The Washington herald., 1908-01-06

Public Printer Charles A Sullings has
made it his boast that he is getting out
the work
Public Printer Charles A. Stillings Is
not naturally a boaster-he is like Topsy.
In a late issue of The Washington
Herald it was stated that Mr. Stillings
had reduced the expenditures for material
&c. during the time he was in office be-
fore he made his first report, in june
1907, by about 100000.
Since that statement was made-the
facts were CLEANED from the cold figures
in the reports of the Public Printer for
1860 and l9O6-many people connected with
the Government Printing Office in various
capacities have been interviewed.
Had the Cutting Done.
Mr.. StIings, it appears, did not cut
down the expenses of his Office by the
sum mentioned. lie had them cut down
/ for him. BY an Executive order issued
/ during the time before Mr.. Stillings made
/ his report for 1906, il was required that
all departments of the government cut
down their reports and documents 10
/ the bare amount needed.
! In many instances the saving in paper
alone for these reports was large IN
the report of the War Department ior
the years OF 1905 and 1896, it has been
said there was difference in the num-
1 Der of pages printed of considerably more
than I,G00 in favor of the report made
! by Mr.. Sullings.
| In another instance that of the 'pahK
| statement" il is said the report or state
ment, was cut from large volume,
which it really was IN 1893, 10 smdi
/ pamphlet in 1866 In many other IN
stances the heads Of government depart
/ ments, acting in accordance with the EA-
/ ecutive order. confined their reports 10
/ the least possible space. The order III
question was promulgated for the eA-
! press purpose of curtaiiing the expenses
of the Government Printing Ohice.
| Mr.. SHllings. according to the reports OF
| 1900 and 1896, saved almost 100000 on
/ paper alone. But if all the government
/ department reports We're cut so largely
as TO their number of pages. obviously II
was not fine management on the part OF
/ Mr., Stillings which caused this reduction.
The Executive Order.
Another effect of the Executive order
mentioned was TO cause the discharge
of large number of employees Of the
H Government Printing Office for whom Mr.
II Sullings, under his curtailment, could IND
l no work The amount saved thus, as
! shown by a comparison of the two re-
l ports TO have been approximately $39,ef
in favor of the one made by Mr. Stillings
was, therefore, nothing but the eonse-
quence of the retrenchment under cn
II Executive order.
In the matter of supplies, other than
| paper, Mr.. Sullings was shown, by q COM
parisOu of the two reports 10 have sup
posedly saved about 100000 during the
] first year he was the Public Printer
However, men closely connected with tho
Government Printing Office assert thai
/ this apparent saving has an air of un
/ reality when il is faced by the Executive
order Of curtallment.
Lithographing and engraving being but
the finer shades Of printing, would nat
. urally be cut when the expenditures by
the department for the printing were cut
Consequently, it seems obvious that Mr.
Sullings did not save the S17S,000-Odd tha'
a comparison Of the reports Of 1900 anC
1905 might even seem 70 show that he ha;
saved. The Executive order would tOucf
and did touch the lithographin and en-
craving. as we'll as any other portion o
- } the MDEA QDllc DL lllt ATtkGlllliElaL IAIt
ing Office for the departments.
Public Printer Stillings said to a re
porter for The Washington Herald tna
ne had cut down expenses during his frs
year about 100000.
Comparison of Reports.
4 comparison of the reports Of the Pub
lie Printer for 1868 and 1906 shows tha
Mr.. Sullings, apparently, cut down ex
penses to the amount of almost S700.G00
An Executive order said that all th
| departments which offer most Of the husi
ness done at the Government Printing
Office must cut down the volume of thei
> several reports.
It has been stated that the department
did so in some instances, and it is fai
to assume that none Of them disregarde
such an order.
It becomes a question, then, as TO VIII
saved the $500. OOO-odd the department
ordered TO cut down reports or the Publ
Printer.
If Mr.. Sullings really saved the $500. .O0
no doubt through The Audit System
which the law AYERS was to be installe
5 to instruct in a cost" &c, system, h
can show that he made the saving an
8 not the departments, acting under orders
s and. naturally, curtailing Mr.. Stillings