The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-06
MAN ON The JOB
Accomplishment of New State
Printer Reads Like Fiction.
Work Turned Out i'm q Month
Seemingly Impossible.
PRESSES RUN NIGHT AND DAY
Inherited 40 Pieces of Work
From Predecessor.
Has Kept 100 Men and Women
Working Overtime.
PRESSES RUN NIGHT and DAY

Wh6n W. X. smith came 10 1OP0hd
from Columbus and took over the job
of state printer July 1, he found that
someone had slipped him a contract
that would cause the average printer
to jump off the bridge or turn on the
gas. He found that when w. c. Aus
tin retired as state printer and went
back to his paper in Cottonwood Falls,
he left 40 jobs booked and $4,000
school books to be delivered in six
weeks.
That is one part of the story. The
truth which makes fairy tales of fic-
ton, shows that Smith has cleaned
up the work and will deliver the school
books on time-something no state
department believed possible. The
story of Smiths accomplishments have
come not from the state printing plant,
but through state departments that
sible feat performed by the new print
err.
In month the presses in the state
printing plant have turned out more
than three and a half million impress
sions. The big book presses alone
have hammered away day and night.
Result, 002, 100 Impressions in thir-
ty days-an accomplishment that
would have kept the presses in the
average newspaper office running day
and night for 30S days, an aver
age working year. While the book
presses were running capacity time
es worked 1 6 hours a day. In thirty
days they registered 1,592,726 impress
siors. 1t would require the equip
ment of an average job Office seven
months to do this work.
The Work He Inherited.
Even that is not the real story. The
story which has found it's way through
the state departments is the manner
in which Smith just accidentally" in
herited so much work. With the hun
S-l.- to-,
and departments, Smith, new man
on the job-faced the necessity of
printing the new geometry, the eighth
grade classics and the new Kansas
history in time for school delivery
August IS.
w. c. Austin. retiring state printer,
had posed as the bosom friend of the
state school publication plan. But for
some reason, the school books were
hardly up to schedule. A total of 49,
900 books were to be printed when
Austin turned over the job after four
years service.
Here are a few of the figures:
When Austin entered on the fourth
year of his term as state printer,
there were 100 jobs on hand. When
he gave the job to Smith there were
PA jobs scheduled for delivery be-
sides the II 900 school books.
That wasn't all. When Austin en-
tered his second term as printer, there
were 1913 jobs booked When he
turned the work over to Smith, there
were 40 jobs booked. Even that
didn't tell the story. The state agri-
cultural college had some 100 jobs
which it desired printed. The state
university wanted so jobs printed-all
in addition to the 40 jobs scheduled
and the school b5,oks which held the
right of way on the big presses.
Smith has now been on the job
little more than a month. The new
geometry is now printed. The eighth
grade classics are printed and bound.
Both jobs are virtually ready for de-
livery. Proofs of the new Kansas his
tory have been read and the presses
will this week begin printing the pag-
es. In a few days the first of the new
histories will be bound and ready for
delivery Preparation is now being
made for handling the general stat
utes-a $4,000 state job-and all of
the miscellaneous jobs are being de-
liVered promptly.
Next year. possibly, Smith will meet
the deficiency, care for the daily rou-
tine of work and take a few days va
cation. But it is doubtful Just now
100 men and women are working over
time in the big printing plant.