Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-26
UNCLE SAM, PUBLISHER
(The New ork Evening PoSt.)

(The New ork Evening PoSt)
Uncle Sam is the worlds greatest publisher.
His business equals that of any half dozen book
publishers in New York or London. He is also
the most wastefu publisher under the sun, and
once more jealous congressman are making an
effort to curb him. I'LL a co .,f2c .cral
joint committee was authorized for the pur-
pose of economy in paper, the avoidance of du-
plication, and the general coordination of pub
fishing. 1t was also to exercise powers over
periodical publications and all printing done
outside the District. Under Senator Smoot it
has investigated the whole subject, and it is
hoped that congress will base legislation on its
recommendations. The latest report of the
public printer shows how great is the activity
concerned Last year over 100000 copies of
government publications were distributed; the
government mailing lists, containing over mil
employees reached $780, and the value of the
product approached $13,oooQoo.
Our government publishes anything and
everything and sometimes in reckless quaint
ties. During last year it issued twelve daes,
twenty-six weelllieS and fifty-eight monthes,
their Calculations ranging from 400 to 207,o0o.
Its volumes run from heavy tones, as of the
immigration commissions reports, to 30o-page
brochure on the plum curculio Where else IN
the world, asked wondering writer II the
Bookman some months ago. is publisher who
would issue 9l2 pages on the North Carolina
schools; 500 pages On the John Boyd Thachsr
collection of incunabula; a memorial volume OF
over 500 pages on John Browne Goode; f20
pages on the legislative career of Justin 5.
MORRILL, But these are commonplace items.
The list includes monographs on Yucatan arch
aeoogy, retail prices of dry goods in Walla
Walla, and abStruce chemical and geological
treatises. The photograph OF publications would
alone make small library That of titles In edu-
cation exceed fifty pages and last year twenty
three new editions OF price~liSts were called for
The distribution of some items is amazing;
million copies of "The Small Vegetable Garden"
have been called for yearly The fficial Bulle-
tin of the Committee on Public Information
last year started with eight pages and $4,000
copies, and in six months reached some issues
Of forty-eight pages and $4,000 copies. Con
greSs may order printed what it likes The
departments and bureaus are restricted by law,
hut their powers are wide and are exercised on
liberal Interpretation of what constitutes the
public good.
There are excellent results from this varied
and generous printing, and many of the con-
nected evils could be overcome by simple en-
actmentS and regulations. BY law, the "depoS-
itary libraries" throughout America are required
to accept copies of everything OF public ma
printer mildly puts it, "their shelves become
loaded with publications for which they have no
use, and the demand for relief continues" The
returns from them form portentous acculnu-
ladonS, especially since the public documents
division ceased to act as clearing house. In
1896 an average of a million publications
year has been disposed of as junk without ever
having been unwrapped or read, though the
average document cost 0cents before beng
cafted away In 1909 100000 accumulated pub
LEGATIONS, many bound in the best grade of cloth
or leather, weighed $50 tons, and were sold at
cents pound Last year 2,o235oO puDilca-
tons were condemned and sold, but this gave
practically no relief" The departments are
largely responsible for waste, for they order
publications printed beyond the demand, have
them stored in the hope if ultimate disposal and
then they must be discarded for Give" matter
SAYS the public printer:
ar my opinion, a solution will be found In
the departments ordering only sufficient Nam-
Der of copies to supply the official, or initial,
distributior--not to estimate and order Oh
supposed public demand-and leave to the SUI
perintendent of documents The supplying, ny
sale only, of any future public demand"
Besides more cautious ordering and mailing,
RULER storage facilities, and a real clearing
house, various general reforms have been pro-
posed Among them are the restriction OF
Unanimous consent" printing, not printing the
minor bills and rules against the reprintlng OF
government matter il congressional documents.
Foremost, however, STANDS the demand Tor SIS
of free distribution ant 'lore selling. Last
year 265, 900 "orders and inquiries" were re-
ceiyed and cash sales reached the magnficent
sum of about one-fiftieth OF the total value or
OUTPUT But on this ueStion many congressman
are adan1ant zone of the bulwarks OF the
pe0p1e's liberties' Representative Schall IN
1916. called the franking of documents