Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-16

People who know little or nothing of the
business considerations which so frequent
~ enter into politics will find Il difficult to
understand why the Senate committee
post-ofices and post-roads should report
favOrably ON proposition to make con-
tracts with private firms for the printing
of postage stamps instead of having the
stamps made, as they now are at the Bu-
reau o. Engraving and Printing. 1t is not
likely that the Senate committee in ques-
ton has acted without thought but the re-
port indicates hasty consideration and tes-
titles to the continued existence of sena-
tOrial courtesy. Just what argument was
used 10 bring about the committees in
dorsement of the project does not now ap-
pear. but we shall find out something about
1t before the sundry civil appropriation bill
Is finally disposed of. The only excuse that
can possibly be offered for the proposed
change must be based upon the grounds of
economy and quality of product, and in
those essentials no private firm in the
country has any advantage over the Blu
reau of Engraving and Printing To ac-
cuse those Senators who have favored the
suggested amendment of a lack of knowl-
edge on the subject might appear to be a
harsh procedure, but they certainly are not
c0nversant with the facts in the case if
they imagine that it costs more to print
stamps at the Bureau than it would to
have those same stamps supplied to the
government by private firm. The figures
which the committee relies upon to make
good ito case do not apply to present con-
dIuons; they deal with the first six months
OF the postage-stamp division of the Bu-
reau and are worthless for comparative
purposes because they include the cost of
mac hinery (nearly one hundred thousand
doHarS) and We're necessarily swollen by
the inexDerience of operatives. Time and
opportunity have given the employees ex-
Terience sufficient to make them most ex-
pert. so there is no longer any loss in that
department.
The cost of postage stamps to the gov
eminent is now less than the price agreed
upon by the Treasury and the Pest Office
Departments. and that price was less than
the lowest bid by private firms. 1t is
reasonable calculation that from this time
fcrth-there is no guesswork in the fig
ures-the United States will save fully 500
Gb year by having the stamps printed
az the Bureau. AS to the quality of the
stamps. there can he no disagreement: the
stamps speak for themselves The mate
rial is purchased from the same houses as
supplied the New York firm which was
underbid by the Bureau, the machinery
Is of the highest grade, the operatives
are at least equal to any in the business.
Then. too 1T is unquestionably proper that
the government should do this work for
itself 1t should have complete control
of the output until it reaches the pur-
chasing public. When the stamps are
printed in New York by a private firm
there is always danger of theft and of
theft on large scale. At the Bureau the
check system is as nearly perfect as any
human system can be: a consideration of
no mean Importance when the fact is
borne in mind that the postage stamps
have a face value exceeding fifty millions
OF dollars annually.
For the best of reasons-here made mani
fest-the government prints it's own bonds
notes and internal revenue and postage
stamps. Why should an exception be
made as to one variety of stamps?
From a purely local point of view the
proposed change would be extremely objec-
tonable. The postage-stamp division of
the Bureau receives about one hundred and
sixty thousand dollars annually in wages
so the transfer of the work to New York
city-where it would undoubtedly go
would be felt: not less than one hundred
female operatives would necessarily have
to be disc harged.
1t is not likely that Congress will coin
eide with the conclusion reached by the
Senate committee on post-offices and post
roads There is no reason why the govern
ment should elect to pay more for stamps
than is nov being paid, should throw a
hundred thousand dollars worth of ma
chinery on the scrap-heap. and bring about
the unemployment of Ia.ge number of
skilled and faithful employees.