The Washington herald., 1909-02-20

The report Of the printing investigating
gress 4 report covering the more mpor-
Jant items OF its inquiry into public print
ing an5 binding
The commission was created at the
close Of the session four years ago. and
its investigation OF the subjects referred
10 II have been extensive and in detail.
The commission Is composed OF Senator's
Platt, Elkins. and Milton. and Repre-
sentatives Lands. Perkins. AID Finley.
Senator Platt is the chairman and Rep
resentative Lands IS the chairman OF the
subcommittee Mr.. Lands has devoted a
great deal OF his time to the work. and
II has been through his efforts that such q
comprehensive report was made possible.
Big Wastes Shown.
The report has many interesting fea-
lures. and at times 1t carries items that
border on the sensational. Under the
legislation secured in the last Congress
27s,5ss.sS7 printed pages, including such
expensive publications as the Congres-
sionai Record. the publications Of the
Geological Survey. and the Year Book of
Agriculture were under supervisory au-
thority conferred upon the joint Commit
tee on Printing eliminated from the sur
plus printing which had formerly been
p'hns Up in warehouses 70 be condemned
finally and sold as waste.
The report makes Il clear that this
printing was entirely an undistributed
surplus. and that these surplus cOoies
were equivalent 10 559197 volumes OF 800
pages each for the year 1877.
The saving on the Congressional Record
alone was nearly $4,000 600: on the pl!bli-
cations Of +he Geological Survey the saw
ing was nearly S20.ooO000. and on the
Year Book Of the Department Of Asri-
culture it was more than SS7,000.
Departments Benehted-
Il was found that the various executive
departments and bureaus were submitting
their reports 20 Congress and having
them put in type al the expense Of Con-
gTess. after which the departments used
the plates for their own use.
Reports costing more than $4,000 were
printed without the departments knowing
the original cost.
The commission recommended thar This
be changed. and as a result. many Of the
department reports have been largely re-
duced IN volume and others have been
recommended for discontinuance.
Public printing is shown 70 have cost
SLo6,08 approximately in 1S05. while in
$40 it cost about 800 Cos.
From 1870 70 1850 the average increase
O. decennial years was more than % Der
cent The work OF the commission began
IN 1876. ten years after the last revision OF
the printing laws. and the growth OF
printing expenditures in these ten years
had been I02 per cent. or S3.5T.GaS This
ratio Of increase. carried 10 the last fiscal
year. would have brought the expendi-
lures 10 s.. 493. .457. OF S2,TS.ls0 more than
they actually were
Growth stopped.
The report shows that this growth Of
expenditures has Tot only been stopped.
but driven backward until the expendl-
lures for the last three years. compared
with 1875. show an average annual reduc-
ton OF 10 Fer cent
The report states that the policy OF the
commission from the beginning has been
TO build a printing law by distinct parts
which could later be inteHigently codifed.
laid the groundwork for this revision by
securing in advance legislation that would
enable a committee representing both
Houses Of Congress 20 protect the print
ing service from the effects OF any errors
or oversights which might result from
the numerous specific repeals necessary
10 an intelligent revision and cOdffcation.
Changes Binding
\ feature Of the commissions work. of
Interest particularly to Librarians and
publishers. is likely 10 be in z sense revo-
lutionary in its effect For more than
q hundred years the Official files Of the
government deposited in State and Terri
torial Libraries. and the designated de-
postories Of each Congressional district.
have been bound IN sheepskin. notwith-
standing repeated protests from Librarians
and the American Library Association.
Hereafter these publications VIII be
bound. under direction Of the Joint Com