New-York tribune., 1901-04-12
THE PLAGUE OF STATE DOCUUENTS.

IHE PLAGJ or STATE DUCt UEAIS.
Not the least doubt exists that Governor Odell
is right in calling renewed attention TO the ex-
trayagant printing bills of the State. He spoke
of the subject in his annual message. but the
legislature has neglected his appeal and COM
PEELED him 10 send special message to secure,
if possible, remedy for the evil.
Probably four-fifths of the printing done for
the State is absolutely wasted. Large editions
of books are published for the sole purpose of
giving Senators and Assemblymen gold bricks
with which To hatter constituents. These blocks
of paper serve the purpose of free garden seed in
the Congressional economy, withouteven furnish
ing desirable crops 10 the recipients They soon
find their way to the junkman. and are little
less valuable than the white paper consumed
at great expense in their making. The books
which are legitimately published are printed in
needless quantities and with most preposterous
0ver-elaboration. 1t seems TO be no longer pOssi-
BILE for an official 10 make routine report with
out padding il with a lot of full page ilustra-
lions. The report of the Railroad Commission
ers contains what are supposed TO be useful
statistics carefully mixed so that il is impossl-
bic TO tell the bonded Indebtedness which Is
lien upon New-York property as distinguished
from the liens on lines outside the State. But
while denying really desirable information, the
volumes furnish numerous pictures of country
roads running under railroad tracks. The maker
of recent geological report could not find pict-
ures of enough cliffs and quarrieS to suit his
purpose in describing Il certain formation, but
lugged in large and expensive picture of
public building in one Of the interior cities with
the explanation that this building built Of
the stone he was discussing. Anybody who
runs through the limitless mass of volumes
1,i,.l- ont
at random dozens of instances of even less eX-
"usable waste. Not only are the necessary pub
lications padded and sent out in useless profu-
sion. hut the passion fer printing simply for the
sake of printing seems TO have seized the Of
ficials. and the State is made to pay for thou
sands of volumes which from cover to cover
can show excuse for being.
The Governor gives some startling figures OF
the growth of this evil. The legislative print
ing alone has increased from Sl6,J16 in 1850 TO
S394S72 in 1900. 1t is ridiculous TO say that the
growing business Of the State is responsible for
this. The population has increased only about
50 per cent in twenty years, while this legs-
lative printing bill has increased nearly 800 per
cent. The department printing bills have nearly
doubled in four years. A specimen Of the way
the State is mucted is found in the new red
book which will cost So copy. whereas in
former years. under contract the cost was 81 10.
This particular unbalanced bid will cost the
State $1,000. and there doubtless many
other leaks Of like character. The Governor
thinks that from $4,000 To $4,000 n year
ought TO be saved This is probably n conserva-
tive estimate. \ rigid scrutiny of leaves TO
print in all departments could cut down the
number aud volume OF publications greatly
without loss to any human being except the
printer Then. those books and pamphlets
which it is absolutely necessary TO publish
should he let ont only under genuine compe-
tition and on balanced bids. The plague Of
State documents has passed from Il nuisance 10
n scandal. and it is time for the Governors
warning 10 be needed.