Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-11
The Commissioner of Patents Re-
ceived Proposals.
Mr.. GORMAN'S LETTER AGAINST THEM
The Typesstting viii Have to Re-
main Where It Is.
HO w THE BIDS WENT

Mr.. Seymour. commissioner of patents,
held an informal levee In his Office this
morning to receive company of fifteen or
twenty representatives Of leading publish
ing houses In Baltimore and Washington
who desired to file bids for illustrating and
printing the Patent Office Gazette.
Notwithstanding the confusion surround
Ing the proposition fn-conseauesue of the
commissioners advertising for bids on work
which the Typographical Union regards as
specially belonging to the government print
ing office. the bids were offered and re-
ceived On the entire work.
Mr.. Seymour made a brief statement TO
the gentlemen who came with the bids, ex-
planning the whole situation. saying that
he understood from Mr.. Germans letter
IN April that he was to advertise for bids
on the entire work. but that a letter receivl
ed today from Mr.. German gave him no
other alternative than to say that the tyoe-
setting on the Patent Office Gazette was
not matter of contract work but, under
the law, must remain 1n-.the government
printing office.
Mr.. GOrnan's Letter.
The substance Of Mr.. Germans letter il
as follows. after reciting the passages in
the appropriation act and the general law
on the government printing ONCE:
This provision, 1t seems to me, pre-
cludes the possibility of your contracting
for any of the work of printing for the
patent office except that making use of
hthography or photo-lithography, together
with the plates for the same which
shall be contracted for and performed
| under the direction of the commissioner II
patents under such limitations and condi-
! tons as the Joint committee on printing
| may from time to time prescribe
In communication dated the 18th Of
1 Vnt hot ir, i,,1,
ment OF the joint committee on printing
you should advertise for proposals for that
particular class of work and that alone.
Il also desire to call your attention to
the fact that in your advertisement of May
l, 1895 you ask for bids for producing the
Oficial Gazette. including weekly, month
ly, quarterly and annual Indexes of patents
and trade marks, by the lithographic and
photo-hthrographic. or any other process
for the fiscal year ensuing. The words or
any other process do not appear In the
act. ,-.r. -.--'-
II am therefore inclined to the opinion
that any contract entered into for any part
OF the printing which has heretofore been
done by the public printer would be with
---' "A. p. GORMAN,
Chairman Joint Committee on Printing"
The Bids offered.
The following bids were offered upon the
entire work of illustrating the Gazette and
printing 1t directly from type: Capital
Press Company, by Marshal Gushing, per
page, for 1000 copies weekly, SIT; Fried
enwald & Company. Baltimore, $500; NJ.
D. Helm. Washington, S11. The leading
bids on the work Of photo-lithographing
and printing from dummy cards furnished
by the patent Office. precisely as the work
is now done, were by Andrew B. Graham
and the Norris Peters Company, the for
mer offering to illustrate and print the
1900 copies required weekly at 1910 per
page and tie latter at $S.25. Under these
bids Mr. Cushing's company would get the
contract for printing the Gazette IL the
work were to be taken from the govern
ment printing office, and II the contract Is
let under the dummy method as here
tofore, it would go to Mr.. Andrew B.
Graham.
Frank B. Conger, representing Gillin G.
Co. of New York. filed a protest against
the commissioner receiving the bids, and
declined to file bids. Mr.. Conger said he
believed the commissioners advertisement
was invalidated by placing Senator Cor
mans lettes on file, and that court of
equity would compel new advertising and
new bids in a proper way.