The sun., 1906-01-13
INSURANCE TESTIMONY SALE
AT $50 A SET, BI'T ARMSTRONG
COMMITTEE CAN'T GET 1T.
state Printers SUhlet Contract to . Conn
pany which Is Charged with Delaying
Matters In Order TO Reap Fat Profits
on the Side Copyright Worthless?


on the Side Copyright WOrthless7
The Armstrong insurance committee ia
having all sorts of trouble in getting the
testimony taken before 1t printed and de-
livered. The committee awarded the con-
tract for the printing Of the testimony to
the Brandow Company, the State printers.
That company assigned or transferred
the contract to the Wynkoop-Hallenbe
Crawford Company Of this city.
According to members of the Armstrong
committee, the elder Hallenbeck was elected
treasurer Of the Brandow Company soon
after the contract was awarded Under
the terms Of the contract the State was to
pay for the composition at something like
40 cents a page, with an extra allowance
for stitching and binding. The UNDER
standing was that the State printer was
to deliver the volumes as fast as the testi
mony was set up and bound and not wait
for the conclusion of the inquiry.
Several weeks ago members of the COM
mittee learned that subscriptions for the
official testimony were being solicited by
the Wynkoop- Hallenbeck era wford Com
pany at SIS volume. This was putting a
price Of $3.50 on the complete testimony
and three volumes of exhibits.
The Armstrong committee had in the
meantime received only one volume of
the testimony and wanted to know what
was the matter. The committee wasn't
able to get much satisfaction from the
printers, although members who visited
the printing house decla red that a good
deal of the testimony was in type and
made up in forms.
L. - ti,rx fnr
quicker delivery failed to net the commit
tee anything, and Senator Armstrong de-
oded to do something to prevent the Wyn-
koop company from selling the testimony,
He had the entire evidence copyrighted,
although he was advised that it was doubt
full whether this would be effective, as the
testimony taken in legislative inquiry
is generally regarded as public property.
Senator Armstrong did not take this
action, though. until after he had had
State experts figure on the profit which
the printing firm would make on the books
The experts reported that, the State pay
ing for the composition, the work on the
volumes would cost the printing firm about
40 cents each. CIR 81 set For this ex-
penditure the firm was expecting to re-
ceive $3.50.
The members Of the committee were
boiling mad over this They did not hesi-
tate to say that they believed the COM
pany was holding back the committees
books. that the distribution of the vol
umes by the State would not interfere
with the company's private sales. The
company. it is understood, took the stand
that they were turning the books out as
fast as they were able.
Affairs between the printing house and
the committee finally became so strained
that Senator Armstrong appeared before
one of the Committee on Printing in the
lie legislature and reported the affair The
Armstrong committee is, however, still
struggling along with its one lone volume
of the testimony.
The printing house, it was said last night,
has discovered that neither the Armstrong
committee nor any other committee Of the
Legislature unlass expressly authorized.
has the power to order printed volumes Of
the testimony taken before it. Although
committees of the Legislature have done
this from time immemorable a resolution
by the Legislature is il was said, necessary
to make it lawful.
The way things stand now the commit
tee doesn't know when it will get the COM
plete testimony. II wan ed the testimony
in time to distribute among members of
the Legislature before its report was made
or any legislation proposed.
II is hardly likely, though, that the printers
who have the State contract will be able
to keep the price to outsiders up to $3.50,
for the Law Reporting Company, which
reported the committees proceedings stem
ographicaly, has sent out notice that it
will supply the testimony, together with
the Hendricks report on the Equitable for