Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-13

commission the benefit of his Oiews regard
ing II. He criticised II in very strong terms
exhibiting considerable feeling as he testi-
fed lie took up the figures page by page
and finally declared that IL "a sheet
coucocted by stock gamblers" The Lans-
ton attorneys let him go without crosS-ex-
am.ua ton
Tn. commission next called for Capt
William r. Ramsey. foreman of the specf-
fication division. in which the public printer
stated that he intended TO place forty-fve
of the seventy-two Lanston machines he
awarded a contract Ter. He told the com
mission he had not been consulted about
the placing OF those machines in his room
He said he had served five years undtr
Public Printer Palmer during the latters
first administration and nine years during
Mr. Palmer's second term.
Mr. Rodgers. the inventor Of the Rodg-
ers typograph. typescttlng machine
which was used ten or fifteen years ago.
who IL now an expert in the employ of the
Mergenthaler Company. has testified before
the commission. He is the inventor of the
Rodgers ahular system for use on the Mer-
genthaler machines and told the commits
sion how las system worked. 1t is one or
hve tabular systems operated by the Mer-
Eenthaler Company. the latest being the
system invented by Foreman L. c. Hay. as
previously told. and sold to the company
for $500
1t is understood that the Ianston repre-
sentltives are preparing for the commits
sion "a list of newspapers In the United
States that are not using Mergenthalers
MI Stubs of Baltimore.
The evidence Of Mr.. Stubs of Ralti-
more. IN expert Merg operator, who con-
fesscd that he had no knowledge of the
Ianston machine. comprised statements
about the different contests for typeset-
ting that he had entered and OF the cham
piOrshipS ne had won. He said he had set
on "a MerEcuthaIer machine 2pOu eng per
bob lf,-
and that he had set at the rate OF HOO
"rus per hour for q shorter period. The ca
p5city of the Mergenthaler machine, he
added. was limited only by the capacity Of
the operator at thu keyboard lie was Ger
tain that the fun capacity of Morgan
thHlcr machine would never be reached.
tn" average record for an operator was
-,,Tu ems an hour.
Tie testimony Of this champion type
setter was taken down by Mr.. Frederick
ireland of the official reporting force of
;Eo House Of Representatives., who some
weeks ago made "A championship record
IN Cincinnati Tor stenographic work
Mr.. Ricketts, Recalled
At the afternoon session Mr.. oscar ].
Ricketts, was asked whether as public
printer. he would have purchased seventy
two Lanston machines. haSing the purchase
on Special report No. - His emphatic
reply was
Il would not"
The foreman Of printing is said to have
criticised the statement contained in the
SPECIAL report No. D. in exhibit 3, by
Foreman Theodore Hodes of the Gazette
division. that :.5l.OvO ems Of box headings
should BE- credited to the records OF the
Lenston machines in the Gazette division
Mr. Ricketts, said these box headings were
'piCk-ups.' and no: entitled TO credit in
the grand total Of work done. Mt Ricketts,
also criticised the record of an average OF
- SEQ ems day. given in the Hodes re
-Frfh n
Jsw.tt. the crack operator of the LanstOn
machines I'm the government printing office
Mr. Ricketts, said that that average should
have been reduced by counting the time
consumed by the caster, as Miss Jcwett
only punched the tape for the composition.
and by counting the hours required for the
cOmpOsitoT to assemble the corrected mat
ter.
When asked by an attorney 10 his re-
latious with Public Printer Palmer. it IS
said MIR Ricketts, replied that he saw Mr..
Palmer daily, usually several times day,
until the date OF awarding the contract
Since then Nj Palmer had been so occu-
pied with various matters as TO be unable
10 see him. Mr.. Palmer formerly visited
his (R.ckettsb house but had not been
there for year.
Protested to Mr.. Palmer.
MI Ricketts, said he protested to the
public printer against the purchase Of the
seveuty-two I.anstous. and that while the
requisltion for the machines was signed by
Mr.. Ricketts,. as tie law requires it has not
Vet gone out to the Lanstou company. by
direction of President Roosevelt. at almost
the very moment it wa- being sent out Of
IN. public printers office il was held Up.
and has NOT yet been issued.
Nj Ricketts, was further questioned about
the method OF making the contract with
tHr LtUsto- company. He said X was the
first time during his experience IN the Of
flee that "a contract for machinery or other
material had been made without the recon-
u.,ldtu'us of the fOremen Of divisions
where tile machinery or materials were to
j. used. The custom was for the foreman
or foreman 90 make such recommendations,
which We're forwarded TO the foreman Of
printing and by the foreman Of printing
forwarded 10 the public printer. with a
reg';istton for the materials asked for
No Prejudice Against Either.
Nj Ricketts, declared that he had no
prejudice against either OF the machines
il was said that Foreman Albert Cott!e
and chief Engineer ". Il. Tapley had ,es-
titled previously that Mr. Ricketts, had de-
layed and hampered the furnishing Of sup
plies Tor the Lanston machines. Mr.. Rick
cts denied this st0utly. He said the cx-
cusc given IN Captain Brian's Office. some
times because of the delays In furnishing
these LarStor supplies was that the apprO-
pri1tiou would not hold out. ThereupOn
Attorney a. : Worthiugton. for the Ner-
r''N'tf'- i''t-tJ "a w 'itt ttit ltANt tiC-N
the appropriation had held out to buy
sevecty-twO IanstOn machines at cost of
S&3l coo and then there had been enough
Of the appropriation for the fiscal year that
ended June 30 TO allow $4,000 10 be con-
ver;ed back into the federal treasury.
II was also said that Special report No.
3 contained paragraph stating that the
late a. 7. MarstOu. chairman of the com
mission OF which w II. Tapiey and f T
Bushnell We're members. fully approved the
general outline OF the report before his
death. Mr.. Ricketts, denied that Mdrston
would have signed any such report as
Marston had told him (Rirkctts) but a
short time before he died that the Mer-
genthaIer machines were better adapted to
rush work and documents than the Lanston
machines, which had their special field in
tabular work