Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-21
A POSITIVE WASTE.
More Than a Million Spent An
nually in Public Documents
ARE GIVEN AWAY.
The Pending Printing Bill in the
Interest of Economy.
WHAT MR. AMES THINKS.

WHAT MR.. AMES THINKS.
How do you regard the printing bill now
under consideration In the House of Repre-
sentatives?" was the question addressed by
the reporter Of The Star to Mr.. Ames,
superintendent Of documents in the Depart
ment Of the Interior Mr. Ames has occu-
pied his present position for nearly twenty
years and may Justly be supposed to be
better informed on the whole subject of
public documents than any other officer Of
the government, and able to give an in
telligent judgment as to the value of the
proposed legislation.
In reply he said: IT regard the bill re-
ferred to as the most carefully prepared
and in all respects the best bill on the SUBJ
jest ever introduced into either house of
Congress. 1t, however. does not go as far
In some directions as I think the public
interest demands. No other part OF the
public business 10 conducted with such
utter disregard OF business principles. with
such want Of system, and, therefore, with
such extravaganza and waste. as is the dis
tribution Of public documents.
mo member OF Congress or other sane
man would think for a moment OF con-
Quoting his own private Affairs In She same
way. II he did he would soon rind himself
overwhelmed with financial ruin The gov
eminent expends more than 10000 an
nually In printing from one to two mil
lion volumes to give away. 1t then estab-
fishes three or four. or even more. agencies
for distributing the very same volumes.
each carrying on its work in entire ignor-
ance Of what the others are doing, and
therefore duplication and duplication end
quadruplication in the distribution are con-
stanty going on.
And to make matters worse, many OF
these documents are printed In three and
four diverse editions, with differing title
pages and back titles. which increases
greatly the duplication. and occasions much
perplsxity and confusion. Therefore, in the
interest Of economy and to make IL pos
sible to introduce strictly business princi-
pies into the management Of this depart
ment OF the public service, I think the
whole work Of distributing the publications
OF the government should be consolidated
and centralized In a single bureau under the
supervision OF a single officer. This is what
any prudent man would do IL 1t were his
own private affair"
From One Source.
Il am sure II would result in a large saw
Ing to the government and would be found
greatly to subserve the convenience Of MEM
bers OF Congress. There would then be a
single Office where all documents, or fun
Information regarding them. could be OBJ
tained. and the customary running about
frcm department to department and Office
70 once IN search Of them be rendered un-
think the bill falls short of the wisest pro-
vision. / am confident, however that This
reform will ultimately come perhaps when
a new printing office is built and an oppor-
tunity to establish the bureau OF documents
In immediate proximity to IT afforded"
What in your view Is the chief excel
lence OF the printing bill?' asked the re-
porter.
In the first place" was the ,en,x .,,
VIII. II 1t become a law. bring together tn
q single statute all provisions of a perna-
nent character governing the printing and
distribution OF public documents. At pres
volumes Of statutes and of the Record ana
some things are done In virtue of tmmeuor-
ial custom. In fact, doubt II there 1. anv
one man who knows what all these laws
are. or where they can be found. 1t must,
therefore. be very great convenience to ali
concerned II all general legislation on this
subject Is brought within the compass of a
single enactment"
Secondly. This bill makes much larger
and more adequate provision for supplyfng
cur public college and school libraries with
public documents than is now the case I
suppose there can be no doubt but that
oroinarliy the best place to put a book is
In q public library. where IL is brought
within the reach OF many individuals.
hitherto very insufficient provision for H.
prar1es has been made. which lack the pres.
ens .r Oil IN q large measure supplies.
Thirdly. Perhaps the greatest need n,
All In connection with our public documents
Is that OF a good comprehensive index OF
the same an index to be prepared and pub
nsned year by year. kept up to date. At
present. no one knows what has been pub
hshed. or. II he knows. he is often ignorant
as to where II is to be found The wonder
- tnat the government has been content to
postpone 80 long providing for such an In.
dex In an age where all such helps are
deemed absolutely essential Such an index
would vastly Increase the use and enhance
the value OF public documents. As one
prominent librarian puts tive had better
have one-half the documents published win
such an index than the whole without n
II Is one Of the most valuable features n,
the bill that IT provides for an index of this
character"
Justice to All Citizens.
In the next place the bill authorizes ana
provides for the sale OF public documents
at cost. thus aHording an opportunity to all
VINO wish to purchase. or prefer to purchase
rather than beg documents. to do So Ny
own conviction is that the wisest policy OF
the government is to reduce rather thar to
crease its expenditures for printing docu-
ments FOR gratuitous distribution. that 4,
should provide literally for public uniyer-
SUI ana college libraries, thus bringing fits
puphcations within the reach of the lu;blic
at large. and then provide that any indiyid
uai may secure these at the mere cost OF
printing from stereotyped plates. This
would encourage the formation OF libraries
ana greatly reduce expenses Either This
policy must be pursued, or the expenditure
In this direction must Increase year after
year to keep pace with the increase of non
ulafon. The demand will continue to in
crease, a demand which in the majority of
cases Is doubtless the outgrowth of the fact
that public documents are gratuitous
There can Of course be no real Justice
practiced In the distribution of Documents
Tor, though every man has the same right
TO document as any other man. the ordi-
nary editions OF public documents are sui
ncient to supply only one In many hundreds
OF our citizens. How far. for instance. wifi
the 10000 copies published of that valuable
work, The Growth of Industrial Art 20
toward supplying the IS 600 600 of our popu-
lauon! And why should 10000 individuals
receive each copy gratuitously when there
are at least 100000 more equally entitled
to II who cannot secure II at all? The
same question may be asked In regard TO
all public documents Whether therefore
regard be had to economy or to equity In
this matter. think the policy Of the gov
ernment should be as above indicated
These are the principal features of the bill
that commend 1t to my hearty approval"