The Washington herald., 1908-02-07
MAKES HIS REPORT
Public Printer Gives Figures
About Years Work.
ALSO USES SOME LANGUAGE
Declares Audit system "Is Doing"
Good WOrk-DocumeBt somewhat
Working Its PrObe-Many Chiefs
Fill the Big building These Days.

The suspended Public Printer. Charles
A. Sullings, has compiled the report Of
the Government Printing Office for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1907, The re-
port is dated as having been transmitted
TO Congress December =. 1891
AS it only reached the Capitol yester-
day. February 8. il is quite plain to be
seen without a diagram that u IS a long
ways from G and North Capitol streets
to Pennsylvania avenue and the latter
street
Aside from the fact that the report was
unusually late. and that, as one OF the
men who know said, 1T doesn't tell any
thing" 1t furnishes some languidIy in
tcresting Information
Here is some Of the interesting part.
The adaptation Of new business methods
I'm the Government Printing Office. ade-
quate TO cope with the constantly I'm.
creasing demands Of Congress, the execu-
tive departments. and the numerous
smaller governmental publishers. the pur-
chase and installation Of machinery and
other equipment capable Of meeting the
present needs. and susceptible Of the ex-
pansion and readjUstment which con-
tinued growth such as that Of the past
year viii make necessary, and the Sc
lection and instruction Of competent
officers 10 properly supervise ard improve
the output of this enormous institution,
are tasks Of no small magnitude.
About the ''Progress."
'COnsiderable progress has been made
in the development Of the cost. audit, and
inventory system now being introduced
into every branch Of the office. No delay
has been occasioned by their installation,
and reliable information is now quickly
obtaiuable whereas heretofore only con-
jecturaI statistics could be secured.
AS an aid 10 more intelligent action the
systems are proving valuable addition.
and In every section Of the office are as
sisting in producing the work accurately
and 'on time, and also in obtaining a
complete record Of the cost thereof.
The expenditures from the appropria-
tions for the Government Printing Office.
under both the legislative, executive. and
judicial appropriation act and the sundry
civil appropriation act have been kept
well within their law ful limits. and the
funds have been sat ateguarded al every
point. with view 10 securing for the Of
fee material and equipment of the hrst
grades az the lowest commercial prices.
"A working scheme Cf organization has
been evolved, covering operations of the
entire office, and the assignments OF the
work 90 grand divisions divisions. sec
tions, and groups lere stated .n the or
der oI their Importance results in the
closer supervision and expedition Of pub
he printing and binding"
In the report Stilugs has outlined
about everything DE has done or hoped
90 do. RE speaks Of The Audit system.
which is out, OF az least iu a state Of
suspended animation SO closely resem-
bling a corpse that oulyt an expert
could detect the difference. He speaks
well OF The system.
What Committee Found.
The Investigations Of the Congressional
committee which has been al work only
a few days. comparatively, have already
shown that committee that the system. 20
instead Of helping tle work. has actually
hiudered it to such a degree that it is a
wonder how any work gets out at ALL
SuIings speaks Of his working
scheme" which includes grand divisions.
divisions, sections, and groups" THIS
part of his report is dated December D.
l9g7. lie makes 30 mention in the report
Of the salary list, which wells higher and
higher into the thousands Of dollars. of
these divisions. sc. In the cold. bare part
Of the report devoted not to language. but
10 figures, HlumIned only by the work OF
his men, SUllings places the salary at
Sl564SlO.
That part OF the report was supposedly
written before June 30. 1907 so that Still
lings did not have 20 tell i'm the part ne
wrote on December > about the increase
Of many thousands OF dollars in mis-
executive clerk hire made necessary in
his grand divisions, &c.
How About Thiss
Sufficient 20 say that in his report there
is not one man mentioned other than
himself who gets more than 5000 a year.
Men are known who get $3.50 and 5000
year; and from that down TO 5000 are
so thick now that a self-respecting fy
cannot gain safe passage through the
marble corridors OF the Government
Printing Office without brushing against
one or more of the chiefs subchiefS,
subsidiary chiefs. and other kinds Of
chiefs. who there frequent
The joint subcommittee on printing.
which is conducting the investigation
has not decided upon a date for the hold
ing of its next meeting. Chairman Lands
spent part OF yesterday AT the Govern
ment Printing Office in conference with
Public Printer William s Rossiter- Mr..
Lands issued no statement, but said that
the investigation will continue under Mr..
RossiteT and the committee.
Mas. Mason VIII Lecture.