Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-06
RUSH PROMPTLY MET
EXTRA WORK AT GOVERNMENT
PRINTING OFFICE.
The Draft Made By Congress Upon the
Utilities Of the Big Print
Shop.

Public Printer Stillings. with the assist
ance of Mr.. Oscar J. Ricketts,. foreman Of
printing. and the other officials of the gov.
eminent printing office, had all arrange
ments completed. as stated in The Star. for
handling the rush work from the Capitol st
the opening OF Congress. The first batch OF
copy from the big white building on the hill
found the several forces in waiting, or "tha
men behind their guns" as one official
| stated It.
The Congressional Record was handled In
good shape and enabled the employees not
used to the rapid handling of the work to
familiarize themselves with the routine pre-
paratory TO the large editions. running into
hundreds of pages, which will be occasions
ally printed later in the session.
The bill force had all material In read,-
ness for their share of the congressional
world. and the first instaliment of copy was
rapidly disposed of Nearly 5000 bills were
thrown into the box during the short ses-
sion yesterday, but the clerical force at the
Capitol was enabled 10 stamp and index but
apout I'VE hundred in time for publication
in the Record. The inability of the fis
clerks to handle the vast number of bills en-
abIed the office TO nearly Keep pace with
them III printing the Introductory issue.
Presses Running Night and Day.
printing office are running night and day,
and the form racks in the press room are
kept filed by the composing room The ca,
pacity OF the mechanical department is est,-t
mated at about 900 bills a day, averaging
as they are introduced. Many of these are
pension bills. which require but two pages,
but interspersed are large public bills which
frequently include several hundred pages.
Although the Office pays - per cent addi-
tional for night work, 1t is said to cost no
more to operate this shift than those of the
day department. Morning newspaper men
say that there are fewer distracting in
fuences at night, and the men work moro
rapidly
The proposed action of the Typothetae in
appealing to the President 10 prevent ''per-
nlcious activity on the part of the union
printers in tie government printing office
has not created much stir in the office. The
members of the union employed there assert
that they do not take action of any kind in
an individual capacity. but simply work for
the general welfare OF tie membership as a
whole.
1t is said the President has decided that a
government empl0ye cannot take action
personally that would interfere with the
business of another. but that there IS no OBJ
lection TO working for the benefit of an or
ganization to which he belongs az long as
the lawful rights OF another person are not
abridged or his own personal interests are
not the subject of his activities. This mat
ter came before the President on the occa-
sion of the alleged fight made by members
of the Postal Clerks Association on certain
members of Congress.
The manner in which Public Printer Still
Hngs is handling the affairs of the Office is
meeting the fullest appreciation o. the en-
ployes. He is rapidly grasping the details
of the office and is creating the general i'm
preston that he means business One OF
the first matters which he took uu and dis
posed of was the symposums ard hand
beck runners. The latter have discontinued
business and delinquent debtors to the
money-lending organizations have the I'M
Outstanding that 1t is desirable for them
to settle their debts.