Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-24
BIG CUT IN ESTIMATE
The Public Printer Reduces
Amount for G.. P. @.
NO RECOMMENDATIONS
REDUCTION OF s714,41o7s IN
WAGE ACCOUNT.
Head of Big Printery Asks for Over
One Million Less Than Last Year
News Notes of the Workers.
NO RECOMMENDATIONS


of 81, Oh. $50 80 as compared with the esti-
mate of last year. The largest reduction
is in the wage account. 5000 1902 being
considered necessary for the next year,
against 4,61s, ISL 10 estimated for last year,
saving OF s714,4 rs The amount re-
qulred for paper is $4,000 Less than year
ago, while material and supplies are pared
over $4,000 The total appropriation
asked sor the Office is $3.50. 23462. against
Sc 500, HIP last year. Public Printer Still
nngs sent his estimates to Congress with
out comment. but the figures speak vol
umes regarding the extent to which the
work of the Office has been and will be cut
1t is understood that the heads of the vari-
Gus departments of the big printery entered
heartily into Mr.. Stillngs plans to cut
down expenses. Mr.. Ricketts, having paved
the way in the early fail for systematic
reduction.
The receipts of the office are not entirely
dependent on the appropriations of Con-
gress $121.OO0 having been received last
year from sources outside the regular work.
The sum OF $4,000 was received from the
sale of waste paper. old boxes and similar
dross last year. care being taken that not
pound of material of any description was
destroyed if of any value.
The Coming Strike.
Members of the printers union employed
efforts of the Typothetae. through John
Maclntyre, the secretary to discourage
them in advance of the Forthcoming strike
in the downtown offices. which takes effect
the first of the year. Two special bulletins
and clipping from the Charleston IN. c.
Observer, criticising the oath taken by
members of the union. have been sent to
number affiliated with the local union. The
International Typographical Union has or
dered q vote on 10 per cent assessment,
and the sending of these CIRCULARS to the
members of the local. branch at this time
will, it is said. crystalline Sentiment favor
able to the passage of this assessment
The engineers report, recently complete ed
at the office. is said to give evidence of the
reduction In the public printing. THE re-
port just completed contained about 1000
pages less than usual" said a prominent
official of the big printery ''The copy
from the War Department is considered
especially desirable because of the care
taken In its preparation. Military pre-
cision seems to permeate even the matter
sent to the office, and this is thoroughly
appreciated by the copy preparers and COM
positors.''
The machinists detailed by Foreman
James Hughes to remove the presses for
the patent printing divisions to the fifth
floor of the new building have about COM
pleted their work. The presses were taken
apart and the various pieces carried
elevators when the big plant was ait a
standstiH Advantage was taken of the
opportunity to thoroughly overhaul these
large machines before they were put at
work IN their new location
Mrs. Ed. Thomas, wife OF an ,npire at
the big printery. and prominent worker
In the Ladies' Auxiliary, visited a local
theater recently, and the audience was re-
quested to write or think questions to be
answered by blindfolded woman on the
stage. Mrs. Thomas wrote: will the
printers succeed in their eight-hour ffghto''
ana placed the paper in the case of her
opera glasses. After some time the woman
on the stage wrote on a blackboard: Mrs.
Ed. Thomas wants to know IL the printers
will win their fight They will win hands
down.
Closing the Doors.
The recent story that the public printer
would have the doors closed as soon as the
whistle ceased blowing caused considerable
adverse comment among those who are
habituaily few seconds tardy, but the
generally expressed opinion is that the gov
eminent would not be much gamer by the
innovation. Each division of the office has
tmekeeper. and the employees never
know in what part of the room he will begin
his rounds. If he has passed the post Of
duty of an employee before the worker ar
riyes check mark Is made opposite the
name. and half hour is deducted from
the pay of the late arrival To an out
slider the stream of people going In the Of
flee after the whistle blows would lead to
the assumption that Uncle Sam Is not very
strict In his printing plant; but when it is
known that these workers are either niece
workers or will lose half an hours pay the
matter stands in different light
1t was originally intended that when the
patent printing divisions were transferred
to the new building the composition would
all be conferred in the new structure but 1T
has been determined. on account of the
crowded condition of the fifth and sixth
floors. to remove the fourth division to the
quarters recently vacated by the Gazette
and specification divisions The work OF
the fourth division Is highly technical, con-
sisting of catalogues and. similar work, and
VIII not be lnconvenienced to any appre-
cable extent by the change.
The carpenter shop Is working under rush
orders to deliver a. large, number of racks
cabinets and banks to the Gazette and spec
Inca ton divisions. and will also In the near
future build partitions around the spaces
occupied by the casting, machines in the
Lanston divisions 1t is expected that be-
fore spring exhaust fans will be placed
in the windows leading to these rooms to
carry out the heated air and the odors from
the gas and burning of foreign matter fall
ing into the melting pots.
The Reserve Division.
The reserve division of the bindery is
handling for the Congressional Library
practically complete set of the London
Times from 1796 to 1879. The covers are
badly rotted but the paper Is said to- be
in fair state of preservation This is
understood to be one of the NEST valuable
newspaper files in existence. Full accounts
of the oourt-martial of Admiral CORVALLIS
Bonaparte's surrender to Wellington and
events concerning the revolutionary war
are detailed in what was then considered
an elaborate manner.
The job press room has been busy for
some time turning out large quantities of
printed stationery for members of Congress
and the various committees. To furnish
the full complement of stationery for the
new congressman is matter of some mo-
ment. Embossed letter heads and envelopes
are being demanded In large quantities
The job press room Is sauipptsd with the
latest machines for doing this work. The
automatic action of the presses makes the
daily output comparatively large.
Mr.. A. A.. Bundy. foreman of the car
penter shop met with a serious accident
the latter part of the week Stepping on
q Gefectivs-wire door mat caused him to
fall, striking his knee against all iron step.
The result was badly wrenched joint and
a fractured knee cap. DIR. Manning. the
office physician. rendered emergency treat
ment. after which the Casualty Hospital
ambuiance took the patient to his home.