The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-13
REDUCING PRINTING WORK.
Department of Commerce Made Some
Changes During Past Year.

Washington. D. c., Dec l3.-The ac-
tua cost OF all printing and binding for
the department of commerce during the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1916, was
s3s9,S057s. according to the annual re-
port Of the chief Of the division Of pub
lications to the secretary, made public
to-day. Compared to the cost for the
preceding year, which was 1899 ,999.4I,
this is a decrease OF over $1,000. How
ever. there was an actual increase oil
S6s063l for the department as at pres
ent constituted. because the amount for
1915 includes $4,000 expended for the
bureau Of corporations. which is now IN
the federal trade commission and not
connected with the department.
For the publications of the depart
ment- that il, for the reports and
amphlets-there was expended $780,
6520l during the fiscal year 1915, as
compared with 1901 ,666.94 in the proceed
ing year, an increase OF less than per
cent. The number of different publica-
tions issued in 1916 was l,945, an in
crease of over 81 per cent; the number
OF copies of publications printed was
7124.035. an increase of over 50 per
cent. while the number of pages was Oh
702 an increase of less than | per cent.
The average edition Of the publications
in 1916 was 1862 copies, against 1916 in
1915. and the average number of pages
for the 1916 publications was 81, com
pared with 50 for those of 1915.
The free distribution of the depart
ment's publications has been considerab-
" curtailed, and as consequence IT has
been possible to reduce the editions and
the cost of printing of many of them.
Certain of the publications which appear
at regular intervals are sold by the SUI
perintendent of documents on subscrip-
ton basis and the Others are practically
all sold at fiat rates, though free dis
tribution Of small editions is also made
by the department to certain well defined
classes. During the past fiscal year
there were s0,747 copies of the depart
ment's publications distributed by the
superintendent of documents through the
medium of miscellaneous sales, compared
with 1880 in 1915; and 3,2S0,ssS
through subscriptions, against l,34o,74l
in 1915. Receipts from miscellaneous
sales increased from S9,603,50 in 1915 to
sl7.7l9.s4 in 1916. and receipts from sub
scriptions increased from Sl26T4.55 in
1915 to 500 90 in 1916 Receipts from
both sources were 22,27S.05 in 1915 and
s44 227 90 in 1916. an increase of S2l,-
949.sS, or nearly 100 per cent With rel
erence to this particular part of the de-
partment's publication work, Secretary
Redfeld has the following to say:
"The most significant feature of these
figures has to do with the amount saved
to the department in expenditures for
printing. 1t is safe to say that were the
departments publications distributed on
a strictly free basis four publications
would be given away where now only
one is sold One seldom buys what he
does not want, while, on the other hand,
modestv is rarely displayed in asking
for something which may be had for
nothing even though the free article has
no value and is utterly lacking in in
terest to the recipient. And as result,
instead of more than $4,000 coming back
into the treasury, probably $4,000 more
printing money would have been re-
ouired in 1916 for the department TO
meet the free demand, and there would
slrl be the costs of wrapping, mailing,
transportation and delivery for addition
al millions of pamphlets, a large proper
ton for possible immediate consignment
to waste baskets"