The Washington times., 1902-07-26
BUREAU OF ENGRAVING
employees WORRIED
Loss of Stamp Contract
Means Many Discharges.
FOUR PRESSES WILL LIE IDLE
Opinion of Comptroller That Govern
ment Printing Must Be Done in
Government Shops Cited-Organized
Labor May Take Up Question.

The Information conveyed to the read
ers of The Times yesterday morning In
regard to the most probable captJre by
| private concern of the contract for
printing the postage stamps, and the
consequent dismissal CT about 100 en-
ployes of the Bureau OF Engraving and
Printing. has caused considerable sur
prise In interested circles. and opinions
are expressed freely on the subject.
On August l bids will be opened by
stamps used by the Postoffice Depart
ment.
Held Contract Eight Years.
For the last eight years the Bureau Of
Engraving and Printing has been doing
this work, having turned out five billions
OF stamps In that period. The claim is
made. however, that the work has been
done below cost, and that the bureau
lost $4,000 last year
II is intimated that the bureau bid
this year Will not be the lowest cne,
and that the contract may go into the
hands of private bidders. Bureau Of
ficials contend that II private concerns
had to pay their employees the same
wages that are paid at the bureau and
give them all thirty days leave on full
pay annually the bureau would be able
10 compete with them.
Labor organizations will probably
raise some objections to transferring
the contract to private concerns. Ii the
h,,r ir - ~. 8 ,-gv
ing the stamps, not less than 400 en-
ployes will be discharged.
Views of an Official.
''If the Bureau of Printing and En-
the printing of the postage stamps for
the next four years" said a prominent
official of the Postofice Department yes
terday. 1T is because the bureau
pays better wages to its employees, gives
them shorter hours 10 work. and grants
them thirty days vacation. This fact
enables outside private concerns. which
pay lower wages. and do not grant any
other privileges to their employees, to
underbid the bureau for the work
Should a private concern by this
means secure the contract. it will cause
the dismissal OF over 400 employees at
the bureau. and the putting In idIeness
of four expensive presses. The discharge
means hard times in a great number of
families. who almost entirely depend on
the wages of those who work in the !
bureau.
Hard Knock to Organized Labor.
TT will also be hard knock to the
idea of organized labor and organized
wages in the Governments manufac-
turing plant. l am pretty certain that
this question will be taken up By the
labor organizations, who Will demand
that the contract be placed where it will
work the most good 10 the country at
large. and agree In most phases with
the principles of organized labor"
The estimated number of ordinary
stamps for the year ending June 80.
1902. is 1870. 531 at cents thou-
sand, asgregatlng s2i3. 1855; special de-
livery stamps. 9,+7S.75j at ia cents 1
thousand. sl.Gs0.jS; postage due
stamps. 25.e75.006 at sos cents thou
sand, Sl,a53.33: stamp books, $32.s74.3s /
a total In round numbers of S2S0, 600.
As the contract Is for four years. and
the use of postage stamps is steadily
concern which captures the four years
contract amounts to about 81 200, eco.
Formerly Done by Private Contract.
Before this work was intrusted to the |
bureau it was done by the American
Bank Note and Engraving Company. and (
the change was made, not because the |
latter firm did not do the work salts |
factorily. but because. other things be- /
ing equal. it was thought better for the /
Government to do its own printing OF /
postage stamps. bonds, and other com /
mercial certificates.
with improved machinery and the adj
OF location here In Washington
the award TO the Government bureau |
had also the advantage of a small saw
Ing in cost. which confirmed the officials
Of the Treasury Department In their po-
sition that all such printing could best
be done by the Government
But this year has brought to light a