Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-13
THE STATE PRINTING.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE As TO
Mr.. GOODIES CHARGES.
Tho Contract Properly Awnrded-The
Law Regarding tho Departments
Defective and Amendments
Recommended.

The joint Committee on Printing OF the
two houses of the General Assembly have
for several days been investigating the
charges made by Mr.. JamesE. Goode as to
the manner in which the contracts for State
printing were awarded and the way IN
which the work has been executed.
The successful bidders on the State
printing were the j. l.. Hill Printing Com
pauy.
THE REPORT.
The committees made their report yes
terday toboth houses of, the General Assem-
bly,. IL is as follows:
To the General A sssnbty Qf Virginia.:
Your Committee on Public Printing, 70 whom
was referred the petition Of James L. Goode re-
lative 10 the public printing OF the common
wealth. have patiently, carefully, and fuily IN
vestiRsted the charges made In said petition
s1d respectfully report their conclusions US ios-
lows:
/. The complaint that the bids OF the petit.
toner and others for the annual reports and
legislative work were disreesrded by the super
irtendent OF Public Printing and the WORK
swarsied 10 tho present contractor a. price
lower than that OF the petitioner aud the other
bidders, notwithstanding the fat that tho said
contractor was without the experience which the
statute says shall DO considered In making sucn
awards " II without good reason. Inc Ia" re-
Quirea the Superintendent OF PUBIC frintink "
award tho WORK 10 tho lowest responsible bidder,
and he could not we'll have done otherwise III
this case.
q Tho charge ",hst In the execution OF the
work by the present contractor the statute wnicn
requires tho public printing TO DO executed IN :
close and compact manner ana Ni'nou'
the unnecessary title page or useless piauA
psges has been disregsrdcd," was ciear.
ly established. Tho law In this respoe,
Aoa full NIL
the evidence taken by the committee fais 20
show fraud or intentional wrong on tho part OF
tho contractor or any officer OF tho state
g. Your committee find that tho Railroad COM
missioner's report Tor the current year. the Wof
to which their atteution wAa specially called
has been greatly and unnecessarily EXTENDED
aud that as q consequence the expense 70 tnt
State has been unnecessarily Increased. ohe'
annual reports were examined, anu evidences
found OF unnecessary expense 20 the STATE by
the undue and unreasonable sproa;ing anu
spacing OF mstter, IN violation OF tho law Wnicr
requires clOseness and. compactnesS WIN tn'
| evidence before them the committee hnd dlnl
| Guilty in placing the responsibility Tor THIS IL
questioning heads OF departments II WA foune
! that only general instructions "a n good woIh
manship had been given by them, but no specln'
instructions a. 10 the makeup OF their report
| They have never been accustomed TO givint
such specific instructions, preferrlng TO leave
| this work TO tho Judgment OF the superin
tendent OF Public Printing. In tho absence o
instructions IL u the rule OF prlulefs n lOhon
| copy" and in the matter Of public printing Gus
| tom and 10 some extent precedent seem u
| large degree to have taken the place OF atatu"
law, thus ia effoct dividing responsibility iol
! the proper execution OF WORK for which ths
| State has 70 pay annually large sum OF money
| 4. While the law by tho very plainness OF II
! language c)ntemplates economy. win due re
| gard % taste. and without intent 70 De niggardl
or oppressive In tho contracts made under III
| provisions IL Is yet apparent tnat tho state la
! suffered materially in that proper ecouomy 0
space in its printing hasnot been exercised, an
| therefore unnecessary expense enialled. IL
the opinion OF tho committee that the depart
| ment Of printing has always cost tho State NOR
! money than it should have done. No mstter tns
| Is useless or barren Ot Information should az
| pear In the annual reports. No matter ehoui
| be spread out 10 undue lengtn--that Il, no mate
that can property be placed on ono page snoui
| be extended over two or more pages And ~
! the committee find that such has been don
| time and again. IL Is no excuse that Dids io
the state printing arc usually made on tho Das
! that this work gives u wider margine for prom
The state should stand on the same plano VIII
| private contractors In such matters. AMI has IN
| right TO expect as we'll "a demand respecs Tor u
laws Custom has degeneratod into negiigeDc
| in the public printing, ana htgigene
| Ia always cuipsble. Heads or department.
should always edit their respective reports-tha
Is, so far as the matter contained IA concerned
| They should eliminate ali Unnecessary matte
aud matter containing no Information. IN
mechanical mako-up VI the book and W
form in which 1t shall be- printe
should come under tho exclusive contr
of the superintendent Of Public Printin
who should see that IL is done IN accOrdan'
with the rules governing good workmanship, an
ut the same time at tho least cost to the stat
And for this he should DO hold 10 strict accoun
ability.
In conclusion, your committee express the bt
lief that much good will result from this invest
CATION by reason OF the fact that tho duties OF a
connected, directly or Indirectly. with the pui
lie printing are moro clearly understood no
than heretofore. But that no mlsunierstaDC
ing or mistake NAV occur in the future, you
committee suggest that the law should DO amend
cd and made more explicit, aud therefore n
spectfully recommend the passage ot Dill o.
companying this report IN the Senate.
Respectfully submitted. -
JOnS ". PLSAsAsrs,
Il. j. FoLggs,
JOHN ACgsR,
W. T. B0OTH,
| T. NJ CLKAgnTS.