The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-26
PUBLIC PRINT SHOP
Not Much of Card for Govern
ment Ownership" Because of
Heavy Expense Entailed.
The Government Printing Office
Called Monument of Retro
gression' by Some.

From, The Journal Bureau. Room 46. Pod
Building, Washington.
Washington, Aug. 26.-The treasury de-
partment is about to develop it's card
index system, substituting cards for books
in many affairs, and to that end sought
estimates for a sample lot of cards. The
public printer reported that he could
produce them for 1920, while private
concerns offered to furnish the same thing
for $755. This is a typical, although
somewhat extreme, case.
. The United States has built printing
office at cost of several million dollars,
having seven acres of floor space, which
it gives rent free to a public printer. It
furnishes him the capital and credit OF
the United States government with which
to do business. 1t eXempts all his stock
in trade, machinery and equipment, from
local taxation. And yet, private con-
'cerns borrowing money from the banks
to get along, and paying taxes and hir-
ing buildings, can underbid him always
by 20 per cent.
The controllers opinion was that the
secretary of the treasury, or any other
cabinet officer could not have his print
ing done anywhere else than by the pub
lie printer. This was the decision of con-
gress regarding the census office, deci-
sion which doubtless cost the taxpayers
not far from a million dollars.
In these days of agitation in behalf of
government ownership of railways, tele-
graphs, etc., and of government build
ing of warships in the navy yards, Of
extension of the postal service through
parcel posts and postal banks, should
not the advocates of these various steps
rise to explain why the government con-
ducts such business as it now does at &
tremendous loss? They should also ex-
plain what advantage it is to the every
day taxpayer, who, in his consumption
of sugar, beer, tobacco, and distilled
spirits, largely supports the federal gov
ernment, to pay twice as much for things
made by the federal government as for
those which he can buy outside. And yet,
the special champions Of the common peo-
pie in congress are always on the side Of
the government work.
The government printing office is q
frequent subject Of laudation in debate.
1t is eulogized as the greatest printing
office in the world, when in reality is is
a monument to the retrogression of the
printers art, under the lethargic inf1u-
ence of politics and patronage. If Mr..
Mcclure was compelled to have the pub
lie printer do business for him, McClures s
magazine would not be sold at 10 cents
copy or anything like it. Type setting
is done by hand there, and all sorts of
sophistries are devised for explaining the
necessity Of laborious methods instead Of
| those which are generally in vogue. The
private business man is constantly seek
ing methods Of economizing cost of pro-
duction. The government manager is
| seeking methods of avoiding, or at least,
delaying and postponing economical
| methods. And yet the voters of Chi
cago, by vote Of five to one, think
| their municipal government could run the
street cars and the street lighting Per-
haps it should, but the advocates must
not draw their arguments from such
experiences as are already on record
| w. W. Jermane.