The Sunday globe., 1901-05-05
"MIKADO" RICKETTS,
The Actual Head of the Government
Printing Office.
A VISIT AND A WRITE UP
OF the Largest Printing Plant in the World
with Comments by The WaySlde-Ne-
Ossslb for a Change IN The
Head, as the Tail
Wags The Dog,
Statistics
els.
A VISIT AND A WRITE UP

els.
The Government Printing Office has
long been one of the principal sight see
ing landmarks of the nations capital.
THERE'S no other capital of any country
in the world that has similar institu-
ton, and there is no other printing Office
on the globe half so large. The aggre-
gate ex penditures by the Government for
this department alone amounts to $4,000,
900 per annum. OF course, the labor roll
absorbs the greater portion Of this ap-
propriation-aboutt three-fourths-so that
Uncle Sa N may be said TO be the greatest
employer of printers in this circling
world. And despite politics, favoritism,
or other handicap, our uncle has the
most competent compositors on earth.
1t was not always thus, however, and
this recalls the fact that the late James
Bergin, while foreman under Benedict,
invented the check, or slip, which soon
weeded out the incompetent and lnditler-
ent typos Bergin was foreman Of the
composing room Of the Columbus (Ohio)
Sunday Capital, published by the pres
ent editor of The Globe. He was thor
Ough printer, but his unfortunate appe-
tite tor intoNicants more than neutral
liked his exceptional qualifications as a
print r.
This slip, or tab, on the compOsitor is
a simple though ingenious device, which
enables the foreman toascertain the num-
Der of ems set mp in given time by each
of the hundred or more compOsitors in
his division. Its use compelled the doc
tors and lawyers in embryo to give up
their cases or stick type steadily during
their eight hour shift. 1t had heretofore
. been the practice OF certain number OF
the compositors to bring law, medical,
or other book to the office and while
away the time between takes" reading
Blackstone or Galeu or Buffalo Bill
And as they were paid then las now, by the
day (of eight hours, time rolled along
pleasantly enough until pay day. There
was no distinction made between the
conscientious compositor who put up q
fairday's work and the would -be doctors
and LAWYERS As stated, this snap is
now in the hell box with all the Other
"pi" of formera administrations, and the
present force Of printers earn their wages
like little men.
A visit paid the establishment one day
the past week forms the subject of this
excerpt; it will be supplemented later
on by further observations of a similar
character. The Globe is not in com
mandatory mood this week, but eyon II
our digestion was perfect, there are
things in the printing Office calling for
criticism, In the first place, we found
Mikado" Rick etts absent. He was at
rfsn ts,t,n ice inr
so we were informed. 1t was not stated
whether he was photographing the re-
markable group forming the commission
or was Just returning a Gala la ambassa-
dors. At all events the big establishment
was running without him, of which re-
markable fact we promptly madea note.
The ereason we dub Mr.. Ricketts, Mika-
do" is because he is the "whole thing"
PublicPrinterPalmer erbeing atliteratively
disappearing gun carriagei and because
the printers SEQ Mr.. Ricketts, once i'm a
while, but there are few of them &C
quainted with Mr.. Palmer If this is
not sufficient, the name can be changed
on application at The dlUbo ohioo IN
Little BuUtorcup. The Globe was re-
ceived very cordially by Chief Clerk
Collins, and Notwithstanding that there
is too much Collins in the Government
departments, we favor the retention OF
the gentleman at the printing Office even
if the others have to walk the plank.
Mr.. Collins furnished The Globe man a
guide and some printed statistics, omit
ting all advice as to the manner of the
write-up, This admonished us that Mr..
Collins knew his business and was the
right man i'm the rightplace, even If he is
too numerous.
The printed statistics don't agree eX-
actly with what single observaut eye
can see in a tour of the building. For
instance, the statistics don't state that a
l.. av... -laa a. Il In Il
gossiping and embroidering, while all
the homelyones were working up to their
full horse power capacity. Mr.. Thomas
Peter, the one year old married guide,
blushed furiously in taking us past
these ladies, but subsequently explained
that it was unusually warm weather.
And we found IL so in going through the
stereotype foundry and the bindery.
The typos have comparatively cool and
well ventilated rooms, but we have seen
much more comfortable shops and work
rooms in the Ohio penitentiary than the
sulTOcating and crowded quarters where
the bindery employees, male ,and female
perspiring, work for Uncle Sam. AS for
the stereotype foundry, we got out OF
that portion of the establishment by ad-
mOnishing Mr.. Peter that it was-lunch
hourl II we hadn't gotten out, The
Globe would be late Ia week or two in
going to press. This WOllu have been "A
1
Printing Office, full of statistics, COM
monplace, and eulogy, if the memory of
that sweat box didn't haunt us and if
we hadn't something better to write
about.
Mr.. Peter was very conscientious in
explaining every detail, from the print
ing OF the engrossed bills in the COM
posing room to an introduction to
fellow COrkman named Burns. Mr..
Burns may resent being called "A Cork
man-this is matter OF taste-but that
he is a competent uperntendent of the
book binding department is a matter Of
fact and history which he Will not and
others cannot deny. lie com planned Of
having to pack his eight or nine hum
dred hands like cold storage eggs and
send patches Of them to the library and
other buildings where they are ut pres
ent working. lnasmuch as nearly all
females in his department work by the
piece, the ladies' were on a tull drive; no
talking and no embrOidering. They
average three dollars each per day,
which goes to prove that women, when
they so desire, can provide and care for
loving husbands and sympathetic
mOthers-in-law.
COrraling printer who looked like a
grOWler on the outside Of the building, /
asked
Taking day OFF,"
4 A.