Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-26
REFORM IN G.P.0.
PROVIDED BY BILL.
An Annual Saving of $4,000
Expected if the Measure
Becomes Law.
MAKES CASH ALLOWANCE
FOR PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
Senator'S and Representatives Would
Not Be Furnished With I'm
wanted Publications.

A bill 10 revise the printing laws. gov
erning the government printing office
which II is claimed will result In an an
nual saving to the government of SIJ0G0,
is receiving careful consideration by both
the Senate and House committees on
printing That II will be favorably re-
ported by the committees. possibly at the
present session. and that it will be passed
by Congress and become a law at the
next regular session was prediction
made today by members of the Senate
committee.
The BILL which is identical with the
bill reported favorably to the House at
the last session, and which failed only
because of lack of time to consider i
there was introduced In the Senate al the
present session by Senator Smoot or
Utah. 1t differs very little from the
Smoot bill which passed the Senate last
session, and Senator Smoot thought Ii ad-
visable TO Introduce the measure as
amended by tho House committee instead
of reintroducing his original bill.
Chairmen Favor Bill.
!. senator Fletcher Of Florida, the pres
ent chairman Of the committee on
printing OF the Senate, and chairman
of the joint congressional committee on
printing is strongly in favor of the
bill and will do all in his power TO
bring about its passage it was said to-
day Representative Henry a. Barn
hart Of Indiana, chairman of the House
printing committee. VINO has felntro-
duced the bill in the House. Is also
strongly in favor OF having 1t enacted
into law.
One of the few changes in the bill as in
troduced this session from the measure
as II passed the Senate last session IS
that in consolidating the Offices or deputy
public printer and supervisor of work, the
title which will be given this official is
supervisor OF FORK. and not deputy pub
lie printer. Also the bill provides now Tor
the abolition Of the folding rooms IN both
the Senate and House The bill last SEES
sion left il optional with Senate and
House as to whether they should abolish
their folding rooms. The adjustment OF
these folding rooms ut the Capitol build
ing. il is expected, will save thousands OF
dollars to the government every year. 1t
utinS OF public documents in the govern
.ment printing Office. and will do away
with much duplication OF work.
New Plan of Distribution.
Another big saving to the government
provided for i'm the bill will be brought
about by changing the method of distrt-
button of public documents to members
of Congress. In the past the law has
provided that each member of the Senate
and each member of the House shall have
furnished him a certain number of every
public document printed at the govern
ment expense for distribution as he saw
fit to hts constituents. A member from
New York city was furnished with just
as many copies of a document on farm
ing as was the member from an agricul-
turai district In Kansas. The consequence
was the New York member had no use
for q large number. of these documents
and they became. mere waste paper. lit
tering up the document rooms al the
Capitol.
All this is to be changed and each
member of the Senate Will be given a
credit of 5000 and each member Of the
House a credit Of $500. to be charged
against the government printing ONCE for
public documents each year. In this
way each member will be able to select
Just those documents for which he has
need. At present, under the old system.
there are $4,000 obsolete public docu-
ments lying In the Senate document room,
which must be disposed of as waste pa
such documents In the House document
room.
Larger Committee Powers.
The powers of the joint congressional
committee on printing over the printing
office are broadened In the proposed new
law. 1t will be authorized to go into the
printing office and make any investiga-
ton 1t desires at any time. without fur
Their authority from Congress.
The bill is non-partisan measure and
has little. II any. opposition In either
branch OF Congress. The pressmen at the
government printing office. 1t is true. are
asking for an increase In wages OF from
% cents TO cents an hour. and the bill
provides % cents. They were given an
increase of from 80 cents 10 90 cents an
hour through the appropriation bill for
the printing office last year.
4 reorganization Of the printing office
abolishing many superfuous positions
many OF them minor ones, is con.
templated In the bill. The power of the
public printer to create new positions and
fix salaries on the mechanical side OF
the office Ia to be limited also. At pres
emit he IS empowered TO create any posi-
ton he wishes and to pay as high 9
salary as he sees At. taking II out of the
lump appropriation of S6.000OOO made fol
the printing Office.
II the bill becomes a law the public
printer will not be permitted to fix any
salary higher than $3.50 Congress will
reserve tho right TO fix all higher salasies