Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-16
PRINTING THE STAMPS
The Effort Being Made to Change the
Present System.
Substantial Saving Made by the Gov
eminent in Doing the Work
for Itself. Y

There is much agitation among the en-
ployes of the postage stamp branch of the
bureau of engraving and printing over the
proposition now being considered by the
Senate to take the printing of the United
States postage stamps out of the hands of
the government and have the work done by
private contractors, as was the case pre-
Vious to 1894. The employees in this division
or the bureau number about 100 and are
mostly females, and the possibility that the
work upon which they now depend for the
support Of themselves and their families
may be taken away from them is causing
general alarm.
The appropriation asked for the printing
Of postage stamps during the year 1897
amounts to s162. 600 and il the effort now
being made at the Capitol to change the
present system is successful ii will mean
that this amount will be expended else
where than in Washington.
Some Interesting Facts.
The present attempt to secure the work
again Tor the private contractors, chief
and foremost among whom is the Ameri-
can Bank Note Company, which held the
postage stamp printing contract for twen-
ty-fve years previous to the bureau of
engraving and printing taking charge of
the work, Is receiving the assistance of
many influential men, who would probably
be less ardent in their efforts If they were
acquainted with the real facts in the prem
1ses. These are easy to recount.
When the bureau of engraving and print
ing made the offer to do the work alluded
to and surround ii with the safeguards
necessary to the protection of government
securities, and which were not in force
when private contractors did it. the esti-
mated cost was placed at SO q thousand
sheets This proposition was accepted. and
A ntyAr tha ft~St1 r.x
backs. which naturally resulted from the
use of new presses and machinery by oper-
atives not yet skilled in their work, there
was an immediate and steady reduction in
the cost of manufacturing the stamps until
for a long period the cost has been by
slS21 6-10 per 1000 sheets. over s1.7S per
1,oo0 less than the original estimates.
This cost will be still further reduced
Under the contract system ii IVES several
dollars higher, ard the work turned out
was not as good either in the printing OF
the stamps, their cumming or The perfora-
ton of the sheets.
Large Saving to the Government.
About 100000 sheets of stamps are
printed now each year, representing $50
100000, and 1t is easy to perceive how the
bureau Of engraving and printing can carry
out the declaration originally made that
the government could save itself from
$4,000 tc 100000 year by printing its
own stamps.
There is another and important improve
ment in the present manner of doing the
work over that formerly in vogue. Then
there was absolutely no safeguard placed
over the stamps. Now the government sys-
tenn of checks, which is used in all depart
ments of the bureau of engraving and print
ing, is enforced in the stamp branch. The
paper and the red color used by the con-
tractors are still bought from the same
manufacturers by the bureau, and both
have been vastly improved over their
former quality.
The appropriations for the work in 1893
amounted to s219.700, the printing being
done by the American Bank Note Company
The appropriation for 1895, when the bu-
leau began doing the work. was $4,000.