Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-17

deliver 70 congress the 2OoO-page report OF
that inquiry, It's prompt work during the
revision Of the tariff last year was fully
as remarkable as these performances.
with its hundreds OF oompositors and
proofreaders. there would be a wide diver
sity of style were II not for the adoption OF
a manual OF style to which strict adher-
cnce is required. This style-book Is said
70 be the most complete in tho United
states, although II is very different from
the styles used IN the newspaper offices
Of the country.
Congress makes the heaviest demand upon
the government printing office. Its annual
printing bill amounts to moro that $4,000 90.
the Congressional Record and the printing
OF hearings, committee reports and bills
demand the major portion Of this amount
Next to congress is the patent office The
Patent Office Gazette Is a large weekly
volume dealing with patents issued and
giving the specifications OF each ono of the
thousands Of patents granted II Is this
publication which gives the patent office
second place among tho different organlzs-
tons OF the world in the cons,imauon OF
printers ink. Tho Department OF Agrlcul-
ture ranks third as user OF printers ine
1t requires &65.oOO a year to pay the printing
DliiS OF lnhl department. ltS mCSs I'M
portant publication is the yearbook OF
which 100000 copies are issued annually.
Nothing is too eNactlng for the govern
mcnt printing office to undertake. The
rebellion records, published IN 12S volumes,
and requiring a l.2OO-page index, perhaps
for generations win remain the worlds
greatest single undertaking. in the printing
line. These records contain more than
100000 pages of printed matter requiring
| in their publication 10000 rcHms OF white
paper, and more than aOOO,0OO,OoO ems OF
| type. The whole edition comprised about
! 900 volumes. When the United States
wanted to publish a history Of the capitol
| II demanded that completed volume should
be one OF the finest examples OF the print
er's art to be found. Although sold at
bare cost Of production, exclusive of the
cost OF the plates, the price Of this work
is $40 n
In order that every citizen may have
fun opportunity to possess himself OF as
many OF the government publications as
he desires, the office OF superintendent OF
documents has been established This Off
cial is furnished with a supply OF all val
liable publications. and Is expected to use
such means OF advertising as will bring
them to the attention OF the public gener-
ally. They are sold at the bare cost OF the
material used in printing and the labor IN.
volved. In figuring out this cost the gov
eminent does not make any charge for
composition.
The superintendent OF documents has
serious competition TO meet. Nearly every
publication he has for sale may he OBJ
tained by the average man or woman
through his or her congressman. The
IL. a
and write directly TO their representative
In congress for the public documents they
desire. The government also distributes.
free Of charge, to such public libraries as
desire them, copies OF all important gov
eminent publications. The majority OF
those who have occasion to refer to these
qualifications go to the library to consult
them. rf
1t Is the opinion OF many newspaper men
that the governments printing bill might
be cut in two II a proper system of editing
were in vogue. In the recent printing In
vestigaton II was stated by an authority
that two out OF three Of the public docu-
ments issued by the government could be
boiled down to half their present size
without the omission Of any material facts.
The agitation which led to the printing I'M
vestigation has served already to diminish
the size of hundreds OF the annual reports
OF the different bureaus and divisions OF
the government.
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.
TomOrrow-Tha Governments at Work,
xV.-AEisosllanOOus Federal Organize
tiCns.