The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-16
DIVISION OF PRINTING.
Miscellaneous printing and binding
ExHAUsTING APPROPRIATIONS.

The commissioners of printing have practi-
caIly had no funds to meet current accounts
during the present biennial period. The ap-
preparation of $40, 600 for the fiscal year end
ing July 81 1896, available Aug. l. 1885,
and Immediately applied to pay printing and
binding bills contracted during the previous
year; that of $4,000 for the fiscal year e END
ing July 81 1897, and available Aug. 1. 1886.
was nearly all applied to the payment of
bills contracted during the year prior to
that date, leaving the commission without
funds during nearly the whole of the pres
ent fiscal year. The statutes require the
printing of reports to the legislature and for
general distribution, and supplies for de-
partmentS are absolutely necessary Acting
under a statutory provision, the orders for
payment of bills have been issued by the
expert state printer, signed by the secretary
of state and Endorsed by the state auditor,
as payable from a deficiency appropriation
to be made by the legislature, such orders
bearing the legal rate of per cent interest.
Only by this provision of the law could the
state printing contracts be maintained, and
the supplies Of the several departments be
secured. If the legislature made appropria-
lions for printing and binding and advertis-
ing in amounts equal to the expenditures, as
shown by successive years, no such provision
of the law would be necessary, and the state
would save the payment OF extensive legal
interest accounts.
ADDITIONAL PRINTING.
Each session of the legislature enacts laws
demanding additional printing, fact not
considered by the appropriations committee.
The session of 1895 demanded additional
printing as follows: Publication annually of
5000 copies of reports of the Minnesota Edu-
cational association printing of the amend
ed election laws, Of which II 900 copies were
printed, and there was a demand for double
this number; printing of the corruIE practice
act; a report of the fourth insane hospital
commission; additional general election
banks and books; the enactments of 1895 in
creased the volume of session laws from 46S
pages of the previous volume to 922 pages,
nearly double the amount. In the at
torney generals department the demands Of
the state for briefs and paper books was in
+ creased by 81 GOO over the amount Of the
previous year.
The present session of the legislature has
created new department in the board of
pardons, and its outfit of record books, blanks
and supplies call for considerable increased
expenditure.
DEPARTMENT REPORTS.
Accompanying this report of the states
printing and binding are copies Of al an
nual and biennial reports of departments,
commissions and institutions, printed by
| the commissioners of printing. These num-
Der thirty-one. The printing of these re-
ports cost upwards of $29 900, and should
have careful consideration. The expense OF
printing many Of these reports may be re-
duced and not detract from their value as
information for the governor, the legislature
and the general public. This is especially
true Of the report Of the state treasurer. The
law requires this report to be printed an
nualy in pamphlet form, and 600 copies are
so printed early in January. 1t is further
required that the annual reports of the
treasurer shall be bound with and form a
part On the session laws. This requires the
printing and storage of coo copies of each
of the two annual reports until the laws of
the biennial session Of the legislature are
printed, when the reports are bound there
with. The laws volume is usually ready for
delivery in August, and includes one annual
report of the treasurer which is ancient his
tory by a period Of one and a half years.
while the second report is some seven months
old, and both reports have been amply pub
lished when made, by pamphlet and publica-
ton in the newspapers, required by law.
The publication of the treasurer's reports
with the session laws should be abandoned
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
In this department large amount of print
ing is constantly demanded, and required in
order to carry out the provisions OF the sew
eral laws regarding public instruction The
total amount Of printing during the present
biennial period has cost S., 665.S7 and the
amount will nearly reach Sc, 900 by the close
of the year. This printing covers the sup
plies and examination blanks for the nearly
seven thousand schools of the state for their
teachers, and eighty county superintendent
For more than a year the edition of school
laws has been exhausted and the urgent
demand for edition of ten thousand copies
has been regretfully refused by the printing