The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-03-15
THE PLATE PRINTERS.
THE QUESTION OF STEAM PRESSES
AGAIN COMES UP.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Can't Meet the Demand for Stamps
and Secretary Foster Wants to Put in
Steam Presses for a While.

The present force of plate printers employed
in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is not
sufficient in number to meet the demands made
on the bureau for stamps, and the new Secretary
OF the Treasury, Mr.. Foster, is met at the very
outset of his administration with per-
picking problem. The Bureau is printing the
internal revenue stamps and the demand for
these is far in excess of the number turned out
from the presses, and the Department in every
case is obliged to cut down the acquisitions
sent in from agents. Thus last Monday the
internal revenue collector at st st. Louis sent
in an order for 10000 stamps and all that was
sent back was 1000. This is only one in hun
dreds of cases that had been treated the
same way. Chief Meredith is running the
presses to their utmost capacity, but he is ham,
pered by illness among the printers.
Last week Secretary Foster had long inter-
view with a delegation of the printers at his
own request, as he wished to get at an under
standing of the question and hear what the men
thought of the state of affairs. Secretary Eos
ter plainly told the men that he was poorly in
formed about the matter, and he desired to ex-
pedite matters in order that the wants of the
Government might be attended to. He said all
his information was derived from the Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue and the Chief of the
Bureau OF Engraving and Printing and they
We're of the opinion that the only thing that
would obviate the present trouble would be to
place at least twenty steam presses in the build
ing This did not suit the majority of the print
ers, who are strongly opposed to steam presses,
and made successful fight against them before
Congress wear ago.
While the conference was going on Chief
Meredith came in and took part in it. He ex-
planned the resources of the bureau at present.
He said that Congress had appropriated $50, 600
for new building or annex to the present one,
and until that was built there was no way to in
crease the printing capacity of the place, and he
thought the temporary use of steam presses was
the only way out. Secretary Foster said that
though Congress had decided against steam
presses, he still thought that a mutual agree
ment could be arrived at between the Treasury
Department and the Plate Printers Union to
allow the introduction of steam presses tempo
rarily. When the demand for stamps falls off
and the work is again down to minimum, then
they could be taken out. The interview was
lengthy, and the printers did not signify what
their final stand would be, but told Secretary
Foster they would let him know some time the
present week.
The printers do not take kindly to the steam
presses, even as temporary expedent. Among
the most violent of those opposed to them
there is an inclination to refuse to work in the
bureau if they are placed in it. Others argue
thatif steam presses are putup itmeans ruin to
the hand workers, for they say If they can do
much more work than five hand presses as is
claimed they can, the Government will main
tain them at whatever cost. So they are against
letting them in. The conservative element
argue that the promise of Secretary Foster to
remove them as soon as the work is caught up
with can be ielied on, and they are for giving
the Government q chance to get the work up.
"Why," said one of the men, ''suppose the
printers refused to work in the bureau if the
steam presses come in. 1t means virtually sui
eide, as the work could be taken to New York
and printed at a saving' He thought the best
policy would be to trust to the secretary's
word in order to keep the work here. What
the nnal outcome will be is uncertain