The Washington times., 1905-10-31
Every Page of the Book
Is Now PhOto-Litho-
graphed.
MAY BE MADE CHEAPER
Lands Commission Finds
Publication Expensive
for Uncle Sam.

Representative Lands, chairman of
the committee Investigating the admin
istration of the affairs of the Govern
saent Printing Office. confined his atten-
ton today to questioning officials from
the Patent Office on methods for reduc-
Ing the enormous expense of issuing the
Patent Ofice Official Gazette
Commissioner of Patents Allen agreed
with his suggestion that great economy
might be subserved. and about s1oO. 600
saved annually. by different methods in
publishing the Gazette The proposed
plan is to arrange the text and dra awnings
OF the book in such a way as to eliui-
nate the necessity of photo -lithograDh-
ing every page OF the immense amount
OF matter IN the Gazette.
Economy Welcome.
Commissioner OF Patents Frederick
j. Allen. the first witness when told
by Representative Lands that one of
tne most expensive publications issued
py the Government is the Official
Gazette OF the Patent Office, said he
would be glad IL the document could
be made cheaper, as it now eats up
much OF the resources of the Patent
He .nought that in the near future
the Gazette would have to be printed
annually In twelve volumes owing to
sne greatly increased patent business
cone py the Government
Illustrations Needed.
The commissioner replying to a
question by Mr. lands. said he ..alIld
consider it inadvised to reduce the
expenses of the Gazette by eliminating
from it all drawings and Illustrations
IN the text OF the book HIS reason
Tor this position was that the illustra-
ms ~ o -
thoroughly to understand the devices
patented
He agreed with Mr. Landis. how
ever. that It might be well to print the
nooy of the book without illustra-
tons. and then add the drawings
as supplement to the book This. ne
said, would remove the necessity of
photo-nthographing every page of she
Sazette. The cost OF this photo-Iitho-
sga5aaphing, saap Mr.. Landis said. was s14s.-
would save the Government a vast
sum OF money.
Can't Drop Indices.
Commissioner Allen said all the vari-
Gus indices OF the weekly, monthly. bi-
monthly. and annual volumes of the
Gazette cost last year $4,000 for print
ing alone. He was OF the opinion that
none of these indices could be dropped
out without lessening the value OF the
Gazette TO the public
he said the edition of the Gazette is
has the privilege OF sending the Gazette
10 eight libraries In his district
Libraries Don't Want 1t.
Mr. Alien then explained that many of
the libraries do not want the book and
often ask him 10 discontinue sending IL
He explained that the abolition of the
right exercised by Senators and Repre-
sentatives of sending the Gazette free
would cut off about 5000 of its circula-
uon- This would be an economy.
Hints at woeful Waste.
Yesterday afternoon J. w. Herndon.
clerk in the House folding room, sub
mitted to the committee a statement
showing that there are at present $780,
90 documents under his charge. unused
and uncalled for. stored In the Cantor
or in the warehouse used for that pur-
pose OF these. 2.225,0 900 are bound
volumes; 10000 are documents not class
ed as pamphlets. and the remainder are
pamphlets.
Mr. Herndon suggested, as 4 means
for reducing the accumulation of these
documents. that the members ouo.n he
reduced and the supply be based more
closely on the actual demand
Acting Public Printer Oscar j. Rickefts
yesterday submitted to the Treasury
for transmission TO Congress his esti-
mate of the money required TO run tho
Government Printing Office for the next
fiscal year. He calculates that the total
required will be S. .S3. .234. 90. as compared
with the amount expended for the fiscal
year ended last June, which was SIS
go. .sa56e6
Mr. Ricketts, thinks his estimates are
reliable and accurate He is also of the
opinion that Congress could make the
administration OF the Government Print
Ing Office still more economical by re-
vising the laws governing It.