Evening star., 1895-06-05
QUESTION OF MEANS
The Patent Office Gazette Contro-
Versy.
NORRIS PETERS CO. STILL FIGHTING
Employees Pledged Not to Work
for the Rival Bidder.
SECY SMITHS DECLARATION


The action of the commissioner of pat
ents Mr.. Seymour. and Secretary Smith in
awarding the contract for photo-litho-
graphing and printing the Patent Office
Gazette during the official year beginning
July 1, to Andrew b. Graham, is not likely
to close the controversy over that varied
and interesting publication. The Norris
Peters Company, which has enjoyed this
contract for long term of years, sue
ceeded last year in seriously embarrassing
a rival concern which had obtained the
contract for the Gazette, and, as will be
remembered, Secretary Smith, after a
thorough investigation, claimed to have
discovered that employees of the patent
office were cooperating in the attempt to
delay and otherwise inconvenience the con-
tractors. To clarity the situation the Sec
retary discharged an important employe,
and gave notice that any further attempt
to obstruct the publication of the Gazette
would be met with summary removal.
Against the New Way.
This year. although the Norris Peters
Company We're not the lowest bidders, they
made d strenuous effort to contend against
Commissioner Seymour's policy of abandon
ing the photo-lithographing process entire
ly in order to make use of the newer one of
photo-engraving on zinc The Norris Pet
ers Company employed Judge Jere Wilson
10 represent them, the open and obvious
ocJect OF their contention being to secure
the retention of the photo-Iithographi
process. although the contract might go to
a rival bidder.
As there was some question whether this
bidder, Mr.. Graham, had a sufficient force
of skilled workmen and a plant adequate
to the requirements of the contract there
was some possibility that the award might,
q oil bA IL
Company OF whose ability to do the work
by the notwithstanding process there
was no question. 1t Is known that Mr..
Grahams plant is capable of excellent
work, out the amount of work involved in
the Gazette is SO large that an ordinary
oto-lithoGraphing establishment would be
oplsed to secure very large addition to
us us torce IN order to comply promptly with
the terms of the contract.
Opposition Methods.
Secretary Smith says he has obtained
evidence that the Norris Peters Company
are repeating their tactics In order to pre-
vent the execution of the contract regu-
larly and promptly by the A. B. Graham
establishment.
1t is understood that all the employees of
the Norris Peters Company have subscribed
to the following pledge: I'VE, the under
signed. 90 hereby pledge ourselves not TO
seek or accept employment from any firm
outside of the Norris Peters Company bid
ding on the patent office work as long as
the Norris Peters Company have employ
ment for us. And we further pledge our
selves that any one breaking this agree
ment will not seek unemployment of this
firm, and also that We will not work with
any one who does break the same"
This pledge, it is asserted, was circulated
among the employees of the Norris Peters
Company during the first fortnight in May.
Some of the employees We're somewhat
tardy in afiixing their signatures to it and
on the 18th of May the following notice
was sent to them: THE agreement of en-
ployes of this establishment will close for
signatures at II o'clock today. If you de-
sire to place your signature upon said doc
ument. please inform the secretary before
that time. Please answer.
(SiGred) "a. LEVY, Secretary"
The Sccrctary's Position.
Being fully forwarned of what may hap
pen, Secretary Smith says he shall take
every precaution to protect Mr.. Graham IN
his contract and enable him to perform it
promptly and satisfactorily within the
terms agreed upon. AS it is now period of
comparative commercial depression, and
there is none too much work for photo-llth-
ographing establishments in various parts
of the country, the expectation in the pat
ent Office is that Mr.. Graham will be abund-
antly able to supply himself with skilled
workmen and keep up with his contract.
If he should not be able to do so, Secretary
Smith will undoubtedly do as he did previ-
ousIy-authorize a delay in the publication
of the Gazette until sufficient help can be
secured to do the work; but there Is no
apprehension at the patent office that any
such course will need to be pursued.
The Type Setting.
The employees of the government print
ing Office are especially pleased at the re-
suit of the controversy. great deal was
involved in thu decision of the question
whether the work of setting up the text
Ct the claims for the Gazette should be
continued there or given to private con-
tractors. The specification room, with its
large force of employees does vast amount
of work connected with patents outside OF
the Gazette, all of which more or less in
wolves the use of photo-lithography. so that
If the decision had been made That the
Gazette work, coming under the phrase
of the law "or any other work making use
Of photo-lithography, had been given to
private contractors, this other patent office
work might also have been eventually TAX
en- away from the government printing Of
fee and given to private contractors. Inc
appropriations for all this work together
amount to about s25O,0OO. and the removal
of an amount of this magnitude from the
government printing office would practical
ly have broken up that branch Of the office.
The New Method Must Come.
"There is one result of this contention"
said Public Printer Benedict today, that
is as plain as day. The Patent Office Ga
zette will be produced by the newer pro-
cess of photo-engraving before long. In a
letter which 1 sent to Senator German
March IS last went over the whole ground
carefully. By the purchase of nonpareil
OF agate type, at a cost of 81, 100, the speci-
ficaton room would have been able to set
the claims in the Gazette at precisely the
same cost now made by setting them in
the large English type, to be photo-litho-
graphed down. For something like $1,000
photo-engraving plant could have been
put in if we had had enough room for it.
At a cost of $4,000 year the pages of the
Gazette in type and photo-engraved zinc
cuts could have been electrotyped and the
plates saved, so that in later years ex-
hausted copies of the Gazette could have
been reproduced very inexpensively. AS it
is now, you know, there. are exhausted
numbers, which bring an inordinately high
price and which the commissioner would
very much like to reproduce If he could by
the ephoto-lithographing process. This can
not be done without great outlay"
Better Printing Desired.
'It was my recommendation to Mr.. Cor
man that for the first year under the new
method the photo-engraving be done under
contract outside of this Office and the type
set here as usual but in q smaller letter