The Washington times., 1905-10-26
LAWS MAKE WASTE
IN BIG PR|NTERy,
AYERS RICKETTS,
Publication of Unused
Documents Now
Compulsory.
NO CALL FOR RESERVES
Change in Statutes Govern
ing Office Advocated as
Sensible Economy.

Sensible Economy.
Extravaganza is compelled By law fa
the Government Printing Office. and. uns
der the present rules, there is no escape
from il. according to the testimony
ELECTED from Acting Public Printer o..
car j. Ricketts, by Congressman Charles
3. Lands, chairman of the subcommits
tee of the special join committee aps
pointed to probe the prtntery's admins
istration IN the first session Of the fn-
quiry held today.
Mr.. Ricketts, made a full statement
which, supplemented by the skillful
questioning of Mr.. Lands. shows that
the laws governing the printing compel
a large amount OF superfuous printing.
that there is no way to get rid of the
documents printed. that Senators and
Representatives hardly ever call for the
reserve copies held in storage for thems
and that in the last eight years libraries
throughout the country have thrown
back on the Governments hands abous
10000 duplicate copies OF documents
sent TO them.
Thousands Lost.
Inc witness mace the SLdlc-
ment that the binding alone of some or
the reserve documents held for the
members OF Congress and not used to
any great degree in the last Congress
cost over $4,000, and that the printing
alone of these documents cost about
100000.
The remedy for these alarming condi-
tions, Mr.. Ricketts, explained. is in Con-
gress, helped by the executive depart-
ments of the Governmeul-(Ee @advo-
Gated a change in all the laws govern
ing the printery. the abolition OF some
OF the reserves of documents held for
the members. and the curtailment Of
others.
THE remedy for this said Mr. Rick
etts. lies largely with Congress, helpE-
by the executive departments Of the
Government Still. the law governing
printing is also responsible, and it
ought to be remedied to suit existing
conditions.
The present law compels the printing
of a stated number of each public docu-
ment Some of these documents are
valuable and useful. Some are not The
PEELED 10 be printed is 1,6S2. Now, how
ever the usual number is 1.S50 owing to
the larger circulation required
This is too great a number for some
of the documents we have to print
Mr.. Ricketts, explained the distribution
of these documents, saying the Govern
ment, when it has no other way OF get
ting rid OF them. has them bound In
cloth and sent to libraries throughout
the country.
Returned by Libraries.
And I've been told" declared Mr..
Ricketts,. that in the last eight years
over 10000 duplicate volumes of these
ernment because these libraries would
not accept them
And" suggested Mr.. Landis, these
100000 were but small percentage of
the flood of documents sent out?''
That's a reasonable assumption"
declared Mr.. Ricketts,.
The witness then explained that only
about one-third OF the Senators ard
Congressmen make requisitfons for the
documents held in reserve for them.
Mr. Lands said members had often
complained to him that documents
were bound and sent to them without
their requesting IL
Would Abolish Reserves
To cure this evil OF accumulation OF
documents. Mr.. Ricketts, said he would
suggest that the special reserves for
Senators and Representatives be abol-
ished and the members OF House and
Senate be told to get copies from the
document rooms OF the House and
Senate and send them TO the Govern
ment Printing Office TO be bound If
they ever wanted them
In the Fffty-sixth. Fifty-sevcnth. and
F'ifty-eighth Congresses, he said, $4,000
volumes of documents Were bound. the
binding alone OF some of chem costing
I'VE send" he continued, ''hfty-three
COPIES of every publication to the
Smithsonian Institution for foreign eX-
change II these documents are not
interesting to our own people. we could
hardly expect foreigners to read them.
IF we had eliminated only the cost
OF birding of the reserve copies for the
Fifty-ninth Congress, we would have
saved 100000. The cost of printing Is
nearly as great as that OF binding"
Mr.. Iandis here said inquiries made to
libraries throughout the country showed
these public documents were valuable
The only request they made was that
they be not loaded down with duplicats
copies.
Too Many Consular Reports.
IN one instance" Mr.. Ricketts, said,
the first four volumes of the report OF
the Secretary OF War were printed in
three different forms Such things mean
that there Will often be Implications in
distribution.
The monthly consular reports, made
up of the daily consular reports. could
we'll be reduced in number l am told
en- good authority that many are never
called for.
Take the House Manual" he con-
tinued 'Nobody wants the House
Manual unless il is bound. Yet, every
year. we bind 800 or loco OF the Manuals
and still have 20 print l. $50 copies OF IL
unbound. What possible use is there in
th:s2 The bound copies alone are used
for distribution
The Civil Service Commission. explain
ed MIR. Ricketts,. prints 2S.e09 copies OF
its annual report and cannot get rid or