Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-28

/ ~ - VI tie ONCE.
| The next witness w&s w. $. Ladd OF
Augusta who testified in substance az
| follows: Have been Job printer for
| T. years. Did some press work on tn.
| Revised statues Tor Burle.gh & FIvn,
| vas paid So per day Cor the use of tho
press | furnishing tn pressman. Have
had hook work ST up for me bv Bur
| leigh & Flynt ut o. IS and 40 cents mar
| thousand ems. Should thmk that the
present cost of State printing might
| be reduced 20 pc! cent and that thi:
would leave tn. Stat, printer a profit
~ ~ per cent. On ton by
Mr.. Williamson. Mr.. Ladd seemed
somewhat confused wi:er he found tina.
| by his figuring Tie cost Of the State
printing for 4 silgle year might be re-
| ,uceu from $50 600 TO $4,000, especial
| ly when it WIS pointed out to him that
other witnesses had testified that about
one fourth of The total cost or $3.50
went Cor stock alone. Mr.. Ladd admit =
| ted that the work which Burleigh e,
Flynt had done :Or hin a. ~. 81 and 40
cents per thousand Ems included only
type on the galley and vas done for
| hin as an accommodation IL Il fellow
printer. He did not think that more
IMAM five cents per thousand ems
should br added 10 This TO pay for
proof reading. making up into pages
and preparing the forms for the press
and did not think that anything should
b. added for interest. rent. light. heat.
o!iitc expenses az profit. All of which
he said was included in the above men-
sd
In reply 10 4 question by Mr.. vii
hanson. Mr.. Ladd asserted that h..
| vas Il practical p, inter ant that H., had
l-arnt his trade in the office of IN.
Eastern Gazette offic. in Dexter His
| rntmCry failed HIM, how ever. when n.
vas reminded that he had acknowledged
that he was MOI a practical printer in
applying for a ;Ot; OF Mr.. FIynt. ahout
Two years ago. However, he satisfied
Al printers present as to his standing
in the craft when he attempted to ex-
plain to the committee that the blank
spaces in large Daga he was aescrib-
ing could be filed up with rules, fur
niturc and wooden slabs"
Harry f. Waite Of Concord Of New
Hampshire vas then called and teSti-
fed as follows: Am Il member of tn.
rnblic printing commission of thu
Gtate or New Hampshire. a commission
consisting of five state officers aDDojnt-
I'd by the Governor and Council The
contracts for each state report are let
separately by competitive bids to firms
in Nashua Manchester and Concord.
This has been tn. law since 1901. Tn.
ola system of all the work being done
firm, ot,.,
count Of the delays in getting out the
reports. We let no contract in excess
of the contract prices in the old law.
Ihat law allowed 40 cents per one
thOuSand ems :nr plain book COMPOST
tiOi1, and S2.00 per 800 impressions Of
press work. The commission buys the
c;nck and furnishes it TO the printers.
The greater part Of the saving Jude:
the nrw system is on the paper stock
The total state printing of New Hamp-
chire amounts to $4,000 to $4,000 an
lually. Last year it was $4,000. If
type is to be used second time
the printer is notified to save ii ami
An allowance Of 80 cents per hour is
given for extra makeup II the printer
holds the type any considerable length
of time he should be paid TOR compost
ton.
MIR. Waite had testified that the cost
OF printing the Australian ballot of
1904 had been 1924 as against a cost Of
$1,000 in Maine: Tut it appeared thasx
there are only "G5 voting precincts IN
New Hampshire 10 534 in Maine. IL
admitted that tie Il per cent. allow, u
on stock under the Maine law is oriy
fair allowance" and leaves no profit
to the printers He also admitted tina,
il is a universal custom among printers
to get the full price for composition
when type saved and used second
time Mr.. Waite vas very reluctant 70
answer questions regarding the former
hlGn price pad for rarer in New
Hampshire and the Scanda, which "a
suited from that price. He admitted.
however. that the former Price was Sev.
ell cents per pound while the present
price Is five cents, tn" latter price be
ing cne-fOurth cent higher than that
pad in Maine: the Maine price being
f'r 5. ID. Wa::en's book paper Al
cents per pound.
Mr.. Waite was subjected 70 q long
and searching cross examination the
|
exactly the same kinds of work Maine
is getting her printing done more
cheaply than New Hampshire A copy
of the latest report of the New Hamp-
shire railroad commissioners was TAX
Ell upon which an Augusta printer
had made figures under the prices OF
the Maine law. which figures had been
passed upon and approved by Stephen
Berry Of Portland. the State auditor.
This test showed that figured under the
Maine law, the report in question
would have cost $500 while as a matter
of fact according 10 the evidence Of
Mr.. Waite it cost New Hampshire SAL
TO print II under their competitive sys-
tenn. The cost of both the tabular work
and plain composition was cheaper un-
der the Maine law than in New Hamp-
shire and there was no question but
what the same result would appear III
any other New Hampshire report.
The next witness was +. T.. McCleary
OF Pennington. a job printer of - years
experience. He said that his price for
plain book composition was 30 cents
per 1000 ems and testified that when
type was kept standing and used the
second time he charged only n nominal