropriation bill as 1t passed the
House provides that bids should be invited for
printing the Internal revenue stamps, which are
now printed at the Bureau OF Engraving and Print
Ing, and that the work shall be given to the lowest
bidder, unless the bureau will do II as cheaply.
what Will be the effect OF the measure II II
passes in its present form:" asked STAR reporter
OF Major T. NJ. Burrill, chief OF the Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing.
ut will not pass In that form.- said Major Burrll
II mean 10y that that am sure when the meaning
OF the bill is thoroughly understood II cannot pass
The effect would be TO cut the hearts blood out OF
the employees OF this department. The work win
never so away from here. We will do IL, but we
Will have TO cut down the compensation OF all the
employees"
III Congress chooses continued Major Burril
ITO Turn over its dies, rolls and plates 20 private
parties without any safeguards then have moth
ing TO say. II might well let out its mining by
private contract, and could do so with greater Sc
curity, for IL so much gold silver was given TO
contractors SO many gold or silver dollars could be
required In return"
"Why is it possible asked THE STAR. "for private
firms to do work cheaper than the government"
1.-The question is often asked" said Major Burrill,
"why we cannot do the work cheaper than private
firms 1t is true We have rent or insurance TO
pay. and no interest to pay on capital But CON
gress has passed law which makes seven hours a
days work In the bureau. Private establishments
workmen. They get from 80 to 40 per cent more
labor day. 1t must be remembered that 9s per
labor When In New YORK reeeny e
one OF the bank-note establishments there, and
little girls, ten OF twelve years DID, working for
dollar week. We have in the bureau four hun
dred soldiers or soldiers orphans doing the work
that these girls were doing, and pay them 81 25 a
day II this bill passes We will have to cut their
wages right In two, and give them 62k cents day.
We have here every safeguard. We have checks
and counter checks, afTording absolute security.
There Is the cuStOdianS room, which costs twenty
five or twenty-eight dollars a day. We have watch
men and counters Notes, securities and stamps
are counted thirty-nve or forty times, at different
stages. before leaving the bureau. Some sheets are
counted ffty-two times. II an error is committed
1t can be traced In five minutes Every one who
handles note puts his mark upon it. nyou have
nVe dollar note In your pocket can tell you
every person who handled the note while IL was
passing through the bureau. Now, in private es-
once when they came In and again when they went
out. This security costs something. 1t costs $500
an hour to run this bureau. Its costs $500 day to
secure the government against loss by carelessness
or dishonesty. That is, 1t requires about an hour
every day to secure all the plates rolls and sheets
We know every evening before the bureau is closed
until We do know It, That security costs something
but II Is worth all that is paid for it, You could
nave no such safeguards IL private establishment
did the work. There are two men under Indictment
mere now for attempting to bride employees OF this
bureau to smugge out plates"
III the bill passed, and you did not do the work,
what them" asked The STAR reporter.
wei, that would require the discharge of 400 or
800 OF our employees said Major Burrill, ''but the
work is not going away from here II 1t is the
policy OF Congress TO squeeze the laborng men the
squeezing might as well be done in Washington as
nrptn Of 1nl h,x-a
selfish interest in the bill, for 1t Will not effect my
salary have not, and viii not lobby for any APP
preparation, but expect to appear before the SEN
ate committee and Will make a statement OF the
facts concerning the bureau"
There is one thing l regret to see" said Major
Burrill. land that is tendency TO make this meas
ure party measure This bureau does not belong
10 either party. never asked man who applied
for position here whether he was democrat or
puDlcan. The bureau has never been run by me
the partisan principle Ii the democrats anxious
TO make record Tor economy they Will certainly
der existing circumstances the 1900 employees OF
this bureau are, rule, the poorest paid EN-
pioyes OF the government, considering the amount
FOR THE BENEFIT OF PRIVATE COMPANY.
The pending measure. it is understood, has been
urged chiefly by the Homer Lee company, and
favored by the commissioner OF internal rev.
enue. proposition was made I'm the House ap-
preparations committee to make the appropriation
for printing revenue stamps direct to The Bureau
OF Engraving and Printing, instead of to the bureau
OF internal revenue. This was opposed not only by
the commissioner OF internal revenue, but by the
CHIEF OF the Bureau OF Engraving and Printing The
result appears to have been the adoption OF the
clause permitting the commissioner OF internal
revenue 10 advertise for bids
The Secretary OF the Treasury has authorized the
appointment OF medical inspectors at Nogales and
sa sabe, A T.. to prevent the Introduction OF yell
low FEVER from Mexico.
THE SIAMEsE EMBASSY will call upon the Presl-
dent this afternoon to take official leave. They will
go 10 Philadelphia Tomorrow afternoon.
THE MoNEY-ORDER BUSINESS OF the Washington
post Office has, by direction OF the department,
been carefully investigated by Post Oce Inspector
Fink, who reports that he found tt in excellent
dltOn.
APPOINTMENTS By THE PREsIDENT-The President
has appointed f. c. Ferguson commissioner to rep
resent Washington Territory at the New Or
leans Centennial exposition, with A. p Sharpstein
as alternate. He has also appointed c. K Agnew
of New York, and NJ E. Gates, OF New Jersey, men,
beers Of the board OF Indian commissioners.
BILLS APPRovED-The President has approved
the act granting letter carriers at free delivery
offices fifteen days annual leave OF absence: the
act establishing bureau OF labor; the Joint resou-
ton In reference to the publication OF the report OF
the public land commissioner, and the joint resolu-
survey.
1HE INTERNATIONAL MERIDIAN CONGRESS.-Tho
President has appointed Commodore VIM. T. Samp-
son, Z. s. N; Prof F. A. P. Barnard, and Prof
Cleveland Able delegates to the International me-
rldlan and time standard congress, to be held in
Washington on the first OF october next
BIDDERS FOR FURNISHING SUPPLIES TO THE In
SANE AsYLUM.-Bids for furnishing supplies to the
government insane asylum have been opened at
the Interior department, the Washington bidders
being as follows: George Bogus, Wheatley Bros,
j. NJ. Wheatley, George A. Sheehan, T. B. CroSs,tr.
]. p. Agnew, W1llett & L1bbey, George NJ. oyster
woodward Lothrop, VIM: Hahn Co, WV: Bur-
dette, c: w. Them Co, Kellogg & Johnson, Robt.
Boyd, Thos. SOmerv1lle & Son, RObt. Leitch & Sons
Auerbach Bro, w. p. Riley, II. C. Hewitt, B. X.
Scannell, s f. Shaw, Bryan Bros, J. F. MCGEE,
StOtt, Cromwell Co., Geo. Ryneal, r., X. C..
Cohen, John A. Baker, Francis Miller, L. H.
Schneider. G. G. Cromwell & Son. D. Loughran,
c. Baum, Lansburgh & Bro, W. r. Brown, j. C.
Ergood & Co, II. Hollander, j. T. Varnell, n. II.
Shea, w. b. Moses Son, Hume, Cleary & Co, p f.
Bacon Co, I. ID. Daily, c. E. Lyman, E. G.
Wheeler, j. Hollander, j. II. Buscher, Barbour &
Hamilton, w. NJ. Gait, II. Goldsmith, NJ W. Bev-
eridge, Beayans Shaw, and Browning & Middle
ton.
A FIRE THIS AFTERNooN.-The alarm for fire this
at $50 O'clock for the burning OF the
two old houses fronting South Capitol street lust
south of the Capitol They were, it is thought, set