Evening star., 1921-08-28
is MAKING BIG CUT
IN PRINTING COSTS
Morale and Productivity of Force Increased
By Measures Put Into Effect By
>s Public Printer Carter.

| OF coal TO supply this building and
16.456.300 cubic feet of gas were con-
sumed. The original cost of the build.
ing was s2.410.000. and the equip
ment is valued at $2,800,o00. There
are 149 presses
Mr.. Carter came to the job well
fitted. In the lobby of his Office Is
a large framed photograph of Presi-
dent Harding locking up a form IN
his own newspaper office, and before
autographing it the President wrote:
ITO one printer and public servant
from another" Carter is an all-round
printer and newspaper man, with ex-
perience in the government service
and in handling the printing of Con-
gress. Incidentally he took a law
course while on Uncle Sans pay roll
and has an LII. B. degree.
| Learned to Set Type.
Carter learned to set type and
operate a job press and worked in his
| fathers store at lie Mars, Iowa. as a
| youth. He was clerk in a national
bank in Kansas during the summers
| of 1892 and 1893. Then he was in
turn proofreader. state news editor and
reporter on Iowa papers. Next he
was clerk in the United States census
bureau. Then he returned to news
| paper work and was city editor,
political writer and statehouse re-
porter. Coming back to Washington
| he took job on a Washington paper
as copy editor and assistant tele-
graph editor. He was a charter MEM
ber of the National Press Club and
an honorary life member of the Inter-
national Printing Pressmen and As
sistants' Union of North America He
was Washington correspondent OF
Iowa newspapers in 1903 and 1910.
Before accepting appointment as
public printer Carter did notable
service for Congress. which led to his
selection by President Harding to
take charge of the worlds largest
printing establishment. He was
assistant secretary and secretary Of
the printing investigation commission
in 1910 and 1911, and clerk for the
last ten years to the joint con-
iieressional committee on printing. He
was secretary to the special committee
on government paper specifications Tor
the last ten years and author OF the
Congressional Printing Handbook ana
, compiler of numerous congressional
documents Now he is cooperating
with Director Of the Budget Dawes
and with Representative Martin B.
Madden, chairman Of the House ap-
preparations committee, with view
to effecting efficient economy by con-
servation of departmental publtca-
tions-especially reports.
Cut His Own Report.
Showing his absolute sincerity in
the program Of curtailment on depart
mental reports-the last report OF the
public printer made a volume OF 1l6
paRes-Carter has reduced his re-
port to thirty-six pages. The annual
reports of the departments aggregate
volumes of $4,000 pages, and OF these
from 1000 to 10000 volumes Of each
report are printed. bound and mailed
all over the country. often to persons
not at all interested in them-all at
Uncle Sans expense. Mr.. Carter estf-
imates that several hundred thousand
dollars can be Topped of by adminis-
trative restraint in having these re-
ports withheld from printing or
printed only to a reasonable number.
| Another tangible evidence OF Car
tiers good faith in the economy pro-
gram is shown by the fact that an
lnually along toward the end OF the
fiscal wear in June the public printer
finds he has an unexpended balance
in his appropriation available for
purchase of machinery. supplies and
equipment. 1t has been the policy
of that office to spend as much Of this
as possible in stocking up" IN June.
t1s2O, the expenditure was $1.4s7.o00.
but this June Carter spent only $685.
!, 600, a net saving of $s51.0o0. because
lhe thought he had enough supplies
on hand and that this was not the
time to spend money raised by bur-
densome taxes neediessly.
" Gets Increased Production.
Carter by wedding out the slackers
on his pay roll. by improving the
morale of the force and otherwise
putting the big printery on a COM
paratively commercial basis is getting
a big increase in production. notwith-
standing that he is constantly de-
lcreasing the number Of employees. He
is, however. taking particular care
that the separations from the pay
roll are done in a way that will not
result in hardship to the individuals
ior their families.
The opening up Of a real govern
ment book store is done because Car
ter feels that the government print
ing office has a veritabie mine OF VAL
uahie information about which the
public knows little or nothing. and
The proposes that the people of the
country who pay the bills shall have
an opportunity to share in the ad-
vantages of books. papers and docu--
iments of all sorts. The output Of
publications is more varied in char
> acter and more practical for use than
comes from any other publishing house
lin the entire world. The govern
ment publications not only renoSt the
Legislative. executive, financial. postal
military and naval functions COM
mon to all governments. though in
Imost cases on a larger scale here
I than elsewhere, but 1t il also true
that this government has engaged