The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-02-10
ONLY LEAD PENCIL
orerat,ons of the Stationery DIVISION
of the Interior Department.

nfac,orv until it fe.l beneath the
Knife OF a Government clerk, would
he an interesting one, chiefly az
showing the forms and regulations
which nave been devised to keep the
pencil from siraying from ITS proper
course. In addition to this, when
il is known that the same system
anplies 10 every pen, paper cutter
and sheet of paper used in the Gov
ernment Offices. the interest is apt
10 develop into real live curiosity
10 know exactly how this parental
epnervi.ion over a lead pencil and
otber minor supplies furnished by
an :ndulgent Government, is OBTAIN
ed Such curiosity can be readily
gratijed by following the operations
of the division having charge OF the
stationery and priating OF the inte-
r;or D.partment. which Is SAID TO De
one of the best arranged branches OF
the kind under the Government
When Secretary Chandler took
charge of the Interior Department.
he saw the necessity ofimproyement
in the management OF this class oi
business. and in 1876 be appointed
Mr.. Amos Hadley to organize this
division. and he has remained In
charge until his recent resignation
There are eight bureaus under the
Interior Department, which employ
about $500 persons, ana there are
also some 300 subordinate offices
scattered over the country from
Maine 20 Texas, and from Alaska to
Florida. In which about / 800 more
persons are employed. As may be
imagined, it requires a large quantI-
" Of stationery, blanks, blank books
etc, to supply all the Offices OF this
department. Congress provides an
appropriation annually for station
ery. and one for printing and bind
ing. The stationery is mostly pur-
chased under contract, and the
blanks and blank books are ordered
from aud furnished by the public
printer.
The supplies ordered, received
and issued annually by this diVis-
ion, cost over S425,000. Among the
supplies received yearly are 1O,O00
reams of paper, 100000 envelopes,
2i0000JOblanks, 100000 documents
aad pamphlets. and $4,000 blank
books: and these are but d few OF
the large variety Of articles required
by the department. No articles
whatever are issued, except on a
reuuisition signed by the officer re
quiring them, and approved by the
head of the bureau or chief clerk Of
the office in winch the officer is em-
pleyed. When the supplies are de-
livered a receipt is taken therefor
which is recorded and filed. The
acquisitions are catered upon ab-
siracts at the close Of each quarter
and the total quantity and total cost
of each kind of supplies are entered
from the abstracts on the books,
which show the issues for each year
separately.
AN AsToNIsHED CONTRACTOR.
Some years before the organization
Of this division it was the custom
for the clerk TO award the contract
to the party whose bid was the low
est in the aggregate for all the arti
cles on the list taken together This
method gave some of the bidders,
who were vel informed as to what
the department used, an advantage
over others, snd they would bid
very high prices on articles that were
used In large quantities and very
Tow prices on articles that were call
ed for in very small quantities, if at
all, thus bringing the average or az
gregate below their competitors, and
still leaving them a handsome profit
On the principal articles used. On
one occasion the contractor agreed
to furnish cases OF blue ink at one
cent per gross, knowing that the de-
partnent would want but little. If
any. This ink was worth at that
that time SIS per gross. 1t happen
ed that blue ink was wanted in one
of the Offices, and the chief clerk
sent an orGer to the contractor for
one gross. Soon after the order was
sent the contractor appeared at the
Office of the head of the bureau. and
IN an excited manner inquired the
reason for sending an order for a
whole gross of blue ink, when the
Office had not used es much in the
whole ten years previous. The head
OF the bureau summoned the chief
clerk, who, in his explanation, sta
ted that In referring TO the contract
ne found the price of blue ink was
only one cent per gross, and though
but few bottles were really needed,
be did not see how he could well or
der less than a cents worth. After
contracts were made with the depart
ment. each bureau would order sup
plies direct from the contractor. as
required. A manufacturer having
a contract at that time. received or
ders from each of the five bureaus,
and some Of toe bureaus being SIN Ill
would necessarily send orders for
but very small quantities. Knowing
that the supplies would be ordered
by the different bureaus and in very
small quantities, the manufacturer,
bid much higher prices than they
would have offered had they beer
convinced that orders would be
sent for larger quantities at a
time.
As soon as the present plan wa.
adopted orders were sent for larg,
quantities Of goods to be delivered al
one place, with which to supply al
the Offices. In bidding after thi.
the bidders recognized the advanta
ges, aud offered supplies at much
lower rates. After the arrangement,
were made for supplying the ofiicei
OF the department in Washington
with stationery through one source
the question was considered of sup
plying the offices of Indian agent
and the local offices, which are loca
ted in the different States and Ter
rltories. These offices purchased il
small quantities, and many of then
being on the frontier, or far disian
from the places of manufacture, wer'
cOmpolla1 "a NOV t-ary b.rh rota