The record-union., 1897-02-05
THE SCHOOL BOOK RING AND
STATE PRINTING.

The San Francisco Chronicle makes
an assault upon the State Printing Of
fee, and suggests its abandonment and
return 10 the old contract system. IN
this attack our San Francisco contem-
porary includes the State Text Book
system and lays charges at its door not
warranted by the facts.
AS TO the first proposition, we believe
it to be i'll founded. 1t has not been
demonstrated that State printing can
be, or ever was done, as economically
under private contract as under State
control. For State printing under the
present system can be compared with
the old contract system only by taking
into account the volume and character
of printing done then and the char
acter and volume done now, and the r.
lation Of the office to the laws regulat-
ing work done for the State.
No sound judgment can be based
upon gross totals in this case. COmpar-
isons must be made on wholly different
Tines. Economy does not always con-
sist in the purchase of the cheaper arti-
Gle. When we come to consider con-
tract system we must take the lobby
factor into account the projection Of
low, selfish ends into State policy. No
one Will contend sincerely that the
State should pay more for anything
than il is worth; nor, on the other
hand, win it be contended that the
State should crowd price, labor and
supplies to ruinous figures merely for
the sake of competition
With State printing under the abso-
lutte auditing control Of the State Board
Of Examiners, it ought TO be as easy for
the State to conserve economy in the
administration Of that department
as for a private individual to
do 50 in his affairs. The State
Printer or Superintendent of Pub
lie Printing is an elective officer. and as
such is independent in his sphere, sub
ject, however to the powers Of the
State Board of Examiners to audit his de-
Tnands, rejecting or allowing them item
by item, and even prescribing the linn
its Of expenditure in advance.
If as our contemporary charges, the
gross sum expended for State printing
SIS excessive, the way to reform is in the
diminution Of acquisitions upon the
State Printing Office. 1t IS not, in the
light Of present evidence. jusUfable to
assume that under the contract system
the sum total for such printing as has
has been ordered in the past two years.
by the Legislature and the Depart
ments. would have been less. In short,
the way to economy lies through the
fountain heads Of cost, the Legislature
and the State Departments.
But our san Francisco contemporary
reveals the true source of the attack
by charging that what it holds to be
excessive outlay for State printing IS
due largely to the State Text Book sys-
TEN on that basis it Ill conceals its
desire to have the Text Book SYSTEM
abandoned. and that carries with it a
return Of course to the merciless en-
braces Of the book ring. which this
STATE cast off by constitutional declara-
ten.
In the Constitution. by amendment
after a long and bitter campaign OF
education upon the subject. the people
declared that the State Text books
shall be printed at the State Printing
Office without fiat violation Of the
constitutional mandate. therefore. the
Legislature cannot take the advice OF
the chronicle" even if DESTROYS of do
Ing SO.
But as a matter Of fact our contem-
porary is mistaken when it charges
that State school books cost more than
as good books can be purchased for al
private hands. On the contrary the truth
Is that the State books are furnished
to the people at greatly reduced rates