Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-17

auditor was before that committee and it
was his opinion that the office of State
auditor of printing should not be done
away with; that is to say, he should be
still continued as a superintendent of
State printing. The State auditor. as l
understand it, says that in his judgment
the office cannot be more economically
done under his particularly head. 1t is
not an independent bureau. He simply
acts under the Governor and Council and
serves during their pleasure. We believe
that the office is now where it should be
and that it should be continued, and that
to abolish it would be only a step back
ward l hope the motion of the gentle
man from Waterville will not prevail.
Mr.. COOLIDGE of Lisbon: Mr.. Speak
err. as a member of the committee on le-
gal affairs, and the one who introduced
this BILL l wish to call the attention of
the House to just one thing. 1t has been
stated by the gentleman from Waterville
(Mr. PattangalD that the use of the State
superintendent of printing, if / under
stood him correctly is to look out simply
for the competitive bids. We all know
there is hardly a day goes by without
the State printers and somebody should
be here to look after it and see that it is
printed as the contract calls for and fur
Their to see if any improvement can be
made in the matter of type or the matter
of paper or the printing in the way of
making this matter better and at the
same time furnish better printing or as
good printing as We have now. / don't
see how that could be possible by simply
calling in printer once in "a While to
see about the competitive bids. 1t seems
to me, and it seemed to the members of
the committee on legal affairs, every one
of Them it made no difference whether
he was Republican or Democrat, that this
man or some other man of equal ability
should be present and supervise the work
from day to day. You know and we all
know that the work calls for something
like $4,000 for two years. / would like
to know if any corporation or any firm
would take the business of the State
printing and call in once in a while or
once in two years man to see whether
or not the work was going along as it
should. Tt is an absurd proposition for
an individual, and if it is absurd for an
individual then it is absurd for the State
of Maine. Again, we We're told by the
State auditor at the time he came into
his office as part of his work that he
would have to handle a vast mass of
printed matter: in otter words, he would
have to audit his own bill
I believe this bill should pass. / be-
lieve there should be a superintendent
of State printing, and every member of
the legal affairs committee believed the
same, and therefore with whatever force
a unanimous report of the committee, af-
ter hearing lasting for hours. and ter
hearing all sides upon the matter, I hope
that the recommended lions of the commit
tee on legal affairs will have some weight
and that this matter will not be indeii-
nitely postponed.
Mr.. SMITH of Berwick: Mr.. Speaker,
as a member of the committee on legal
affairs | wish TO add my word to what
has been said by the gentleman from
Portland and also the gentleman from
Lisbon 1t has been stated that creating
the office of superintendent of State
printing would create new bureau That
| think the gentlemen of the House can
determine for themselves by reading the
bill. 1t simply creates Il clerk under the
Governor and Council. There is no new
department created. The auditor OF State
printing does not audit his own accounts
The bill for printing comes before the
auditor, as we call him now. or the SUI
pcrintendent. and he measures it up. sees
that the proof is correct and that the
proper number of ems is all correct and
that the mechanical work of the printer
is correct in form and that the paper
conforms to the requirements of the CON
tract, and he then Q KS the bill ana il
goes to the state auditor for his ap-
prevail.
With reference to the compilation the
committee would say that this present
House Document No. J46 is practically
compilation of the present laws which
are upon the statute books, ana spccifi-
cally r"poals various sections of the stat
ute which are hereby consolidated
With reference to the question Of say
ing, it has been suggested that the say
ing has been largely made by the fact of
the competitive bids. Take up any Of
these reports-for instance. TAXI up the
bank examiners report. You will find I,
great amount OF inns crOSS-SeCtIOn work.
That is expensive printing and there is a
good deal of it in that report, because
there is a great deal Of waste space that
is not taken mp by type. That is called
Fat" This other work is up and down
work the same as any ordinary printing
which is all solid work, and more matter
can he placed upon a page and at less
cost in that manner because the cross
section printing is much more expensive
And it las been by reason of the efficient
service rendered by the present incum-
bent, Mr.. Carver, that IL large portion of
the crOssSection work has been placed
in the regular form of printing which is
much more convenient for printing as
we'll as for reading and is less expensive
Another matter which has been brought
before you by the efficient service of Mr.
Carver is in the duplicate work For in
stance, take the report of the State as
SCISSORS The Board of State Assessors
have, if / am not mistaken, required nine
different copies of the same work for
their various compilations in which it is
Incorporated. Before the present incum-
bent took charge of the matter there was
one copy printed for one demand. When
In ttn