The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-05-12
RAYMOND ". PULLMAN.

Times Washington Buredu, No T04
HetrOpOlifdH Bank Building.
WASHINGTON, D. G., May l2-It
has become a byword in Washington
among men who
Extravaganza know conditions
in Printing. that II commercial
est a b Is n :
ments were conducted in the same
manner as certain of the federal de
partments the private concerns would
be bankrupt in less than years time.
On various occasions investigating
committees have made disclosures
that have tended 10 certify TO the
truth OF this assertion and now comes
the house committee on printing with
the statement that the present law
governing the publication OF federal
documents Is responsible for waste
OF a million dollars yearly or the peoS
pies money This committee, which
Is endeayoring 10 do away with the
useless waste and extravaganza in the
printing and distribution OF the public
documents, has prepared a compre-
hensiye bill which has already been
introduced in both houses.
The report urging the passage OF
the bill, which was prepared Tor the
lower house by Rep. Henry a. Barn
hart, OF Indiana, recites that the pres
ent method ar printing and distribut-
ing government publications has be-
come an almost utter failure and has
choked up the storage vaults with
thousands OF tons OF documents that
are now rotting In the last six years,
according TO Rep. Barnhart, the accu-
mutation OF obsolete and useless docu-
ments in the government warehouse
has reached a total OF more than
100000 publications. the great bulk
OF which has had TO be disposed or
as waste paper without ever having
been unwrapped or read by any one
In the year 1909 1,435,272 publica,
tons were sold by the public printer
as waste paper, at eight.tenths OF a
cent per pound The accumulation
weighed approximately $50 tons, and
the amount received was Sl4,O49. The
public printer had, however, expended
$2S25 in handling this accumulation
OF documents, which made the net re-
ceipts SILICA. These publications, II
is said, originally cost the government
fully 100000. thousands OF them hay
ing been bound in the best grades oil
cloth and leather. The following year,
1910, nearly 100000 publications,
weighing 700 tons, were disposed or
in the same manner by the public
printer. Each year since this proceed
ure has been repeated with cores
ponding loss TO the government. sum.
ming up this situation Mr. Barnhart
says:
The record OF the last six years
thus shows that more than l,0O0,0OO
publications find their way into Uncle
Sans junk pile each year. These
publications have undoubtedly cost
the government at least 90 cents a
copy for their printing, binding, wrap
ping, handling and storage In addi-
ton, upon thousands OF these worth
less documents there has also been
the expense OF transportation in the
mails from Washington TO various
parts OF the country and then for re-
turn to Washington again. On basis
OF 90 cents per copy, the accumulation
OF 100000 documents per year indt-
Gates an annual loss OF $500. 200, due
TO the system of printing and distrt-
button now required by the present
law.
Undoubtedly double the number Of
worthless documents accumulated by
the government itself more nearly
represents the actual waste of such
publications, for IL is a matter OF COM
mon knowledge that the great bulk Of
the documents now allotted TO and
distributed by the members of con-
gress finds its way into the waste bas-
kets OF their constituents. who have
little or no interest in the general
class Of publications that senators and
members now have allotted TO them
for public distribution. II would be
more nearly accurate to estimate the