Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-21

from Massachusetts, might get great narn-
bers of reports of conditions in factories,
while the man in Arizona could likewise
secure all the bulletins he wanted upon
the subject of reservoir construction or ae
maintenance of the range. The probabili.
ties are that under this arrangement not
half as many publications would be used
as under the old scheme OF so dumping
them upon the congressman that he has
to use them to get them out of the way.
So would each mans individual constit-
uents be able to get the government pub
LEGATIONS I'm which they are particularly
interested and so would the government
be saved a vast amount of printing.
1t used to be the practice in the gov
eminent departments to order excessive
numbers of given publications, as all
those publications were charged to Con-
gress and not to the departments. Be-
cause of this, a given department was
entirely reckless as to the number of a
publication which ii ordered. Economy
has been, to a certain extent forced
upon the departments by charging all
their publications up against their appro-
priation. This also has resulted in cur
failing the length of many publications.
The departments often extravagantly
print great many different editions OF
the same volume. The commission cites
the case Of a report of the War De-
partment which was printed as House
document in two successive Congresses.
1t was then printed and bound in buck
ram and distributed to libraries. Later
it was printed in a departmental edition.
first in paper cover. second IN red cloth.
third in black cloth. and then in plain
buckram. there being two editions Of
these latter with different title pages. In
all there were nine editions of this re-
port. This the commission proposes TO
discontinue by allowing only two editions
Of any departmental publication.
One Of the most striking examples OF
unnecessary and expensive printing is
that Of the library edition of patent
specifications. This consists of three large
volumes a month, weighing fifty pounds
to the set These huge books. being the
largest printed by the government, are
very expensive. An examination into this
distribution showed that absolutely none
of the libraries to which they were sent
wanted them, and that they were COM
plete waste. They cost the government
$65 600 year. without doing any good
whatever. Their publication is to be dis
The government printing Office at Wash
ington represents an investment of 5000
CO., To operate 1t costs the government
from six to seven million dollars a year.
to $1.5OO.0OO a year. There are 5o.OOO,OoO
copies OF publications issued every year
from its presses. There are between five
and six thousand people employed regu-
larly In this print shop. 1t Is the biggest
institution of its kind In the world. pro-
duces more printed matter than any other
such institution. and costs vastly more
money. 1t is directly under the control
of Congress and the President. and it
takes its orders from none of the execu-
tive departments. The public printer. who
Is in absolute authority, dispenses the six
or seven million dollars year that Con-
sress appropriates for this establishment.
Congress and all those concerned have
always confessed that great deal OF
this money is spent extravagantly and
almost uselessly. The work of the pres
ent commission is to point the way to
economy.
Copyright. 1912. by W. A. Du Puyl