The Washington times., 1895-05-12
MIR. GORMAN's ORDERS
Print Patent Office Gazette at
The Government Office.
CAN'T BR DONE By CONTRACT
Advertisements Must BE For the
Photo-Lithographtn Alone-Type
Setting Nowhere Except BY the
Public Printer-Eight Bids Put In
For Both Classes of the Work.

The Government Printing Office will
probably have this year all the work on the
Patent Office Gazette that has formerly
been done there; it may even do more.
When bids were considered at the office
OF Commissioner Of Patents Seymour yes
teuiay twelve to fifteen representatives
OF leading publishing houses of this city
and Baltimore were present. Bids were re-
ceiTed from them on the entire work of
getting out the Gazette, but Frank B. Con-
ger representing Gillin & Co., of New
York, made protest and declined to put in
a bid He believed the advertising was in
validated by Senator GoIman's action, and
that court OF equity would decide that the
bids must be advertised anew.
TYPE SETTING AT THE PRINTERY.
Commits sioner Seymour stated that, as
he had originally understood Senator Cor
mans directions as chairman of the Com
mittee on Printing, he was TO advertise the
whole work for contract, but he had re-
ceived a letter which stated especially
that the type setting must be done at the
Government Printing Office.
Mr.. German says iD his letter tkat the
law plainly precludes letting the type
setting by contract. He says his letter of
April 20 tated that the joint committee
on printing desi ired that the commissioner
should advertise for the oto-lithograph-
ing alone as had hitherto been the practice
The advertisement by the commissioner
called foT bids for producing the Patent
Office Gazette by any process, but Sena-
tor Gorman pointed out that no uch lat-
tude was permitted by the law.
He concludes that IN his opinion ''any
contract for printing hitherto done by the
Public Printer would be without authority
Of law
There were eight bids Those offer
Ing TO do the entire work, printing di-
rectly from type, ranged from 81. II per
page to S11, and the principal bids on the
pbotographing were $5.1o per page, by
Andrew B. Graham, aud So. 20 by the Nor
ris Peters Company. 1t seems that the
work may 60 to Mr.. Graham.
COMPARING FIGURES.
But Commissioner Seymour said, after
the close Of business for the day, that he
had not completed a comparison of the
bids.
Separate figures on the indexes had com
plicated the question as TO which is the
lowest, and be would not know which
should be so considered until Monday.
A tier having determined that point, he
would carefully read Mr.. Gorman's let
ter, and follow it's instructions.
The raising OF the question where the
Patent office Gazette shall be got out
brings to notice the plotting that goes on
20 secure the work and recalls the fact
that two years ago company was organ
lied and plant secured by Horace Kenney
aud others, with little other basis for
business than this contract.
The publication was two TO three weeks
behind Tor months, and was severely criti-
cised. A public scandal developed, an
investigation followed, the company lost
the work, aud afterwards had very little
business.
This incident, Joined with the present,
sugge SITS tlIat the government printing
office may yet be called on TO do the entire
work.