The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-12

E
which he thought were responsible for
the action Of Congress in authorizing S.
n D. North TO award the census print
ing contracts TO private concerns. w. S.
Rooster chief clerk Of the Census
Bureau. wrote letter to Mr.. Donnelly
yesterday. tsking issue with him on some
/ Of his statements.
Chief ROssiter's Letter.
Mr.. ROSTERS letter follows:
Hon Samuel B. DonneIly. Public Printer
Government Printing Once. Washing
ton. D. c.
Sir: I have read with interest your
letter. dated February S, addressed 20
Hon. John ". Gaines. in connection with
lthe cost OF printing the report Of the
census Of Cuba. and IN connection with
other census printing matters. All Of
your principal assertions are based upon
errors.
!. You state. The Government Print
ing Office was never asked for formal
estimate Of the cost OF producing the
Cuban census.
Reply No formal estimate could have
been requested with pro2riety OF you
concerning the cost OF a volume required
by foreign government. and which, IN
consequence Of thai fact. could not have
been made in the Government Printing
lOfiee. Accordingly. this Office informal
" requested an estimate. The reply trans
hitting an estimate was as follows:
Dseenber ID 1903.
My Pear Nr Rosslter:
Rsferrinz % yofu camuunlc1ii0n q December y,
requesting an estimate covering the charge for
printing and Birding an Illustrated publication
conforming % the Specifications transmitted here
with I hsve the honor 70 submit Tor ycvr en-
sidsration Estimate No. Sls amounting 70 81
81 81 based on an edition q 3o.6o4 copies VERY
resrec4fuIly. SAMUEL B. D0NNELLT.
Public Printer
B7 r. ?. Brian. Dsraty Public Printer
difference in Cost.
BY this estimate. the cost OF compost
ton. pressvo-k and binding. n the To-
port had been produced IN the Govern
ment Printing once. would have been
xi2 s57.20. The actual cost OF the same
items. as charged for by the private
contractors. was 1872 S.. a difference IN
favor Of the private contractor OF 81
ss4s4. or approximately 90 per cent In
/ both Instances the cost Of paper and T.
! Illustrations is excluded.
By adding the cost OF paper and Illus
trations 10 each OF the above estimates.
and including in the Government Print
ing once estimate the Is per cent upon
such material which Is customarily
charged BY that Office. the figures result
which we're reported 10 the Senate COM
uittes: Actual cost, as made by private
contractors. Sl1.752s7. as compared with
the cost IL produced in the Government
Printing Office Of si7.750.52- There IS here
a difference in favor Of the private con
tractors Of $3.50. s.. The actual cost Of.
this publication as made by private con-
tractors was therefore "a per cent less
than II MADE in the Government Printing
Office.
, You state. "a desire to procure an
estimate. fair to the Government Print
ing once. Of the cost Of producing a
book already in print, as was the Cuban
census report December Ia would have
prompted an inquirer. actuated by de-
sire 10 be fair. TO have submitted a copy
OF the book ITSELF
Reply: The Cuban census report. at
the time you mention. was IN press. tt
was far enough advanced to hand you all
the details required by any printer for
an absolutely accurate estimate. Upon
the details which were furnished 20 you,
any competent printer n America can
make an estimate In taking Up the ques
ton OF printing the report Of the Cuban
CENSUS in MAY last seven estimates were
obtained from leading printers in New
York. Boston, Albany. Baltimore. and
elsewhere The estimate obtained upon
the same specifications from the Govern
ment Printing Office was much higher
than that Of any one Of the seven COM
merciai printers
Cost should BE Less.
In this connection. I desire 10 cali your
attention 20 the fact that Mr. P. T. Dodge.
president Of the Mergenthaler Linotype
Company. and probably the principal au-
thority in the United States on machine
composition. recently informed the Direc-
ter Of the Census, after an exhaustive in
vestigation Of the subject, and setting
typical census pages, that the cost OF
census tabular composition. with all over
head charges, and proper profit required
in a commercial Office should not much
exceed half OF the charge made by the
Government Printing Office for the same
work
5 You state. MI Rossiter has quoted
s4.117-4s as the coS Of paper. which. added
10 81, and $50 for travelling ex-
penses and freight, show total cost Of
the production Of the Cuban census re-
port at SIS go"
Reply; In this statement you have twice
included the cost Of the paper used in
the Cuban census report BY so doing
you show a total cost OF that report
S4,1l7.4S larger than was actually expend-
cd b. the error Of duplicating the laTg-
est item in the entire cost Of production
you have created a fictitious cost for the
Cuban Census Report. which, you assert.
approximate to what the cost would have
been If produced in the Government
Printing Office In other words, you your
self have completely established the claim
Of this Office. The moment this blunder
IS corrected there Is nothing left to your
whole contention.
There are many other errors in your
letter not 50 serious as this, to which a
detailed reply might readily be made. but
to which it seems hardly worth while to
refer. al least until your attention has
been called to this fatal error. and you
have had opportunity TO explain K. Among
these might be mentioned your claim that
HAD the Cuban census report been print
ed on the same quality OF paper as that
used in ali census bulletins and pubiica-
tons II would have cost sl3.9i9a2. repre-
senting saving Of S2591Gs TO the Census
Bureau over the cost of having the work
produced by private contractors
Should Get Benefit
Iou get this result by giving the Gov
eminent Printing Once the benefit of the
low cost Of the cheapest contract wood
pulp paper on the market. and by then
comparing the resulting charge with the