Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-28

trade marks granted. The Department
of Agriculture ranks third. Its most i'm
pOrtant publication is the annual year
book, of which half a million copies are
published. Each book weighs about three
pounds and the total edition would re-
quire more than twenty-five freight cars
to transport 1t.
Nothing Is too eXactins for the govern
ment printing office to undertake. The
war of the rebellion records. published
In lbs volumes, and requiring II 1.2UO-page
index, perhaps for generations will re-
main the worlds greatest undertaking in
the printing line. These records contain
more than 4; hundred thousand pages of
printed matter and required in their pub
LEGATION 5000 reams of white paper and
more than :;,OUu.la,0,UUo ems of type. The
whole edition comprises about a million
and a half volumes. Not only large tasks
are undertaken. but eXactinS ones as well.
When Congress wanted 10 publish his
tory OF the Capitol II demanded that the
completed volume should be one of the
finest examples of the printers art any
where to be,found. The resulting volume
is splendid example of fine printing.
When Congress offers TO sell rublica-
ton it never counts i'm the cost of the
manuscript. the cost of composition OF
anything else except the cost OF the paper
and other materials entering into the
publicat ton and the labor involved IN
printing and binding. Yet with the his
tory Of the Capitol being sold on this
basis the price Of the work was fixed
at $40.
Under the administration of Public
Printer Samuel b. Donnelly the cost of
performing given piece of work mas
been materially reduced. During one fis-
cal year he was able to cut down the
scale Of charges ) per cent. and 10 ac-
complish more work with ninety-seTen
less employees. Daring the next year he
reduced this still lower by :: per cent.
the principal decrease being . cents per
thousand ems in the item OF pam conf
position. The accounts of the office show
the cost of operating each DIVISION and
section. making 1t possible for the public
printer to ascertain the cost OF the va
rious operations and to determine the
efficiency OF the dinerehl
neopIe in the office Under the present
man of accounting the public printer Is
abl,. to know at the close of each day
exactly how much the operations OF Ihal
day have cost and what Iunds reIhdln
available for the remainder or the nscai
year. - ~, ,,.ar
Ii is a prevalent opinion that the over
head expenses of the government printing
Office are not as great as taose OF COM
mercial establishments hoWeNei. rneso
overhead items include power. heat. hsht,
repair to buildings and plant. maintenance
of a delivery service. stock rooms. SAM
tary forces and payments TO employees
injured in the service. Iney also include
davs S35s.eOo for leaves Of absence and
sIno.OOo for salaries. The overhead
charges include all the items entering
into the expense OF operating com
mercial shop with the exception of rent
and the Insurance. These items are more
than offset by the half million dollars
required Tor holidays and leaves of alb
sence With the amount of money the
government spends for holidays and
leaves OF abserce at the government print
ing Office the public printer could pay
the rent and insurance upon building
with twice the floor space or the govern
ment printing Office and located either i'm
New York Or Chicago.
That there is an expenditure OF un-
necessary money i'm connection with the
distribution of public documents is the
belief OF the public printer. At the
present time the product of the govern
ment printing Office is hauled to the diff
fercnt departments and bureaus. where IL
is wrapped and addressed and then again
hauled to the post ONCE and from the
post Office again to the railway mail cars.
1t is proposed by the public printer that
mailing station shall be established
in the government printin: office itself.
and all mail Of this nature hauled to the