Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

on a single days investment OF only
s1,7O3. Think what the
| Profitable result would be in a
year, counting the work
ouSlHeSS. ing days! Almost $751;
| 900 from an investment OF Soll.VVV!
It sounds like the vain imaginings OF
some drug victim, or the rawlings OF
maniac And yet it is not only true. but
it merely shows in plain figures the re-
suits of one manufacturing business.
Furthermore, that business is carried
on right here in the National Capital is.
in fact, one Of its recognized establish
ments It is only when the above figures
are given that the bureau of engraving
and printing is lost sight of and a great
temple Of wealth is brought to mind
But even then it must be remembered
that those figures, appalling as they
appear, represent only the cost of manu-
facture and face value of the postage
stamps printed by the government, be-
side which are the revenue and customs
stamps.
printing, when taken as a mandatory,
show some astonishing figures. Take.
for instance. tho single item of postage
stamps; that is. without the revenue and
CuSlOIUS, WHICH, DN the bureaus OWL
classification fall under q separate head
There are fifty-one kinds and denomina-
tons printed. ranging from the humble
little green one-cent stamp, up to it's
stately, aristOcratic brother which stag
gers under the weight OF a five-dollar
valuation. Also. fifteen colors are used
In printing the stamps pause here for
reflection will probably convince the most
observant person that he Is unfamiliar
with several Of these colOrs; that is, Of
/ S,, ~~-sk
all know the one. two. five and ten cent
stamps. But to be able to call to mind
just what those fifteen colors are means
a wide observation as well as a careful
one. For the benefit of those who fail to
so've this self-appointed riddle, the an
swer is this: Four shades of blue two
of green. and two of brown, red. yellow,
olive, orange, purple, lavender and dark
slate.
The stamps which leave the bureau an
nually amount to more than ten billions,
the latest yearly report
Billions showing the number to be
1O.OO3. o65.14S That brings
11uAtCu. the daily output down to
33 Sa4 900 odd. Taking the yearly total in
connection with the latest census report
for the entire United States. it is seen
that each year every man. woman and
child in this country uses approximately
10 stamps. The paper on which the
stamps are printed comes to the bureau
direct from the manufacturers In sheets
9il by 1885 inches, that being the required
size for printing 100 stamps. More than
96, 10000 sheets are used in Il year. while
the daily consumption is about 80, OOO
The annual consumption of this paper.
laid out sheet by sheet. would cover 1.64
acres. The daily consumption would
cover about five and one-half acres. The
bureau would cover a quarter of the
surface OF the District OF Columbia.
If. for instance, the stamps printed in
a single year were laid end to end-that is.
the single stamps and not the printed
sheets of 1OO1the distance covered would
be $4,000 miles, or a distance more than
sufficient to circle the globe six times
The daily output would reach from here
to New York city. These same stamps
placed In a solid pile would rear a wall
100 feet long, or again. would form 1
solid cube containing 5000 feet. The
output for single day would make a
cube containing 119 feet.
The figures regarding the cost of pro-
duction are also interesting. The total
cost Of production, as
Cost of Stamp before mentioned. is
$511. 600. OF that amount
the greater portion is
paid out in salaries to the GOO employees
necessary in the manufacture Of the
stamps The remainder is expended for
paper. ink. gum and plates. The cost
of the paper annually is $4,000. The
amount used daily amounts to about 1851.
This paper. for one year, weighs 40 odd
tons, while ton and half is used every
day. Both the ink and gum used, the
former in printing and the latter on the
back of the stamps, are made at the
bureau. The ink. purchased in its dry
form. weighs more than 100 tons-enough
for one year--While almost three-fourths
of ton is used daily. The cost Of the
dry ink is $500 year, or $12S every
day. The gum. purchased in the same
form, Is secured in equally large guam
titles the amount sufficient for a year
Weighing 80 tons. with the daily con-
sumption amounting to one ton The cost
of this, however. is less than the ink.
as the yearly supply costs $4,000: the
daily. $40.
Two weeks are required to make a sin
gle stamp. On receipt of the paper from
the manufacturer. each sheet large enough
to print 400 stamps, 1t is taken to the
wetting ROOM where for three days It
goes through a wetting process to pre-
pare 1t for the printing presses. From
here 1t is taken direct to the plate print
ing room and run through the machines.
At each machine are man and two
girls. The machine IS self-inking, and is
also provided with an apparatus which
removes the surplus ink. The mans work
is to polish the plate as 1t revOlyeS past
him. II then passes a girl who puts a
sheet of paper over the plate and holds
1t. II is then printed and removed by
the other girl. This process takes but
single day. The actual printing OF a
single sheet takes but a minute or more
The statement that it requires two weeks
to make stamp must be understood to
mean that, taking It's place in the mass
of work done, single sheet will be In the
wetting room three days, and In the proc
ess Of being printed a whole day. From
the printing room. after 1t has been
counted and checked up IN q ledger. the
sheet is put through a drying and press
ing process which consumes three
more days. After this II is ready for
the cumming. which requires another
day. This room is particularly interest
ING.
Several perpetually moving machines.
fed with the gum from the top floor OF
the building through pipes.
Cumming grasp each sheet as 1t is
put IN place by a feeder.
1IoCc00. The gum. applied to the
back OF the sheet in just the proper con-