Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-05-28
BIG BOOK CONCERN
Uncle Sam Fast Becoming Really
Successful Publisher.
PubIie's Interest In Government Pub
IleatIons 10 Growing Monthly, az
Shown In Continuously Increased
Sales Of Documents.

Washington. -Uncle Sam Is becom.
ing a really successful publisher. AS
is generally known. congress has ap-
propriated increasingly large amounts
OF money for printing documents on
thousands OF subjects for many years,
but only in recent times has the gov
eminent attained much success in sell
Ing the publications which IL prints.
The number OF books sold and not the
number printed make for the success
Of either a private or public concern,
and IL is on this business principle
that Uncle Sam now may be rated as
successful publisher.
There has been a tremendous In
crease in the governments business in
selling publications during the last ten
years which can only be appreciated
after a careful study of the reports OF
the superintendent Of documents OF
the government printing office, the Of
fetal through whom all government
publications are sold. Josiah II. Brink
er, the present superintendent of docu-
ments, has recently completed state
ments which show that the publics in
terest in government publications is
growing monthly and that this appre-
citation is being shown in continuously
increased sales Of publications by his
office.
During the last year the sales Of
government documents were nearly
nine hundred per cent more than the
sales of 1904 Ten years ago the
amount Of cash received from sales Of
government documents was less than
twelve thousand five hundred dollars.
For each year there has been steady
increase in the governments book
business and during the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1913, more than one
hundred and six thousand dollars was
received from cash sales. Superin-
tendent Drinkers books show that, for
the period beginning July 1, 1913, and
ending March 1, this year, SIS, 900
worth of documents we're sold. against
$4,000 worth for the same period a
year previous. II the sales continue
for the remainder of the fiscal year as
heavy as they have been for the first
have sold more than one hundred and
thirty-three thousand five hundred dol
lars worth of documents before July
l next, which will be more than TWEEN
ty-five per cent increase over last
years sales, and more than eleven
no If oh oola A.
ed for the same period ten years ago.
During the eight months beginning
July 1. 1913, and ending March 1.
1914, $500 letters we're received in
closing cash for one or more docu- |
ments, an increase Of 43 per cent over |
the returns for the same period the |
previous year, when only $500 let |
ters were received. There was also a
"a per cent increase in ordinary office
With the increase Of sales of gov
eminent documents there has been an
Increase of all kinds Of business In the
of documents Office.
Besides sending out all of the publ
cations sold by the government for
ash, the Office Of the superintendent
If documents, under the present law,
also has the mailing Of publications
by the various depart
nents During the FIVE months from
October to February, inclusive, nearly
sixteen million such publications were
put into the mails. against less than
eleven million for the same period in
1913. Most publications issued by the
are distributed free, and
those which are sold, usually at very
small charge, must be purchased
through the superintendent of docu-
ments, and not at the department for
which the documents are printed.
Notwithstanding the large increase
In the sales of government publica-
lions and the greatly increased amount
n work made necessary by the free
OF publications for the de-
Dartments. there has been a relatively
small increase In the force OF men at
The superintendent Of documents Of
ice, which has charge Of the work. II
Uncle Sans publishing business con-
.inues to grow. however. increased ap-
viii be necessary, for It 10
believed that the limit Of output has
now been reached with the present
'orce and equipment