Evening star., 1906-04-08
NEWS OF THE PRINTERY
CHANGE IN ALLOTMENT OF THE
COST OF THE WORK.
Place Needed for Storage of Bicycles
Scarcity of Work in Many
Departments.

A change IN the allotment of the cost of
work done at tho government printing
office is made by joint resolution No. 13
which was recently passed by Congress and
becomes effective July /. The cost Of Illus
trations, composition, stereotyping and
other work involved in the actual prepara-
ton for printing public documents, apart
from the creation of manuscript, accord
ing to the resolution, shall be charged
to the Office from which such publications
originate. instead of 10 Congress, as at
present. The balance of the cost shall be
charged to Congress and the office from
which the publication originated, in pro-
portion to the number of copies delivered
to each
Another important provision of the reso-
luton is that each department, bureau or
independent office shall first obtain from
the public printer or before the 1st of
December an estimate of the probable cost
of printing all publications now required
by law An amount shall be set aside from
the appropriation for printing sufficient to
cover the cost Of these publications, and
this money shall not be available for any
other purpose until all accounts for which
/. was set aside have been paid. This reso-
luton together with No. II, which pro-
vides that the Issuing office may print less
than the number required by law, If con-
sidered advisable, will result It is said, in
a large reduction in the number Of books
issued by the big printery next year
VIII employees of the government printery
have u place TO store their bicycles at the
office this summer? The question IS ire
QuentIy asked. Heretofore The riders have
been compelled TO store their wheels with
persons near the office, who collected from
- to - cents each month for so doing.
Are Expecting Changes.
Employees of the patent printing divisions
1sy,srf1 o.
for carrying on that work, no apparent
steps having been taken to permanently To-
cate the makeup banks, imposing stones
and other paraphernaIia necessary for those
divisions. The make-ups, imposers and cor
rectors of the specification division are yet
located in the old building and the iapor
of transferring the galleys of type ana I'M
posed forms is said to be considerable
These matters viii be Temedied, 1t is said,
when final arrangements are made, Whlch
will probably include inCiOsing the type
casting machines with partitions and IN
81 rtiug exhaust fans to draw off the odors
and gases incident TO melting the type
metal
the superintendent of public documents
has made decided change in the monthly.
list OF new publications sent to Libraries
ana designated repositories. 1t was the
former practice to send out monthIy reSu-
lar catalogue with an accumulatiVe index,
at the end of the wear the index being
larger than the catal0gue The folder sub
stltuted will prove not only less expensive
but more comprehensive. The title page
has also been changed to meet the require
ments of modern Typography.
Scarcity of Work.
There is scarcity of work in many of the
departments. 1t has been customary at this
time of the year, particularly during the
long. session of Congress, to nave the work
piled up in carload lots. and to run on
limited supply on routine printing is con-
sidered inauspicious when the fact of hun
dreds of night workers being returned to
day duty after the adjournment of Con-
gress is considered.
1t is understood to be the policy of the
public printer not to purchase any new ma
chinery unless there can be shown to be a
necessity for its installation warranted by
the volume of work or the lessenfng of the
cost of production.
Some of the rooms the second floor
are being placed in order for apportion-
ment among the executive force, IN order
to facilitate the daily routine.
The slackness Of work at the government
printing office is such as to greatly affect
the earnings of the piece workers In the
folding room, 1t is said, some getting but
q few hours work day.
1t IS said that 1t Will be some time next
winter before attempt will be made to
radically change the laws governing the
public printing.
1t is said to be doubtful If a proposition
to lengthen the lunch hour will receive
majority vote II left to employees.