Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-10
NEWS OF THE BIG PRIuTERY
Secrecy Observed in Money Order
Work for Post Office Department.
Personal Matters Of Interest.

The government printing office broke
into the Congressional Record Friday in
| the progress of debate by unanimous con-
sent on the sundry civil bill Informa-
ton said to be Furnished by foreman
of one of the divisions brought out the
matter In discussion of a proposition to
limit expenditures by the public printer
for material. machines or furniture to
less than $1,000 without the approval OF
the joint committee on printing when
Congress is in session. and in the interim
by submission to the Secretary of the
Interior.
The belief was expressed in the course
OF the debate. based on the statement of
a foreman" that typesetting machines
were not success on bill work and
One-fourth that of hand cOmpositor.
1t was further stated that the present
public printer had discontinued the use
OF the machines" in printing bills. This
statement ran up against a ''snag" at the
big printery yesterday. where it was de-
clared that all bills were machine set.
and. further, that there were over 10000
pages of bills held awaiting pick on
subsequent action by Congress
individual pension bills are a thing
of the past said a man at the govern
ment printing office today who has been
in touch with congressional printing for
years. Whereas thousands of pensions
bills were acted on. being printed six or
seven times each before becoming a law.
they are now grouped together in a bill
carrying from 50 to 80 names. occupying
only three or four lines to each pension
claim. and these bills are all machine
government printing office are set on
either the Lanston monotype or the Mer
genthaler machine. Not since the first
rush of bills at the opening of the present
session have they been set by hand"
New Feature introduced.
A new feature of the government print
ing office is the daily printing of approx
mately 1.6OO money order books for the
Post Office Department under a contract
entered into last fall. The work re-
quires the services of thirty-five en-
ployes.. and is under the direction Of Mr..
Edward II. Ryan. formerly solicitor for
the office. A section of the G street
wing has been set apart for this work,
and the same system of surveillance is
used it is said as that prevailing in the
bureau of printing and engraving. cou-
pied with locked doors. screened windows
and a Waterman to prevent other than
employees entering the division.
A blue and a white paper are used on
United States money orders. the former
being the original and the latter to be
sent as letter of advice to the postmaS-
ter on whom the order is drawn. The
body of the blue sheet is printed in black.
a blue shield serves as a seal. while the
serial number and the city or town issu-
ing the order is printed in red across the
top. The new process recently installed
at one operation prints the white sheet in
two colors the blue in three. and delivers
them in sets of six, cOllated in books of
100 or POO, at the will of the operator.
These books are then covered and backed.
labeled and placed in bags to be sent by
registered mail to the post office ordering
the work.
The contract price of q cents per book
of 200 forms will result in a direct saving
Of S2JO,OO to the government in the four
years the contract is to rum 1t is said.
for over 10000 money order books are
used by the Post Office Department every
month. One of the postal regulations is
that the original sheet shall be printed
on what is termed "bank' safety paper,
to prevent attempts to defraud the gov
eminent.
1t is stated by the Post Office Depart
ment that the quality of the money Oiders
turned out by letter press method at the
government printing Office is entirely sat
isfactory and at a decided saving over the
former price. 1t was also stated shat less
trouble and confusion has resulted from
transferring this work from the CORNER
contractor to the big printery than any
previous experience of the depart on
similar large JODS.
An Edition De Luxe.
The bureau of American republics will
have an edition de luxe of the monthly
bulletin for distribution at the corner
stone laying soon to take place. accordi,s,
to reports from the printery. The illus
trations will be in two colors. 1t Is SAID,
while the covers will be embossed. 4
prominent official in the printing service,
commenting on this edition Of the bulle-
tin. said that the bureau was thoroughly
up-to-date in its printing, and expressed
the opinion that he would not be surprised
If the various issuing Offices took kindly
to two-colOr work and cover enclosing.
Government printing Office workers are
being requested to make application for
leave of absence. that the wage account
may be shifted to the leave appropriation
as much possible. 1t is said. and tor
the additional reason that a rush Of de-
partmental work is expected in June. The
issuing offices are said to curtail their
printing expenses every spring until the
understood that the recent agitation of
alleged high prices for work tended to
still further restrict the demands The
end-of-the-year rush is necessitated by
the fact that all work remaining uncom-
pleted July l is charged TO the new up
propriatiOn.
Chief Electrician Fred l.. Powers Is on
leave for a few days. his desk being filled
by Senior Electrician John l.. Wrenn.
James X. Wallace. chief cost accountant,
is also absent on leave. the section being
In charge Of Assistant Chief Voler v.
Viles.