The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-21
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
IOO,0Oo,OOo Pounds n Year Carried
Free in the Mails.

FROM the Sun.
The average of the "free matter" in
the form of documents carried through
the mails in year, and chiefly made
up of federal, state, or municipal rec
ords, amounts annually to nearly 1OO,-
100000 pounds, and the expense of this
form of transportation, IL paid for at
ordinary postal rates, would leave
large margin OF profit to the govern
ment each year, instead of loss, as at
present. the weight of documents car
ried being actually in excess of the
weight of all the letters carried.
The Congressional Record, though
very much more interesting to the
reader than is the usual public docu-
ment, is not such a periodical as might
be expected to have widespread cir
culation, but the most vigorous efforts
to reduce the number of copies printed
have resulted merely in this: To the
vice-president and each senator, forty
four copies; to the secretary and SER
geant-at-arms of the senate, twenty
copies each; to the secretary, for office
use, ten copies; to each representative
and delegate, thirty copies; to the clerk
and doorkeeper of the house. each
twenty copies. and to the clerk for
office use, ten copies.
In the Albany assembly last week the
printing of the reports of the public
departments was provided for in the
bill presented by the chairman of the
ways and means committee, and al
though extreme frugality has been
shown in all the state expenses this
year. these are some of the items agreed
upon to comply with the demand of the
public for the reports. OF the COVER
nor's message, 5000 copies: of the comp
troller's report, 5000 copies; of the state
treasurer's report, 1000 copies; of the
state engineer and surveyors report on
canals, $500 copies; of the report of the
superintendent of the insurance de-
partment, in addition to the 800 copies
authorized by him, 1000 copies; of the
superintendent of public works, $500
copies; of the report on tolls, trade,
| and tonnage, 500 copies; of the report
of the superintendent of state prisons.
5000 copies: of the report of the state
| board of health, 5000 copies; of the
report of the bureau of labor statis-
tics, 10000 copies; of the report of the
agricultural experiment station, 49,,
600 copies: of the report of the State
Agricultural society, $1,000 copies of
the annual report of the railroad COM
mission, 1000 copies; of the report Of
the superintendent of public instruC-
tiOn, 5000 copies; of the dairy commits
sioner's report $500 copies; of the fac
tory's inspectors report, 10000 copies;
of the report of the board of mediation
| and arbitration, 10000 copies; of thu
report of the New York Forest COM
mission, 5000 copies: OF the report of
| the commander Of the Grand Army of
the Republic, department of New York.
| 1000 copies.
OF the mayors message in New York,
although the contents of it are made
known to the public through the news
papers, 5000 copies are printed at the
| public expense, and in all public de-
| partments the supply of documents, so
| far from accommodating, is found to be
! below the demand who reads the
| public document ?" is a question which
| has been very frequently asked, but
| not satisfactorily answered. Farmers
| are said to take pride in it's receipt as
| indicating that they are known to the
powers that be. Public documents, too,
| are free, and every one-nearly every
one-likes to get something for moth
ing.