Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-30
OFFICIALS SILENT
Refuse to Discuss the Miller
Controversy.
PROTEST OF BINDERS
AN ADDITION FILED WITH THE
PUBLIC PRINTER.
sxnected That the Office Will Be Put
Under the Control and Superv1-
sion of Secretary Cortelyou.


have reached a point where no Official VIII
talk of the Miller controversy or venture
to express an opinion as to the final out
come of the perplexing problem that Is
confronting the public printer and the en-
tire force of the Office. The bookbinders
arbitration committee again called upon
Mr.. Palmer this morning with an addition
TO the protest against continuing IN the
bindery the assistant foreman, but just
what was the nature of those charges the
head of the office would not disclose. In
fact he went SO far to say that he had
not read them and had formed no idea
when he would take them up, either In
their entirety seriatim.
The President Has the Protest.
Considerable weight is given to the ru-
NOR that this will beGet a genera!
investigation of the methods in vogue IN
the entire printing office and congress
sional investigation may not be a TAR
cry from the present subdued excitement
that has been caused by the action or
the bookbinders in protesting against the
retention of Miller. That Secretary Cor
telyou has been in frequent conference
with Public Printer Palmer on the subject
is assurance enough that the matter IS
felt by the heads of the two offices to be
of too great Importance for hasty de-
ment has copies Of the bookDnderS pro-
test and charges is equally certain What
ever action is taken over the signature
of the public printer Will come after care
full deiDeration by that official and in ac-
cordance with the advice and suggestion
OF much higher power.
Introduction Of Machines.
The printing Office proper has now become
involved in the disturbed atmosphere. and
the question has been brought up whether
the government can longer afford to keep
out typesetting machines from the great
workshop. There are about $500 employees
carried on the rolls of the printing office
and the claim of the would-be reformers Is
that typeSetting machines could do many
times the amount of work now done In the
office The claim is that the machines have
been kept out of the office by the power OF
the unions and that their Introduction
would necessitate a heavy reduction in the
force. This applies to the composing rooms.
OF course, and not TO the bindery.
Machines in Bookbinding.
Members OF the bookbinders union have
never, according 10 both their own asser-
tons and that of the officials connected
with the office. entered the slightest COM
plant against the Introduction of machln-
cry In their work. In fact prominent
member of the bookbinders' union said to-
day that every machine that could in any
way be of assistance in the work had been
tried. and If found efficient, installed The
work that is being done there at this time
is said 10 be good can be turned out
at any shop in the world. and the claim IS
made that the rate of production Is as high
as anywhere. Expert bookbinders are said
TO have come to the government bindery
and to have resigned when they the
size of the days task that was expected OF
them. and the assertion Is made by men,
bers of the union that with several pieces
nj nrh 10 Snlif Ian
and the Official Gazette. no man has ever
yet been able to do in the day of eight
hours what was set before him as his task.
So heavy is the task. the men say. that
lew employees are allowed a week within
which 10 attain the requisite speed for the
work Under these conditions. said a men,
Der OF the arbitration committee. 1t Is I'M
reasonable to suppose that man could be-
come SO expert that he could do his days
task by noon.
Dispute Over Size Of Task.
These are the views Of the union men in
refutation of the criticisms that they have
easy berths and that the rate of pay and
the amount OF labor required of them are
entirely disproporttonate and at variance
with existing conditions in shops outside of
the government service. The object of the
government Is to get the highest class of
workmen for all OF it's various workshops
and TO pay for their labor the highest mar
ket rate.
The boekbinders are paid at the rate Of
90 cents an hour. but they must complete
q certain amount of work within the eight
hour day or they would soon find them
Selves deficient and room would be made for
man who could keep up with the task
set.
This task is said by Miller to be too small
for good workmen and he would dispose Of
the system and get from the men all they
were capable of doing. This would. he
says. result IN an Immense saving to the
..t-tN,, won't 4
and keep for the service the highest GLASS
OF workmen At this time. he says, slow
men are kept there by virtue Of their men,
bership in the union and not because OF
their ability as bookbinders.
Every one of these assertions Is disputed
by the union men In their protest against
his retention. and statements made
which. binders say. cannot but result in his
dismissal.
Cost Of Government Work.
In contradiction OF the contention of thu
bookbinders that the work at the govern
ment shop Is of the highest class and at o
fair cost for production Is the story that
when Gov. Merriam was at the head Of the
census bureau he asked estimates for bind
Ing the work OF that office from a firm In
New York. not knowing that the work, by
congressional act had to be done at the
government printing office
Tine report goes on to say that q sample
OF the work was submitted to him that was
better than that OF the government shop.
and that the cost would have been less
than half as much. He was compelled,
however, to have II done at the government
office. Notwithstanding the fact that tho
private concern employed only union labor
and paid union wages. The wages of bind
ers in private shops are generally less than
those paid by the government. but there
are said to be many private establishments
where the rate of pay Is higher than at
the printing office.
The binders deny the census bureau story
and assert that the estimate on the sam
pie submitted was not less than 1t could
have been made for at the government
shop. but that at the latter place the quail
tty was improved when the work was
brought there. thereby entaIling an in
creased cost.
Will Go Under Cortelyou
The officials Of the printing office say that
IN certain sections Of the Office Anticipated
systems prevail and intimate that this Is
the result Of the power Of the various
trades unions. Together with this admis-
sion is the one that 1t Is but matter of a
short time when the office will pass to the
supervision of the Department of Commerce