Evening star., 1895-06-04
PATENT OFFICE GAZETTE
Work to Be Done by Andrew B. Graham
Of This City.
Decision Reached Today by COmmis-
sioner Seymour and Sec
retary Smith.

The long-drawn-out controversy over the
Patent Office Gazette was settled today by
the action of Commissioner Seymour AMI
Secretary Smith in awarding the contract
for illustrating and printing that very
necessary periodical during the official year
beginning July to Andrew B. Graham of
this city.
This result practically continues the old
method of publishing the Gazette by use
of the process of photo-lithography, and
at a cost considerably in excess Of all
necessary expense for producing good
work.
In order to make saving to the govern
ment by means of later processes Com
missioner Seymour desired to have Con-
gress so amend the appropriation law last
winter as to permit him to let the work
out by contract to concerns that would
make use of the later and more improved
process of photo-engraving on zinc. To
this the printers union made objection,
because it would take the typesetting
away from the government printing Office,
and 1t was supposed the law was left in
its usual form
But; on the contrary, it was found that
it was confused and blind in its phraseol
ogy, SO that the commissioner was able to
maintain that the construction of the law
should be left to him and he therefore ad-
vertised for bids for producing the Gazette
by contract work.
MI. GOrman's Letter.
At this point the printers union again
interfered and secured from Senator Cor
man. who, by a strange conjunction of
circumstances. seems to be at this time
himself alone the joint committee of SEN
ate and House on printing. letter direct
ing the commissioner to adhere to the old
method of printing the Gazette, on the
ground that the law would not permit his
awarding the contract to the concerns
which would make use of the new processes
and print the Gazette directly from type.
The matter was referred to the Assistant
Attorney General, Judge Hall, and several
exhaustive hearings were held. at which
all bidders were represented. His decision
was that in view of the fact that Congress
had uniformly desired to retain this print
ing in the hands of the public printer, the
Commissioner should continue during the
next year to print the Gazette as 1t has
heretofore been printed.
Accordingly the commissioner after max
ing inquiry into the ability of Mr.. Gra-
hams establishment to do the work re-
quired gave him the contract, as his bid
was $1,000 lower than that of the Norris
Peters Company, the competing photolith-
ographic bidder.
For producing copies for the current is
sue of patents Mr.. Graham's bid was $5i.-
901. 80; for producing the Official Gazette,
$3I,12S; the Norris Peters Company made a
bid of S6i.917.20 for the first part of this
work and of $3S.22D for producing the Off
cial Gazette.
That part of the Gazette done by the
public printer COSTS in addition to the con-
tract work, S11 ,259.41. These bids are en-
tirely upon the basis of using the process
of photolithographing.
The following bids were made upon the
theory of using the zinc process of photo
engraving, to print the Gazette 6i-
rectly from type: For producing the Official
Gazette entire. including the indexes and
all the work done on the Gazette by the
public printer, the Capital Press Company
made a bid of $76,031.3S: the Friedewald
Company of Baltimore, for precisely the
same work. made bid of SS5. S3432. Rufus
H. Darby of this city for doing the same
work. without the indexes, made a bid of
S102.64S and NJ. D. Helm, for the same
work including the indexes. made a bid of
Sl09 2OO