Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-25
A NEW BUILDING WANTED.
Senator Manderson's Report on the
Government Printing ONCE.
He SAYS THAI THE RsTABLIsHNExT Is TWENTY
FIVE YEARS BEHIND TIE TINKs-TnK BUILD
ISo IN An ovERcnowpED AID DANGEROUS
CONDITION.

FIVE YEARS BEHIND TIE TINES-THE BUILD
ISa IN An ovERcnowpED AID DANGEROUS
CONDITION.
An interesting report has been made by SEN
ator Henderson on the amendment by the
committee on printing providing for the pur-
chase OF a site FOR a new Government Printing
Office building. The senator quotes various
statements as to the needs and condition Of the
printing Office made by the present public
printer and his predecessor. "Eo individual
or private corporation" says the report, with
eyes open to all modern advantages, would
maintain such a clumsy, unsafe and uneco-
nomic plant any longer than would be neces-
sary to replace it with q better one. There is
certainly no reason why the government should
longer maintain an establishment that IL at
least twenty-five years behind the times"
ovERCRowDED AND DANGEROUS.
After quoting reports from the foremen in
the Office Mr.. Henderson says:
Thus We might 90 or quoting from the re-
ports made by subordinates to the public
printer to the same purpose, to wit: Showing
the o~vercrowded and dangerous condi-
ton OF the Offices how men and
women are crowded together in ill.,
lighted. M-ventiiated rooms, so appointed
with reference to the business Of the office as
to cause inferior work, expensive delays in the
performance OF 1t, and showing conclusiyely
the need OF a new building constructed upon
modern ideas and with a view 70 the actual and
prospective demands of the public printing.
The grand jury of the Supreme Court Of the
District Of Columbia. in u report made In 1887
respecting the Government Printing Once,
said:
I'VE have made an examination Of the Gov
eminent Printing Office. on the northeast cor
ner of square No. 624, North Capitol and H
streets northwest. and find the building front
ing 200 feet on H street and IFS feet on North
Capitol street, by a width of 60 feet. -four SCORES
IN height, and constructed, except the outer
walls, OF combustible materials, floors and cell
ings being of wood and each floor il also fully
stored with combustible material. In this por-
tlon ls employed, on an average, about fifteen
hundred persons, those on the upper floors be-
ing mostly females. The exits for escape in
s s"iis III ins sds S1 psn': are in Our Tn t inasnsa', ,s sG,
building would be to virtually reconstruct it.
Some improvements have been made since
the above report was made condemning the
building. yet in the last report Of the public
printer this language is used:
with all these precautions added improve
ments), the building is liable at all times of
the day and night to destruction by fire. The
embarrassment and loss in property alone to
the public service through such q calamity
would be incalculable; but when the
fact is considered that there are
more than two thousand employees at
times in this building, and that q IRE once
started is liable to spread with great rapidity.
because of the combustible nature of much of
the material in the building, the need OF prompt
measures for ayorting the danger would seem
to be imperative. The only durable remedy
which could be applied would be the construc-
ton for the use Of this Office OF a ire-proof
building"
THE NEED IMPERATIVE
The need of such a building is imperative,
from the following considerations:
Q) The health Of the employees Of the Office.
and binding.
~ Promptness in the distribution of the
finished product of the office.
(d) The health Of the employees ia endan-
gered by want of sufficient working space for
each person employed, by the poor lighting
the Office from the stables that are practically
a part of the building; by the imperfect and
insufficient plumbing, which was put in to
accommodate not more than 500 people, whereas
the number has grown to be over 2,0OO;
the danger to life BY reason of the highly COM
bustible material of which the building is made
and with which it is filled; the danger from the
too near proximity OF the boilers, which are 80
situated, in the event Of an explosion, that the
lives OF every person in the building would be
endangered.
90 Greater economy in the public printing
would be accomplished by the erection OF an
Office constructed upon modern ideas, by bring
ing the working divisions OF the Office into
logical relations with each other. This would
enable q greater amount Of work to be done
without a corresponding increase of force; the
work could be done more promptly and better,
and when done the output could be han died
and distributed at about three-fourths the
present cost.
THE COMMITTEES PLANS.
In conclusion the report says: AL this folly
of method and of useless waste has been going
on for years and is still going OH in the full
face of official reports to Congress, which
tell the whole story and point out
the easy and busincss-like way to
the abuses complained of.
simple method proposed by the committee
is to erect a printing office, planned after mod
ern ideas, large enough to meet the demands OF
the public printing promptly and economically:
large enough to hold sufficient supplies
of paper to make the office independents Of
any exigency arising out of the failure
OF contractors or of the temporary interruption
of freight lines, aud to store away conveniently
and economically the product of the Office
until ready for delivery. Then, in connection
will this, distributing department.
all books might be distributed
direct upon lists furnished by those having
books to be sent out. In this way the saving
to the government annually over tho present
system OF public printing would pay interest
on the sum OF money necessary to make the
p roposed and 90 far toward the
payment of the principal.
A POST OFFICE ABOLISHED.