The Washington herald., 1911-02-04
MANY RECOMMENDATIONS
MADE BY THE COMMITTEE

The members OF the printing lnveStl-
cation commission are Senators Smoot
of Utah, Bourne of Oregon, and Fletcher
Of Florida. and Representatives Cooper
Of Pennsylvania, Sturgiss Of West Vir-
ginia, and Finley Of South Carolina.
A feature of the bill proposed by the
printing commission is the valuation plan
for distribution of documents to men,
bers Of Congress. The bill allows each
Senator a credit Of $500 a year and
each Representative. Delegate, and res
ident commissioner a credit Of 81 800 with
the superintendent Of documents at the
Government Printing Office. Only gov
ernment publications printed for distribu-
ton by Congress can be drawn on this
credit. and the unused portion lapses on
March of each year. members not being
allowed to turn their document credit
into money.
The adoption Of the valuation plan
would abolish the folding rooms of the
House and Senate and concentrate this
distribution under the superintendent of
documents at the Government Printing
Office. 1t is believed that this would re-
suit in a saving of probably $1,000 a
year for labor alone. and several thou
sand dollars additional that is now ex-
pended in the needless hauling of govern
Printing Office to the folding rooms at
the Capitol. The saving that would be
made by thus doing away with the print
ing of documents that are never dis
tributed would amount to from a quarter
to a half million dollars year.
Economy in G. p. O.
The commission believes it has devised
ar organization that will result in an
economical administration at the Gov
ernment Printing Office and prevent the
creation of useless high-salaried posi-
tions there. officers Of the Government
Printing Office. as provided in the COM
missions bill, and their salaries are as
follows: The Public Printer, 5000 per
annum. an increase Of 500 per annum:
the Deputy Public Printer, $500: chief
clerk, s. 1000; purchasing agent, $500: dis
bursting agent, $500; accountant. $500;
superintendent Of buildings. 5000, an in
crease of $500; foreman of printing, $500;
foreman of binding. $500; foreman Of
presswork, $500; storekeeper. $500.
1t Is proposed to increase the pay of
Job compositors and pressmen from 50
to IS cents an hour. This affects sixty
Job compositors and 100 PRESENCE. The
Public Printer estimates that the in
crease will amount to about 10000 per
annum.
Get Leave Of Absence.
Employees Of the Government Printing
ONCE are accorded practically the same
privileges in regard to leaves Of abb
sence as are now granted to other en-
ployes Of the government except sick
leave
The Joint Committee on Printing is
given a definite organization by the pro-
posed bill which provides that 1t shall
consist of three members of the Com
mittee on Printing of the Senate and
three from the similar committee of the
House. to be designated by their re-
spective committees.
The proposed bill re-enacts the pres
ent law giving the joint committee pow
er to award the annual paper contracts
Of the Government Printing Once. which
amount to nearly 100000 a year. and
gives the committee greater supervision
ing ONCE.
VIII Avoid Waste.
The commission has. therefore. worked
out q plan by which depository libraries
may now make selections in advance Of
the publications that are to be sent to
them. thus avoiding any waste in that
regard
It is recommended that Patent Gazettes
and Geological publication should be sent
only to designated depository libraries.
The bill also effects . very large saw
ing by abolishing several publications
that the commission has found to be Of
practically no service to the country. In
cluding the bound edition of patent speci-
fcations and drawings that ID now sent
to each United States district court and
to each State library. This edition costs
approximately 9e5.o0o year. including
$4,000 that has to be expended Tor Illus
trations m6do especially Tor T.