Evening star., 1906-03-15

ally discussed by the hundreds of employees
of the printing office today. The name most
generally mentioned was that of Mr.. Spotts-
wood. who was acting foreman of printing
when Mr.. Ricketts, was acting public print
er. But from reliable quarter Star re-
porter learned that Ii the new foreman is
selected from the present employees of the
office Charles E. Young. foreman of the
night bill force. may be the fortunate man.
He is said to have strong backing for the
place. 1t seems to be probable, however,
that Mr.. Stillngs may decide to go outside
of the government printing Office and select
a man who has had wide and varied ex-
perience In the big commercial printeries.
III is said such an appointment would be in
line with the policy he has mapped out for
the office.
VIII Not Act Hastily.
An official of the government printing
office, who is regarded as being well posted
on all that is going ON there, said to a
Star reporter this afternoon
Mr.. Stiliings has stated that he will
take plenty of time to look around and
select a man who is in accord with his
desire TO readjust certain matters along
business lines in the office. He realizes
that he has some first-class men to, draw
from in the Office, but he will not act
hastliy IN arriving at definite conclusion
Ihe same official stated that he had
learned on the best authority that while
the foremen and other officers as he found
them whe1 he came into office. he is TAX
ing them at their face value. Yet 1t must
rot be forgotten they are not his ap-
polntees, and that of the large force in the
once less than a half dozen of these fore
men and officers have been permanently
appointed by Mr.. Stillngs 1t is there
fore fair to assume that the balance of
them are probation"
Mr. Ricketts, this afternoon made his last
oIlc.ai visitation to the several depart
ing Office and bade an official goodbye to
the employees.
Newly Created Office.
Mr.. Russell o. Beene has been appoint-
ed to the newly created office of chief
statistician at the government printing Of
nee. and viii be additional member of
Public Printer Stillings' personal staff.
Mr.. Becne's duties will be to collate the
figures from each department of the plant
to ascertain the proportion of cost of the
different processes, as well as the total
cost of individual jobs. COMPUTATION of
the relative standing of those employes
who can be rated on the amount of work
produced may also be included. In addi-
ton, the public printer will be enabled to
have comprehensive summaries of the
workings of the plant before him for refer
ence or special investigation. and know
the exact condition OF the appropriations.
1t is said that while the office has here
tofore been able to find the cost of any
particular piece of work passing through
the big mill, the practice has been to
file the figures relating to the operation
without special effort to ascertain the
statistical standing of the output. 1t is
probable that these figures will now become
valuable in ascerta!ning the cost of produc-
t1on for some years past, to use in COM
parison with the figure of today. Later an
effort viii be made to ascertain the cost of
printing prevailing in the different large
cities in work similar to that turned out by
the government.
Mr.. Bcene has been employed in the Office
for several years in a clerical capacity and
has served in the job, bookkeepers' and
time divisions, and in the cashiers and
auditors offices. He was engaged in the
newspaper business before coming to this
city. having been proprietor of the South
Pittsburg (Tenn) Standard when only
nineteen years old. and later owner and
editor of the Sunday Argus At the time
of his appointment to the office, in 1895 he
was city editor of the Chattanooga Times.