Milford chronicle., 1922-11-10
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
THE BIGGEST PRINTING PLANT
IN THE WORLD-RUTH'S POS
tai CARD STARTS A STORY

u
said Jack as he was talking to Rutl
who was busily engaged in writing
note on one of Uncle Sans own pos
tai cards, the kind for sale in all tn
postoffices of the country.
what else is there to know abou
it?" asked Ruth. II know it's a pos
card and that it cost me penny ant
that l can write a lot on the bacI
and mail it just that way"
You don't know where it was print.
ed" replied Jack.
Sure, it was printed at the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing, Washing
ton" was Ruth's quick reply.
Sorry, Ruth but you're wrong" in
terrupted Uncle Ted, Uncle Sans
postal cards are printed in the big
gest printing shop in the world, the
Government Printing Office, at Wash
ington. They are printed along with
the thousands of government reports,
Congressional Record, Congressional
directory, money order blanks and 1
don't remember what all. How about a
story on that big print shop? Seems to
me you kiddies should know some
thing about it."
Zine" replied Jack, "I'd love to
hear about it"
Il suppose there is no other publi-
cation in the country so well known
as the Congressional Record which
gives the daily procedure for both the
Senate and the House of Representa-
tives, as well as speeches of the mem
bers which they are allowed to have
printed in full. This publication is
only printed when Congress is in ses-
sion and is the biggest job in Uncle
Sans print shop. Nearly $4,000 copies
are printed every day and work
doesn't start on it until z o'clock in
the evening and every copy is deliv-
cred in Washington or put in the mail
for the remainder of the country be-
fore breakfast the following morning.
The cost of the Record runs around
100000 a year. There is no finer shop
in the world than the G. P. o. and I'M
der the direction of the present Pub
lie Printer (for that is the title given
the man at its head) Mr.. George H.
Carter, of Iowa, the big plant is be-
ing run as efficiently and economical
ly as any modern, successful busi-
ness.
Let us look into the history of this
big business of Uncle Sans. Way
back in 1918 Congress realized that
an efficient plan to handle the job of
Americas printing had to be figured |
out. A joint committee was appointed |
to look into the matter and recon-
mendations were made. But nothing
was done until 1861 when, under the
Act of June %, 1860, the first build
ing of the two now in use became the
Government Printing Office and Pres
ident Lincoln appointed John D. De-
frees, of Indiana, as the first Public
Printer.
From a small plant in 1861 the G.
P. o. has grown to the point where
it covers fourteen acres of floor space.
It's buildings are worth more than
$3,500,000 and the machinery in them
at least $3,000,000 more. The value of
the printing turned out each year ap-
prOximates $14,000,000 printing from
more than 10000 forms, as the type
pages are called. That is more than
one a minute for every working day
of eight hours.
when we learn that this plant is
called upon to do $4,000 different kinds
of printing jobs on 152 presses in a
years time, we can see that real eff
cheney, such as Mr.. Carter has put in
to the plant, must be maintained. {
More than so daily, weekly, and !
reports are printed, and the !
current publications include four : {
dailies, 20 weeklies and 20 monthlies, =
and the number of copies of these
various publications runs from rs to
235,O00. !:
"You were talking about postal
cards. Try to figure out pile of l.
260,O00,000! That many and then
some are printed every year, besides y
more than 18O,O00,000 money orders, !,
hose blanks by which you can safe u
y send money through the mails. And .
he paper, kiddies, used in this print II
ng! In years time 50,00O,000 pounds =
ire used, enough to paper all the :
Houses in two good sized cities. ),
"The finest improvements yet made =, :,
n the G. P. o. have been since Mr.. p
1arter took charge. The roof has "
een raised to make another story in
rider that the need for real photo =, ~
ngraving plant might be filled. In ~ "
ddition to this, he has instituted a ~
afeteria to feed the 4,500 employees, a. a.
nd a large recreation hall with -
tage and bowling alleys. Every Mon u u
ay morning so division chiefs meet u' u'
l the recreation hall for business Z:
difference. The cafeteria is the most VI
ronderful you ever saw. 1t is open day IN ~
nd night as the G. P. D. is always ID ID
unning. Before this the workers had u u
, eat in dirty, cheap lunch rooms, be- so1 s1
ause the plant is too far from the -
enter of the city where the good eat M ne
" places are located. Now the work W. w
rs can get good food in clean sur =. -.
,undings with a place to rest with Le pe
ut rushing to force down poor food t's pe
the thirty minutes they are allowed 1I 1I
If meals. All of these things count a 70
reat deal in keeping up the morale Of W. W.
le workers of an institution as large Wy Wy
this one. tb
"And I nearly forgot that there is a ~, III
o hospital too where more than a. Ou m
% cases are cared for within a year. We We
, YOU see, your postal card, Ruth, W. W.
me from an interesting part Of your ~ ~
1cle's Sans government machinery. an an
am clad you starte dthe discussion, ~. IN
r Won children should know more va
ont these things and how well they -
e being run today" oD on
REHOBOTH BEACH ITEMS col CGl