The San Francisco call., 1897-02-04
JOHNS TOMS REPLY
TO THE GOVERNOR
Says Every State Printing
Office Employe Earned
His Wage.
Given Lay-Ofs Only When They
Had Worked Overtime
Without Pay.
Bookkeeper Wallis Declares Johnston
Saved Thousands of Dollars
to the State.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Feb. 3.-State
Printer Johnston, in reply to the charge
made by the Democratic partisans of Gov
ernor Budd to the effect that he had pre-
sented bill for work in his Office during
period when the office was shut down, ex-
planned to CALL reporter this morning
that during tha busy seasons foremen and
heads of departments worked overtime at
night after doing the full days work, es-
pecially during sessions of the Legisla-
ture. For this overtime they were not
paid by the State, and IN order that the
hard-working employees mightbe compen-
stated for the work actually done by
them, Mr.. Johnston, who is recognized by
labor organizations as true friend of the
workingman, ordered that eacn employe
so contributing should be granted lay-off
without deduction of pay. That had been
the rule of the Office as far back as Mr..
Johnston could remem Der, and it was the
rule in other offices.
These men often worked up to II or u
O'Clock at night and on Sundays without
extra pay.
Talbot H. Wallis, bookkeeper for the
State Printer, went into the details of the
matter, and showed that by laying off the
men instead of paying them cash for over
time the State had saved between SIS, 900
and $4,000 during Mr.. Johnston's admin
ist-ation, which otherwise would have
been paid out for extra time. AS a matter
of fact no man had received one dollar
on the payroll without working for it.
With reference TO the charge that the
State Printer had discretionary powers
and could refuse to do certain work when
requested, Mr.. Johnston said that some
time ago the Legislature passed an act by
which the State Printer was granted dis
cretionarv power to revise, cut down, or
refuse to print certain work.. The Attor-
ney-General shortly afterward rendered
written opinion to the effect that this law
did not affect the reports of State officers
and that the State Printer had no discre-
tion whatever with regard to the printing
of such reports. All that was required
was that the work must be ordered by the
State Board of Examiners.
"Wherever there has been an oppor-
tunity offered to cut down printing work,
continued Mr.. Johnston, 81 have always
done it, but the necessary work must be
performed, because the law requires that
all State printing must be done in the
| State Printing Office. With reference to
the charge that l had printed 10. 600 school
grammars unnecessarily, 1 wish to state
that in dong so / simply obeyed the law,
which requires the State Printer to keep
constantly on hand a sufficient quan tity OF
schoolbooks to fill all orders. The fact is
that those grammars were printed nearly
year before the copy for the new
grammar was received at my office. l
cannot afford to be without textbooks. I
have already sold large quantity of that
10000 edition and am receiving orders for
them every day, as they are being used in
the schools at the present time. They
will all be disposed of.
I'm making out my bills l fulfill all the
requirements of the law, otherwise they
would not be allowed by the Board of
Examiners, Governor Budd's opinion to
the contrary notwithstanding"