Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-24
SOME STARTLING FACTS
Inquiry by House Appropriations
Committee.
TESTIMONY OF CAPT. BRIAN
Tells Why Printing Costs More in
the Big Government Shop Than
in q Private Establishment.

Just suppose that in this enlightened
age the proprietor of an enormous busi-
ness enterprise discovered that by dis
charging 500 employees from one depart
ment he could increase the output from
that department from 50 to 100 per cent.
Wouldn't IL be reasonable to believe II
was high time that particular proprietor
was sitting up and taking noticey
Wouldn't he be the laughing stock or
all his competitors?
That, as was brought out before the
House committee ON appropriations dur
ing consideration of the sundry civil
appropriation bill. is just the position
that Uncle Sam. proprietor of the govern
ment printing office. was in with refer
ence to the big printery. For informa-
tion was laid before the committee by
Representative Tawney of Minnesota. its
chairman. conclusively demonstrating
that although the force in the bindery OF
the government printing office had been
reduced by 500 employees. the amount OF
work turned out increased from 80 to 100
per cent.
To say that the members of the COM
mittee opened their eyes as they digested
this news Ii putting Ii very mildly M
deed. And now they say they intend to
take good care that this discharged force
Is not put back, as IL has been rumored
they would be under the regime of John
s. Leech, the new public printer a union
man. who Is coming on from the Philip
pines to take charge of the great shop.
Foreman Franks Disclosure.
When Acting Public Printer Brian was
before the sundry civil subcommittee
Chairman Tawney inserted in the record
and had read for the benefit of his col
leagues on the subcommittee a letter he
had received from Peter Frank. foreman
of binding at the G. p. o., in which the
latter makes the statement that with
force reduced by 700 the output of the
bindery increased by the remarkable per-
centage mentioned.
''The records of the Office" says Mr..
Frank In his letter. '-show an increase In
from 80 TO 100 per cent. notwithstanding
the fact that the force in the bindery de-
partment was reduced to the extent OF 800
persons. The fact remains incon-
trovertfble that the number of books pro-
duced in the last seven months almost
equals the number of books turned out
during the whole Of last year. and. as
mentioned, was done with reduced force
Of 500 bindery employees"
And this shows" commented MI. TaW-
ney, that, go far as the reduction OF force
In the bindery Is concerned 1t was
entirely justified. ut ii does show an
0WIul amount OF DiuOlue-
Juggling With the Surplus.
The gentle process of robbing Peter to
Day Paul, reputed to be practiced in the
government printing Office. also was in
quired into at some length by members OF
the committee. Acting Public Printer
Brian denied that there was q practice OF
undercharging the various government de-
partments for printing and then over
charging Congress for its printing by the
exact amount Of the deficit. but. under a
cross-fire of questions from the committee
Can't. Brian finally admitted that there
had been considerable juggling with
various departmental and congressional
surpluses, In order to ADJUST ana odahce
AS a result of the information brought
out at the hearing 1t is certain that when
the next sundry civil bill is mace up
year from now the entire system OF ap-
Office and for departmental printing VIII
be revolutionized. Just now II is fmpcs-
sible, members Of the committee say, to
tell anything about the cost OF this, that
or the other feature OF Congress ana oe-
partmental printing, and they intend I'D
abolish the lump sum" method OF ap-
propriating when the bill is under prepa-
ration next year.
Exacting Demands Expensive.
One interesting statement made by
Capt Brian was that printing at the gov
ernment printing Office costs more than in
a private establishment by reason of the
exacting demands of Congress
There has been an increased demand
on the Office said Capt. Brian. land
continual increase in the expenditure oc-
casioned by the way i'm which We have to
do the work. Our work now Is practically
all done at night. Everything that comes
pfalyV firm.
down in the afternoon or at night, and
II has to be done that night. In times
past We could lay some work aside for
the next day or the next week. but that
Is impossible now; practically everything
must be finished the day it is received
Mr. Brian said this also held true with
reference to departments, as nowadays
they were making about the same de-
copy and they demanded proof the next
morning. The Office force had to be such
that II could handle the maximum amount
of work and be ready for whatever came
along.
I'm the ordinary run of congressional
matter would a delay Of twelve or twen-
ty-four hours involve crisis i'm the
country?' asked Representative Sherley
Of Kentucky, somewhat sarcastically.
''It would involve a crisis with those
gentlemen who want them. SIR" respond
ed Mr.. Brian. LAS to the hear ngs of
committees. suppose they would abolish
the printing once II they did not get
them the next morning..
Cost of Audit System.
In reply to questions from Mr.. Taw-
ney, Capt. Brian said that the many com.
plants from the departments during this
session about the excess cost o. their
printing now compared to what il cost
previously had been caused by a change
In the system. This was the result OF
the audit systems work in increasing
the unit Of cost. The of1ce had been
charging the departments 20 cents an hour
for composition and the audit system
showed II cost at least 81 an hour Since
the ousting OF the audit system 30 cents
an hour was beng charged to the depart
ments, or. as Capt. Brian said, less than
the actual labor cost. This was being
done by executive orders. as the unit of
cost had originally been changed without
giving the departments q chance to ad-
Just their printing appropriations to it,
Questioned by Mr.. Tawney and Repre-
sentative Smith of Louisiana. Capt Brian
denied emphatically that the Peter and
Paul practice was in effect I'm the ONCE.
my recollection Is" said Mr.. Tawney.
"that 1t was stated to this committee in
the last two years that that was the only