The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-01-06
: eport Of coA mission to- AojsI
Accounts With Public Printer.

Accounts With Public Printer. IS
70 he Seaate and House Of Representatives Of
The STATE # Mississippi. Is
The Commission designated by Joint
Resolution of the Legislature of 1874,
to adjust the. account OF the ruoilc
Printer, respectfully submit the follow
ing report:
From the report IF committee OF
the senate made at The last session, ana
10 be found on page 6lS OF the Senate
Journal, it WAS supposed that the
balance. upon final settlement OF the
;,era of account in controversy, WAS
s,Ysinst the State. For this reason no
haste was made TO begin the inyestlga-
ton.
Ii is the opinion of the Commission
that IL WAS the intention o. the Legisla-
tire in the adoption of said resolution, |
that the Commission should determine: |
1t. What was the amount of the over |
charge said to have been made by the !
State Printer in printing the Acts OF
1882; aud
I'd To ascertain what was the amount
eauitably due the State Printer over and
above the sum actually paid for publish
| ing the Acts of 1876 10 1880 inclusive,
and to adjust these accounts according
to the law.
The task of investigating the correct
ness of all the transactions between the
| Public Printer and the State eould not
have been performed without employing
lexperts for many weeks, at an expense
for which no appropriation was made,
and therefore this Commission have
undertaken only to investigate what was
the amount received by the Public
Printer in excess of the amount allowed
bv law for publishing the Acts OF 1887
and whether he was equitably emitted
to an offset for printing more matt-r to
the page in the Acts of 1876, 1877, 1873,
and 1880, than he WAS required under
I the law then in force.
Having no technical knowledge OF
s printing, the Commission requested
:, Messrs. J. J. Shannon, s. b. Brown and
) s. D. Harper, all of whom are practical
# printers, and gentlemen OF established
character, 70 make an examination oil
The matter in controversy and render ~
/ their opinion which they kindly con
n sented to do.
! Their report to the Commission wa
= as follows:
JACKSON, Miss, December II, 1885.
d To the Honorable Commission to Adjus
= accounts Of Public Printer;
The undersigned having been requeste'
:! by Won to investigate IAN unadjusted settle
ment between the State OF Mississippi, ant
re- the State Printer, extending from the yea
1876 to the 18th day of March. 1884" a
% per Joint Resolution approved on said las
as named date, beg leave to report AS follows
IN At the last session OF the Legislature tn
:, matter OF public printing was referred to
" Joint Special Committee, the report Q
u which appears on pages 6lS and 6l9 q
i Senate journal. The Committee state tina
~ after "A thorough and careful investigation
il appears that from 1876 to 1880 inclusive
j the Public P.inter failed to demand a
ar much as he was entitled 10 under the la'
m ~ a difference at least equal to the def
cheney that occurred in the publication {
n the Acts of 1882, which was the result {
er an inadvertence, and a desire on the pan
On the Printer to conform to the unlforI
stvle of printing the Laws. and we there
&c f,re exoneraIe the Printer from any inter
,ss tionaI wrong" The Committee recon
pc mended that, "as full equivalent for an
II damage that the State may have sns aine
no bv said inadvertance," that the Print,
!. should pay to the State the sum OF hS
IA hundred dollars. Also that the Acts
-. 1884 might be printed IN the style OF il IS
and that there should be a reduction of :
per cent on all the work done from the |
January, 1884 to the close of the session
Pend ng he consideration of this RepOr
Senator liver offered "a resolution statir
at some length The equ ties of the matt
on the side of the State Printer and Sci
ator Marshall offered "Resoution pr
Is sidng for a commission to adjust accoun
with the State Printer" when passed boz
al II uses.
In a published statement by Hon J '
,on c. Watson, Chairman of the Joint Speci
Committee, dated March Is, 1884, he sa
i. ''the onlg instance Of an orereharge ,Cas in
ot, Acts Of 1882"
Yupr committee have, therefore, limit,
in their investigation to the Acts puhTf~,tv
from S76 to 1882, inclusive, and thereupo
ID submit The following;
The Code OF 1880 (Sec. SOP require
>; that the Laws shall be printed in sma
-. plea type, and shall contain an average
hIty printed lines to the page, and a
average of ten words TO the line. We fl
ny by actual count, and measurement, thi
er- he Acts OF 1882 contain only 40 printt
lines TO the page, and an average of s wer,
A to the line. The volume as published, Il
yer elusive of the index, made 1910 page
Had the pages been wIdened and extendt
,as as required by the Code OF 1880, the vo
rn, utne' exclusive % itlTeA' "ou'u hot n 90
ence OF $50 pages. The price allowed 90
az for the reduction of 20 per cent? beil
'or $3.50 per page, for 5000 copies, the exec
charged Is therefore SLIPS 90.
est We find, however, that the Acts of 1SS
Id were printed in the style OF preceding We
umes, notwithstanding that the Code
i'll, 1871 required only AZ lines to the pay
Sd. and an average of eight words to the lin
The present 5 ate Printer printed the Ac
If, of 1876 1877, 1873 and 1880, and they co
A. tain the number of pages and excess
matter, as follows: