Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-05-01
BIG BOOK CONCERN
Uncle Sam Fast Becoming Really
Successful Publisher.

Uncle Sam FaSt Becoming heaHy
Successful Publisher.
Publie's Interest In Government Pub
llcatlone 10 Growing Monthly, NJ
Shown In Continuously Increased
Sales Of Documents.
washington.-Uncle Sam 10 becom-
ing really successful publisher. As
IL generally known, congress has APP
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 It prints.
1As number Of books sold and not the
number printed make for the success
OF either q private or public concern,
and 1t is on this business principle
that Uncle Sam now may be rated as
. successful publisher.
There has been q tremendous In
crease In the governments business in
selling publications during the last ten
years which can only be appreciated
after q careful study Of the reports OF
the superintendent OF documents OF
the government printing ONCE, the Of
fetal through whom all government
publications are sold. Josiah H. Brink
er, the present superintendent of docu-
ments, has recently completed state
ments which show that the public's In
terest in government publications 10
growing monthly and that this appre-
citation is being shown in continuously
increased sales of publications by his
ONCE. .s.s@
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 Ave hundred dollars.
For each year there has been q steady
increase In the governments book
business and during the fiscal year
ending June 30, 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 !, 1913, and
ending March /, this year, $4,000
worth Of documents were 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 az they have been for the first
eight months, the government will
have sold more than one hundred and
thirty-three thousand I'VE hundred dol
lars worth Of documents before July
next. which will be more than twen-
ty-five per cent increase over last
years sales, and more than eleven
times the amount Of cash sales record
ed for the same period ten years ago.
During the eight months beginning
July I. 1918, and ending March !,
1914. $500 letters were received In
closing cash for one or more docu-
ments. IN increase Of - per cent over
the returns for the same period the
previous year, when only $500 let
tefs were received. There was also
~ per cent increase IN ordinary ONCE
correspondence
With, the increase. Of sales Of gov
eminent documents there has been an
increase Of all kinds Of business in the
superintendent Of documents once.
Besides sending out all Of the publi-
cations sold by the government for
cash, the ONCE of the superintendent
of documents, under the present law,
also has the mailing Of publications
distributed by the various depart
ments. 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
1918. Most publications issued by the
departments 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 pubiica-
lions and the greatly increased amount
OF work made necessary by the free
distribution OF publications for the de-
partments, there has been relatively
small Increase In the force of men at
the superintendent of documents Of
dee, which has charge Of the work. II
Uncle Sans publishing business con.
ttnues to grow. however. increased ap.
propriatlons will be necessary, for 1t Is
believed that the limit Of output has
now been. reached with the present
force and equipment
4 The shooting of moose In southeast
ern Alaska and Of mountain sheep In
the eastern part
Protection tor OF the Kenai pc.
Game in Alaska, ninsula il prohib,
1915, BY the new regulations published
by the department Of agriculture.
which went into effect April l. 1914.
The area thus closed to moose hunt
ers for two years lies south and east
Of the Lynn canal: on the Kenai PENN
su1a sheep are protected east OF longi-
tude $50 degrees.
s# Hitherto Alaskan game has been
protected only by : closed season and
the system Of fees for shooting and
shipping licenses The excellence Of
the Biz game shooting has. however,
been attracting wealthy sportsmen Of