Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19

Fifteen tons or metal are USED daily
on typesetting machines. a special
plant has q monthly output or II 500
pounds of paste. flexible glue and
gums.
While this great industrial plant il
called printing Office, there are
great many employees there who are
not engaged in the printing business.
For instance, there are close TO. 4
acres Of floor space in the Government
Printing Office, which naturally calls
for employees to keep 1t in condition.
The superintendent OF construction
and maintenance. who Is a graduate
Of the Massachusetts, Institute OF
Technology. has charge OF the care OF
buildings, and under him are drafts
men, machinists, electricians, carpen-
tiers, blacksmiths, tile settlers, pipe At
terS, sheet metal workers, plumbers
and electrical engineers.
In addition to these trades and pro
LESSONS. the plant also has linotype
and monotype operators, linotype and
monotype machinists, Ludlow ma
chine operators. proofreaders, book
binders, pressmen, stereotypers, elec.
trotypers, photographers. paper cut
ters, expert accountants and book
| keepers, stenographerS and typists
and clerical help OF all descriptions.
A complete laboratory IS maintained
for the testing OF all stock, material
and supplies used. Under the direc-
ton of a chief of tests, who has charge
Of this laboratory, practically all OF
the ink used in the Government Print.
ing Office Is manufactured. In add
ton, this laboratory has undertaken
the manufacture OF writing, mimeo.
| graph and multlgraph inks for use BY
other Executive Departments in the
| Capital. Here are also manufactured
rollers for presses in the Government
Printing Office, which number about
1000 per year.
Prints All Postal Cards.
All postal cards. used In the United
States are printed in the Government
| Printing Office. Three recently in
| sta lied presses turn out an average OF
$500 cards per minute. 1t also prints
all the money orders, an average OF
more than 90,000,000 forms printed
yearly. In fact, the Postoffice Depart
| ment is one of the best patrons Of this
| plant. which delivered to that depart
ment 1908 100000 post cards during
the past year, using approximately
100000 pounds of cream bristol
stock. More than 10000, 900 money
orders, each with a potential value of
$lOO were printed last year, and not
single money order has been lost or
stolen during the 10 years this plant
| has been doing the Job.
| The Postoffice Department also or
dered 49, 900, 900 registered, insured
and c. o. ID. mail notices, more than
10000. 900 registry receipt cards, So
OOO,00O return receipt cards, so 900 600
| special delivery receipts, $4,000, 900
change of address slips, 5000, 900 re-
mittance letters and IL 900, 900 folders.
/ books annually the following material
is used: $50 yards of velIum for Gov
ering purposes. 167.500 pounds OF
binder board for cases, $1,000 sheets
OF super-calendered paper, 9,51S,00O
sheets of machine-fin paper. 100, 500
sheets of machine finish for waste
leaves and $50 spools of thread.
Income tax blanks call for 80 diff
| terent forms. for which $1,000. 900
blanks are printed on blue. white, vel
low and salmon-colored paper; 1888
$50 sheets of paper in different sizes
are used to allow our patriots involun.
tarily TO support the Government.
| An apprentice school has been es-
tablished in which 200 young men are
receiving intensive training, under
competent instructors. as printers.
bookbinders, pressmen, machinists.
photo-engravers, electrotype and stere-
otype finishers and electrotype mold
erS.
The public printer. George H. Car.
| ter, is the worlds largest bookseller.
distributing 10000. 900 publications
| yearly, and nlaintaing a stock of 40
100000 which includes almost every
subject Of human interest. The re-
ce1pts from sales amount TO more then
a half million dollars a year Here
Is the most complete file of Govern
ment publications. numbering 350. 900.
and the largest library of It's kind in
existence.
A daily newspaper IS printed here
also, covering the verbatim proceed
ings Of the previous day in Congress
On one occasion 140 pages of this
Congressional Record were cast into
stereotype plates in 12S minutes The
Congressional Record made II volumes
OF more than 1000 pages each last
year. and cost nearly a half million
dollars-to be exact, $4IS.735.
Health Agencies Established.
To take care of such a large work
ing force in a humanitarian way
modern health and social agencies
have been established within the
plant. There IS a hospital in which
an average of 16, 700 treatments are
given TO injured or sick employees
yearly by two physicians and three
nurses in attendance. The employees
own and direct the operation of a
cafeteria which seats 1000 persons at
one time and serves 5000 meals every
working day. To this are attached
for recreational purposes a large hall
bowling alleys. shower baths, reading
and rest rooms. Harding Hall has a
seating capacity of 1900, with al
artistic stage. Here employees and
their families enjoy moving pictures
entertainments and lectures.
Unusually interesting machinery
and processes are seen in the binderX.
casemaking machine. to make cloth
covers for books, handles a roll Of
bOokcloth approximately 800 yards
long. cut to the desired width, passes
it through a glue pot which evenly
spreads coat of glue on the Surface,
to which a pair Of boards are ac-
curately set; the cloth turned over the
edge and the completed covers de-
hvered at the rate of approximately
80 per minute.
Presses to stamp the gold or colored
lettering on the sides and backs OF
cloth book covers are equipped, with
an attachment that feeds the gold Leaf
across the cover, saving the opera
tons of preparing the cases. cutting
and laying the gold. and cleaning off
the surplus after the stamping. all of
which are hand operations. BY the
process employed on this press the
gold leaf, which has been laid on rolls
of thin paper approximately 100 feet
long Of any desired width, is automat.
lcally drawn through the press until
the stamping is accomplished, the
waste being rewound and saved.
Another machine automatically
ND kI%A ANfA
sheets of the book. Substituting the
same with wire and attaching a cover
with glue. These machines VIII as
Semhla q hnOk aa thick aS a N inch. and