Evening star., 1896-12-26
His Views Regarding a New Print
ing Office.
The QUESTION OF LOCATION
He Advocates Care in Deciding
Upon the Plans.
\ E E S OF THE FICE

again the subject OF a proposed new gov
! ernment printing Office" said Public Print
er Benedict to Star reporter today. Il
| trust that the agitation of the matter which
has been commenced by the House COM
| mittee on public buildings and grounds will
| result Ia perfected legislation al this ses-
sion of Congress looking TO adequate pro-
vision for the needs of the government In
| this direction.
| When bill has been passed providing
| for the acquisition of the land and the
erection of a building thereon Congress
| should not strike lick of work until plans
| should be prepared for the building. As L
| SAID In my las, annual report, no step
| should DE taken by Congress toward erec:-
ing government printing office that is not
pased upon the most careful plans and eN-
pert knowledge. proper commission
shoald be hrst appointed to procure ami
| present the fullest information in regard
| TO the Larger private printing offices of the
country. Every detail of the progress of
| the art should be mastered. The building
| architecturally, should be designed for a
| printing office, and for other purpose
| Whatever The question of a site is Of
| hilhof Importance. printing office is a
Workshop, and this is true in a more par
ucular sense of the government printing
ONCE than of many private concerns which
ofttmes are mere adjuncts 10 publishing
| houses engaged in advancing the interests
OF literature and art
The building should he perfectly adapt
| ed in light and floor space, in ventilation
ana heating, in sanitary conditions and ia
It's mechanical plant to the perfect execu-
tlon OF the government printing at the min
lmum OF cost 1t might, with the highes;
advantage to the government, be made
| IDEAL in its appointments and APPLIANCES
an exhibit of the progress of the highest
humanity and Intelligence in building con-
struction, as well of the highest econ
| emy and efficiency in the printing trade.
Abundance of time and .in,,
should, however, be taken. in order to pre-
vent the carrying out of any incomplete
or Inadequate plan. When built, the office
should be one of the attractions of the can
ital city, and it should possess the highest
economic. mechanical and scientific achieve
nents in the arts of printing and binding
OF the present day. Its lines should be laid
upon plars broad and comprehensive
enough to meet not only the demands Of
the near future, but the necessities of III.
coming century.
Like the Library.
Il think the printing Office should he con-
strueted upon the plan adopted in the erec-
| ticn of the Congressional Library. In that
case, as every one knows, Congress retain
ed entire control Of the work. The plans
were agreed upon and Congress stood by
them. The building was constructed with
view to its use as library. and the sug-
gestions of librarians were taken into con-
siderauon. The success of the plan is ap-
were adopted in the erection of a printing
office, the committee commission of Con-
81 ess having the work in charge should call
In the great master printers of the coun-
try. They should visit the great printing
offices in various cities, any number of
which surpass the government printing Of
flee IN the perfection of their plants
The building should not be a skyscraper
We do not want structure so high that il
Will take five minutes of precious time time
belonging to the government, for each en-
p,oye to get in or out This may seem a
small matter, but in the aggregate it is a
large one. The total saving to the govern
nient in little matters of convenience I'm
conducting great workshop like this
would equal the amount of the interest on
the entire investment in a year.
Good for Short Time.
THE government printing office today,
thanks to the recent improvements COM
pleted under the provisions of Congress, is
able to perform its work fairly economical
ly. fairly exped;tiously and fairly complete
ly. We are enabled to do our current work
and to bring up, by degrees, the back work
But this will not last long 1t is only a
question of five years, in my opinion when
the office will again be confronted with the
condition which met me when took charge
of this office for the second time, two years
ago last May In the first fiscal year. from
the beginning of my second term in Office 1
handed 101 per cent more work, consumed
100 per cent more material than / did i'm
the fiscal year of 1887 L did this without a
corresponding increase of space for the ac-
commodation OF the work, or an increase
of general facilities. There came a time
when something had to be done. Congress
was called upon for an emergency appro-
priation to provide measures to relieve an
emergency situation Congress met the ap-
peal generously, and the work was done.
But We do not want our new building
put up under an emergency. That would
mean hurried work, inadequate plans and
DC 70 a1Ytn
knows now that it will have to meet this
situation within few years, and ii ought
TO begin now to get ready to meet It, Ii
ought to begin in a thorough, business like
way preparing fer the future, Just as an
individual conducting business upon a
large scale would do. 1 hope that all of
the work done by the government printing
ONCE VIII be concentrated under one roof
Now it is scattered all over the city. We
occupy 10000 square feet In the city post
office building, we have branch offices in A
number OF departments, our warehouse is
IN one place and our stables in another.
Long-distance supervision when IL comes
to mechanics is not a good plan The
whole work should be concentrated where
the director can lay his hand upon any
part of 1t at any time.
In this building know wbatevery man
is doing. 1 ges reports which show me
the hourly work of every compositor L
know just how much matte.- he SETS in the
course of a day and in what hours he does
the work. 1 am this enabled TO keep a
merit record and wnen the time comes that
a reduction in force mus, be made know
Just what men to select. Every compos.tor
at his case there works under the feeling
that II he makes good record for himself
ano performs good service for the govern
ment he will not be disturbed in his posi-
ton.
The Question Of Site.
NOW, as to a site for the government
printing office. Tha. is a matter about
which 1 have always been very cautious
I have no choice Of sites. and never allow
an interested person 10 talk to me about
sites. 1t Is a building that We want. and
Congress is perfectly able TO select its To-
cation But there is one thing snat should
be taken into consideration In connection
with such a choice, and that 10 the con-
sequences that would arise from putting
up structure in any place remote from
the present location.
If Congress decides to place the new
building in some other section of the city
than point adjacent to the present one,
II means practically the duplication Of q
plant After all, 1t the plant that costs
Land Is cheap and buildings are cheap.