Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-01-18
laws Supplements AGAIN.

We cannot understand the criticism by
certain newspapers Of the public laws
supplement which has been furnished to
the papers this year. The printing Of
the pamphlet containing the 1906 laws
was awarded to the Roscoe Printing
House in competition with other bidders.
II was Mr.. Roscoe's first attempt to do
the job and il was the first successful
attempt to break into what some people
call the printers trust" Mr. Roscoe
being a new bidder the printing commits
sioners were disposed to hold him strictly
to contract. He carried his contract out
on time and to the satisfaction of the
commissioners.
The News has already explained that
the size Of the type was specified by the
state, well as the paper. Further
more, the time at which the state re-
quired delivery precluded the use of slow
presses or care in presswork. There was
. "A change in forms for every paper and
there was no time to adjust them in the
makeup accurately to the fold, and no
time to do careful presswork. Never
theless the 1906 job was good a job
as that for any session under the pres
ent system and the superior Of most of
them; also the superior of some under
the old arrangement The presswork on
the solid nonpareil forms compares ia
vorably with the regular work of the
great newspapers on similar forms.
| Why this criticism, then, If it is not to
discredit a man who has forced himself
into the sacred circle and snapped the
endless chain?-[ burlington News.
Down at this end of the state there is
no effort to "discredit" anybody but the
state of Vermont for the way the laws
supplements were issued this year. The
Phoenix has heard a steady stream of
individual complaint and criticism and
ieering because the print of the law
was so bad that il couldn't be read. Mr.
/ Roscoe may have proved himself a
valiant knight as trust breaker, but his
laws supplements are not good adver-
tisement for him as a printer. If the
state paid him for doing an average job
OF good printing he has cheated the state.
II the state jewed him to less than a
living price the state is to blame and it
ought to be in better business.
We believe the fact to be that the
whole business of our state printing
needs a complete reformation, and we
hope this is what we shall see under the
new law administered by a competent
| commissioner of printing. If there is any
ring which aims at the control of the
state printing it ought to be broken the
first thing But, further and more i'm
portant than this, the state ought not
TO contract for, or accept, any printing
simply because it is cheap. A standard
! of excellence ought to be set and strictly
adhered to- The practice of padding by
/ the needless use OF leads. or of needless
/ " large type on work done by the page,
/ ought to be cut out absolutely, and,
finally no bid ought to be considered
| which contempates doing any job for
/ less than a living price. Adherence to
/ these rules would eliminate the cheap
| johns who have everything TO make and
nothing to lose, and assure the state
! printing that is respectfully good, while
competition, under intelligent oversight,
among responsible concerns could be de-
pended upon to keep prices within a mar
gin of reasonable profit-and the state
has no business to ask or expect to have
work done at a less price than will pay
a reasonable return on the capital and
! labor invested