Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16
is END OF THE SYSTEM NEW NATIONAL UNION
Rosster Reports to the Pres Building Department OF Fed
dent on G. P 0. GRAFTON of Labor
"AUDIT" METHODS ABSURDlJ. N. KIRBY PRESIDENT
His Recommendations Meet With Cnstu
Executive Approval ton Adopted
RETURN TO THE OLD SCALE ANNUAL CONVENTION IN NAY
Unjust Gil Cone Au
Irritation Recognized
His Recommendations Meet With
Executive Approval.
RETURN TO THE OLD SCALE
Says Results of the Innovation Were
Unjust Charges and General
Irritation.

The President has received n report
from William S. Rossiter, who Is now
engaged in Investigating the affairs of
the government printing office. recon-
mending return to the charge scale
in use in the printing Office prior to
November 4. 1907. The President has
! approved the recommendations
The recommendations contained in the
report are as follows:
Il. That the price of composition,
which for many years was established
at 10 cents per hour, and which ON No
vember 4, 1907, was advanced 10 $1.oO
per hour for hand composition 9 nd 81 so
per hour for machine composition. be
reduced to 30 cents per hour for hand
work. machine work to be considered
on the basis of piece work at the rate
of 50 cents per thousand ems. the other
units required in charging various
classes of work to return to the scale
which was in force prior to November
4, 1907. untfl such future time ds. after
due notice to the departments, the pub
lie printer may formulate a new scale
of prices
'':. That the scale of charges estab
lished in paragraph 1 shall be employed
by both the estimate clerks ana the
billing clerks.
%. That the REIMBURSEMENT of tie scale
of prices of the government printing
Office. specified in paragraph ], shall
take effect on February I, 1908
II. That until such time DIS in the
judgment of the public printer the abo-
lition. reduction or reimbursement of the
present system of cost analysis be con-
Sidered advisab such system of cost
accounting shall be continued fer the
purpose of making analyses TO de-
termine actual cost
Unjust Charges.
In support of the recommendations Mr..
Rosster states that in his opinion the
new cost-aceounting system now in oper-
alton was utilized prematurely for the
purpose of making up bills. resulting in
unjust charges, which naturally caused
irritation. He adds:
1T is the custom of great manufacture
ing concerns, which employ the most pro-
gressive methods of accounting. to estab-
lish a definite scale of prices, based upon
several years of observation. and at the
same time TO keep daily record of cost
accounting i'm such detail as may be
feasible. i'm order that they may watch
and study the changes which neces-
Sarily occur in the cost of production.
If they perceive material and perssting
increase in cost which cannot be remedied
by reforms and economies in administra-
ton. it then becomes necessary for them
to consider the reimbursement of the scale
of charges, after due notice, but in no
case with which / am familiar is the
customer compelled. to pay for the in
dvidual defects, shortcomings or mis-
takes of worknen engaged upon a par
ticular piece of work.
Here Is the Cause.
! This, however is exactly what is
being done at the present time in the
government printing office, and is one of
the principal causes of the excessive
charges which are severely criticised by
the executive departments.
- The departments entitled to a
uniform scale and to the assurance that
such scale will not be changed for a
| definite period of time, in order that
their estimate of the appropriation re-
quired for printing, necessarily made
many months in advance of the date at
which 1t becomes available, may be made
with the certainty that there Will be
no violent changes in cost to subse-
quently embarrass them. By the plan at
present followed department has no
assurance whatever that job produced
| and billed in January could be duplicated
| at the same price in February. This
results necessarily in irritation and I'M
| certainty.
System Almost Absurd
The system now in operation is made
| almost absurd by the fact that the esti-
mate clerks are making estimates upon
work by fixed units which are modifica-
lions of the former scale, but the bill
clerk finally makes up the bill upon the
basis of the actual cost of the job, in
nuenced by the individual proficiency of
the employees. together with host or
OF her influences. such as the wisdom
of using a given press as compared with
another. and various features of admin
| istrative Judgment. Officials who have
| charge of executive department printing
! are thus completely at sea regarding
| every order for printing they now send
| to this office.