Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-10-29

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pamphlet for this years election, en-
braclng 100000 pages and cover,
would mean 5,25O,OOO impressions on
the same basis, and would cost six
tltmes as much as at present, II done
under Nevada flat-salary conditions.
If Oregon should follow the Nevada
example, give control to Salem Union
No. 21O, as the pending printing meas
ure provides-just as Neyada's print
ing Is controlled by Washoe Union No.
6J-this state might soon have more
than 100000 in plant and over $780,
900 of bieniial appropriations for
printing, binding, etc,
Boosters of the flat-salary scheme
in Oregon, had better accept the Cali
fornia comparison, and not provoke
comparison with Nevada, which has
less than one-eighth the population of
Oregon,
Calfornias printing should be
cheapened, because Of her large pop
ulation 1t costs no more to set type
or run presses there than in Oregon;
added copies Of any work should re-
duce relative cost; but the flat-salary
and state-owned plant in California
has too many political printers to be
taken care Of" So the expense piles
up, just as the like elcments-politi-
clans in the state house and labor
union gitators-intend to run up the
expense in Oregon and create an in
vulnerable machine,
Flat.Salary System Fails in Kansas.
Now take Kansas-the cheapest of
the flat-salary states. Its low wage
scale would not be tolerated in Ore
gon, The Topeka wage scale is $17
per week, and zone and one-third for
overtime" Kansas has been robbed
years ago. through the contract sys-
TEN o. b. Godfrey's letter in the
Grange Bulletin), and the state-owner-
ship, flat-salary system was adopted
to save money At first it did fairly
well, But It has fallen down now
just as the method breaks down every
where 1t was to have been held up
as shining example to guide oregon
voters; but it isn't. Not word about
Kansas, even, from Harris, Hill, God
frey West or other champions of the
crooked scheme. Why? Well, there
happens to be a deficiency Of $4,000
for pay Of printers in 1911 in addition
to S76,9SG appropriated for stock and
equipment and $4,000 for employees in
1901, Also the cost of plant has
risen till now the state has $1O3,OOC
invested in building, machinery, type
etc. and the end is not yet. So the
last Kansas legislature passed a bill
(Laws Of 1911, chap. 10, sec, 81, order.
ing the state printer to install the cos
system in use by master printers, t
try TO locate and check the eXtrava
gance and waste. Hence our Oregon
politicians and labor-union booster
are dumb as to the success Of thei
flat-salary scheme in Kansas.
Oklahoma Rejects the Method.
An Oklahoma committee, just before
the territory became a state, inyesti
gated the flat-salary system of doini
printing, and rejected it. In the Off
cial reports of the state printer O
Oklahoma, January 1, 1912, page 2, tn,
facts are thus given; Exhaustive in
Quiries were made by many Of thu
members Of the committee, and states
which had operated a printing plan
were drawn upon for information.
was found that the first cost of es
tablishing a state printing plant woult
he enormous and that the installation
OF sufficient machinery to do all class
es Of work required by the state woult
require an outlay of money that tn,
members of the committee did not fee
would be justified in burdenlng tn
taxpayers to pay for, 1t was ais
rointed out that the operation of
state printing plant would reQuir
. perhaps a hundred more state EN-
ployes and it has ever been the polio
of the new state Of Oklahoma to re
- duce the number of employees to tn
minimum, After giving the matte
thorough consideration, it was decide
that the state printing plant would b
a very poor investment for the stat
Of Oklahoma"
Taxpayers, the way to protect Ore
gon against the flat-salary schemer
. is to whack the pernicious bill
- voting 1929 X No"
IT WILLS S. DUNIWAY,
State Printer of Oregon.
u Salem, Or, Cct, 26. 1912
q -s-s-~
It Why Was II Turned DOwn7
ID. IN1it,r Tn,,v,,1,