The San Francisco call., 1897-02-10

| the electrical company appeared before the
| board and stated that he had made contract
| with the State Printer to furnish fifty horse
| power, or as much thereof as the Superin-
| lendent should require, at a monthly charge
| OF $3.50 He made such statements before the
| board showed that the power was not being
used TO economic advantage and read a long
statement showing how IL could be more salts
| factorily utilized. lie declined 10 file this
| state ment with the board until he had sub
miIted IL to the State Printer, with whom he
| had been dealing. The statement was never
| fled. The purchase of this electrical ap-
| paratus and plant has not reduced, as under
| stand il, the monthly expenses of that depart
| ment for power, and has not resulted in a
| saving to the State. 1t has reduced the
| amount of coal purchased under the new ar
rengement and has prevented q com parisou OF
| costs with :he previous arrangement.
Asan evidence that The printing charged TO
| the departments in this State has not in
creased during the past year to any great ex-
| has give the following amounts charged to
| the various departments tor the last six years,
| as follows:
Forty-second fiscal year $93,499 63
Forty-thIrd fiscal year................. S3225 40
Foriv- fourth tsca year. S2,s34 80
Forty-fi tn fiscal year 1882 25
Forty-sixLh ii cal iyear.-...............9 92752 5
Forly-seventh fiscal year............... S6,S16 90
tits impossible for an inexperienced person
| to estimate what, ii any, extravaganza exists
| in the State Printing Offce, and the testimony
| OF inexpert persons possesses little value.
| The Superintendent OF State Printing in his
report and his letters to me states that q record
| is preserved in his Office of all work done by
him. These books should show the capacity
! of the presses, the NUN Der of impressions pos
! sible in day, and number and capacity of
/ the compositors and the quantity and charac-
| ter OF binding done in any stated time. From
| this record the exact cost of any particular
piece of work could be readily ascer tanned
! by an experienced person. As have not re-
| eeiyed the information requested from the
State Printer l am constrained to rely upon
statement from Mr. w. NJ. Taylor, at present
| OF san Francisco, and formerly employed as
foreman of the State Printing Department,
whose ability and capability Mr.. Johnston has
| certified 10 without qualification in his report
! (Report 1924, page 20) Speaking of the
fiscal year, ending June 80, 1885, Mr.. Taylor
at is true that the rates paid in the State
| Printing Office are rather high, ana in some
cases extravagantly so, but If the difference
! between these rates and those paid in San
| Francisco were calculated the figures would
be an insignificant factor in the total of was te.
| On the labor side OF the question of economy
in the conduct of this department the exces-
| sive expenditures are caused not so mucn by
the rsle paid to each workman, but almost
| wholly by the unwarranted number of hands
| employed to do the limited amount of work.
! This is illustrated by a late experience IN the
Office, ana may be recounted as follows:
This is the off fiscal year in printing for
the StRte-no reports, no Legislative work, etc.
Pending the recent canvass OF the election of
/ Mayor, etc, in Sacramento it was thought
! necessary to give employment to about 100
rirls in the bindery. These girls were paid
| SO to $12 per week. These figures may be
! Verlned by the COntrOllcrS ana 1reaSurer'S
books. The Office contained seven presses.
which do the printing TO keep these girls m
! ployed. The remaining four presses are for
small jobwork. The capacity OF these presses
| Is about 5000 impressions per day OF eight
hours; total. 45. 900 per day. Messrs. Philips
& Whelan, bookbinders here, state that their
hours This is about 2650. From the 100 girls
deduct ten. for miscellaneous work, leaving
ninety folders, VIII en- multiplied by 2650
makes total of 23S, 500 sheets, which they
should fold per day, against $4,000 printed
"Presses-Capacity, $500 sheets per. day; ;
number OF presses, z; total capacity, $4,000
sheets per day.
"Girls-Capacity $3.50 sheets per day; num-
Der of girIs, 80; total capacity, 23S,500 sheets
"Forty-ive thousand sheets divided among
80 gir.s equals 800 sheets per day each As
900 sheets divided bv 2650 "a fair days work
for one GRID equals II, the actual mum ber OF
girls required, showing the employment of
five and a third times TOO many.
Seventeen girls from 80 girls, rs, at an
average wage OF $i1 per week, equals a waste
OF $S03 per week.
'As matter of fact, the presses do not aver
| age 1900 per day. l make no pre- tense that
these figures are absolutely exact
There is no reason why the printing of this
State should cost SO much more than it does in
other States, nor why the price of ink and
material in the State Printing Office should be
so much greater than ct The public prin ting
Office at Washington, ID. {. In Indiana the
public printing Is let by contract and costs
about $4,000 annually. in Illinois the last
biennial expenditure for that purpose was
printing $52. 600, binding $28 000 book and
! cover paper SO 900 In Wisconsin and Michi-
gan the public printing is let bv contract. In
| the latter State the cost for 1S94-95 for print
ing and binding was $119, 600, stationery
$4,000 additional, including stock. In Wis
consin the cost for two years printing. includ-
ing stock and printing of Blue Book and
census, was $117, ,241. The three States, Wis
| consin. Michigan and Illinois, with census
population of over 800 900 people, pay but
little more for their BIENNIAL printing than
population of less than ,250.OOO.
In the table of expenditures issued by the
University of New York for the years 1S90-9l
the cost of the public printing of every State
In the Union Is given, and it shows that in
California the cost for that purpose is many
times greater than in other States. l append
! that able.
believe that bill should be nassed appro-
priatIng sufficient money for the printing re-
quired by the Legislatures; that III the mean
time we may consider what if any changes
should be made in the system OF the State
Printing Office or in the regulation of its ex-
penditures. 1 believe that provision should
pe made Tor the employment of an experien ced
end capable person as printing expert, with
such power and authority would enable him
10 exsmine or Investigate all work done or cx-
penditures made on account OF our public
printing and TO report to the Board of TX M
iners upon all claims for printing presented to
them for allowance.
| would suggest that for the next two wears
specific appropriations be made 10 each de-
partment or Office of the State requiring prln L
| Ing of an amount equal to half OF the yearly
average amount charged against them for
work done during the preceding four years
and that they be permitted to procure such
printing tney may require at establish
ments owned by private parties by contract or
otherwise you may require, their claims 10
be subject to the allowance OF the Board OF
Examiners.
| would recommend no interference with
the authority OF the Superintendent OF State
| Printing other than above stated, but at
the expira ton of his term, l believe as
| tod in acp hof
omy would result from the letting of our pub
lie printing by contract TO the lowest bidder.
| A striking instance of the lax methods pur-
| sued in the State Printing Office came TO my
| attention while considering the bill under
discus sion. In response to request TO the
| Superintendent OF State Printing to furnish
| me with q statement OF the items of charge
| against my predecessor aud myself for print
ing received statement OF date January 27,
1897. Every article which have ever ordered
from this office is carefully charged.
AS to the account OF my predecessor 1 have
little data from which to verify it, but few ex-
penses for nthographing are charged against
him. We commenced our orders on No 81 oi
the orders of his order book, there being
| eighteen preceding orders for printing given
| during the last few months of his administra-
Iion, of which put one order is charged to his
account in the statement made me. When the
mesger data a { my command show such extra
| ordinary irregularities cannot when coupling
approve a bill that exemDrs the printing Office
from the explanations required by the laws in
| applying for deficiency.
| / regret the necessity which requires this
attitude of apparent antagonism toward you
and in returning this bill without my ap-