The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-06
This Is Years State Printing
Plant Record in Kansas.
More Than 100000 Bound
Volumes in Working Days.
HIGHEST RECORD IN NATION
Former Mark of 100000 Was
Held by California.
Average Cost Per Book in Kan
SaS 1911 Cents in 1917.

A total of 1,S0O,OOO bound volumes,
or an average of 5000 finished books
every working day, were turned out
by the Kansas state printing plant last
year, more than had ever before been
turned out by a state printing plant
in a similar length of time, accord
ing to the report made by w. R.
Smith, state printer, to the state
school book commission here today
The former high mark was that made
by California, 100000 books in one
year. The total published last year
by the Kansas plant included both
textbooks and departmental publica-
tions.
The report made by Mr.. Smith COW
cred his investigation of methods en-
ployed by other states in handling
school book production. Only one
other state, California, publishes its
own texts, according to the report.
but a number of states have uniform
school book laws and handle the dis
tribution of the books. AS distribu-
solved in state textbook publication,
Mr.. Smith explained, experience of
other states in this line promises to
be valuabl The investigation sug-
gested a number of changes, which, if
adapted to the conditions as they pre-
vail in Kansas, are expected to facili-
tate this work 1t is probable that
the legislature will be asked to make
possible changes in methods of
handling distribution of texts that ap-
peal to the commission as practicable.
A comparison of the work of the
California and Kansas plants, as given
in the report, brought out the follow
ing: Cost of running Kansas printing
plant for the biennium ended June 80,
1917, $251, 253-39, or 1879 cents per
80, 1916-the last one reported in
California-the state printing in that
state cost $4e0,673.57, or 1922 cents
per capita Per capita cost of legisla-
tive printing in Kansas was So mills,
while in California the same item was
seven times as great.
Average Cost 1874 Cents.
Average cost of school books in
Kansas for the last biennium, accord
ing to this report, has been: For
1916, 1911 cents; for 1917, 1886
cents. The report points out that
there is decrease in 1917 in the
face of an increase in price
of materials, condition that Mr.,
Smith attributes to the better
output. In California the average
cost per book is given in 1915 as 1851
cents and in 1916 as 1924 cents.
ION the face of the above said
Mr.. Smith, sit would seem that Cali
fornia is getting her books cheaper
| however Compa rison of the books
developed that our state printed texts
containing better grade of material
| and workmanship. Another big fac.
tor is found in the fact that all books
included in the California list fol
| 1915-1916 were printed from plates
| obtained from the publishers, thus
eliminating the cost of composition
which added to the initial cost OF
about half of the Kansas titles The
marked increase in the cost of paper
| in 1917, when Kansas production
reached its high mark, was sufficient
! to make difference of cents more
per volume. With these items con.
sidered, the cost of producing Kansa.
books is much less than that in Cali
fornia.'
In the California plant, accordint
to the report, the average number O.
persons employed is 140 and the
! average annual wage is SLIGO. Las
year, the average number of en-
ployes in the Kansas plant was 70!
and the average wage was 1891.