Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-08
BIG Job FOR G. P. 0.
Will Print Certificates for Pos
tai Savings Banks.
OUTSIDE FIRMS UNDERBID5
Government Saves 500, 900 On Lot
of $4,000, 900.
AIM OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER
Will Seek to Get 81, zoe, 900 Worth
Of Work Still Done on Outside
for the Government.

| The government printing office is to
print the millions of postal savings certifi-
Gates for the postal savings banks of the
Post Office Department. Although the
| contract has not yet been formally award
ed to the government printing office. the
| fact that the bid made by the printing
ONCE was about 800 lower per million
| certificates than the next lowest bidder
makes the award a fOregone conclusion.
The bids have just been opened.
The bid Of the public printer was N.19O
per million certificates. The certificates
have been turned out heretofore by the
| American Bank Note Company OF New
York. That company's bid. submitted
some time ago. for $4,000. 600 certificates
was 100000 greater than the bid submit
| ted by the government printing office.
The government will therefore make q
big saving by changing to the govern
ment print shop.
Work for the Departments.
The bid for the certificates was SUBJ
mitted by Public Printer Donnelly in &C
cordance with a policy which aims to
have all of the printing for the United
States government done by employees OF
Uncle Sam. This policy is doing much to
promote business in W ashington. As Mr..
Donnelly explained to a reporter for The
Star today. by having hundreds of thou
sands of dollars worth Of printing and
bookbinding for the executive depart
ments, which in years gone by has been
given to printing concerns outside OF
Was .lington. done at the government
dreds Of thousands of dollars to employees
in Washington. and this money is circu-
lated throughout the city by these en-
ployes. Local banks and local merchants
receive the benefits of these payments.
In addition to this, several hundred per-
sons are given employment. who other
wise might have to seek work in other
cities.
The government printing office is doing
yearly more than 81, 600. OOO worth Of such
work. During the fiscal year 1911, the
total amount of this work was 81 ,O01,-
356.91. as will be shown by the annual
report of the public printer, which Is now
being compiled.
Congress appropriated something more
than $5.OOO.OOO year for the conduct of
the printing Office. Out of this amount
all the work done for Congress is paid
/ for. Also q certain part of this appro-
| priation Is assigned to each of the govern
ment departments. and the departments
are given credit by the government print
ing Office up to those amounts. But Con-
gress also appropriated a large amount OF
money for printing for the departments
of the government in addition to this five
million fund.- and the heads of the de-
i partments are permitted to have this
printing done wherever they wish. pro-
vided they give it to the lowest bidders
who fulfill all the specifications And
that is the work Which the public printer
is trying to have turned over to the gov
eminent printing office.
After More Department Work.
Il e..
able to obtain more than $1,000 $50 worth
of this work for the departments, there
is still about 81 ,oOO, 900 spent by the de-
partments- for printing done outside the
printing Office said Mr.. Domelly. "Of
course, the more work we get the more
cheaply we can turn 1t out, and the gov
eminent would save money, l am con-
WINGED, by giving us all it's work. II it
was not for the so-called repay work
which We do for the government depart
ments now one-quarter of the force we
employ here would have to be laid off
during the intermissions of Congress.
That would mean, not only a loss to the
many employees we have. but also would
circulation in washington
Besides the repay" work done for
the Post Office Department, including
the money order blanks, postal cards
and blanks for the postal savings
4
is doing work for the Marine Corps. the
navy pay ONCE. the quartermaster's de-
partment of the army, the isthmfan
canal commission. the insular bureau.
and is printing the foreign edition of
the publications. of the Pan-American
Union. All Of this work was done by
outside firms before the printing office
began bidding for 1t.
e. p. Ryan Is the personal represen-
tative of the public printer in the So
| licitation of this additional work for
the departments. Mr.. Ryan keeps con-
stantly in touch with the needs of the
departments and makes up the bids
submitted by the printing Office in COM
petition with outsiders. During the
last two years the repay" work done
by the printing office has been doubled.
and Mr.. Donnally and Mr.. Ryan are
| bent on making a still further increase
during the coming year.
| The installation of o-date ma
chinery and methods has made 1t pos
sible for the government printing office
to compete with outside firms
! Printing Postal Cards.
/ xHo