Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27
Capital Sidelights

taken cooperative research with the
American Newspaper Publishers ASso-
citation in Investigations made In the
Government Printing once laboratory
into paper, inks and type-metals. A
study is being made of deterioration of
linotype and stereotype metals in use
under newspaper conditions. Other
studies are regarding news print paper
and news ink.
There were 45.1s6,912 pounds of paper
delivered to the big government print
cry, which is the largest printing es-
Enlistment in the world, last year.
It occupied LILO of the l,16l cars of
material delivered at the Washington
plant.
Several years ago laboratory tests
showed that the old roller composition
could be used for making suitable
bindery glue. Last year, 78,759 pounds
Of glue composition were produced.
The ink mills OF the &c P. o." as it
is tersely called, produced last year,
l49. $50 pounds of printing ink, much of
it for Monograph and multigraph work
in other departments of the Govern
ment. The G. p. o. also furnished to
ether Government offices, 5000 quarts
Of writing inks.
In addition to being the most pro-
life publisher in the world with an
annual output of more than 10000. 900
copies of publications, Uncle Sam also
operates the worlds biggest bookstore.
Here during the last fiscal year there
were sold, principally by mail order
business, 63601,2 77 copies of Govern
ment publications, which was an i'll
crease Of 6,234,856 over the previous
year.
During the last eight fiscal years the
nearly doubled in number of copies and
more than doubled in the amount OF
cash receipts. In 1920 the receipts
were 1921 ,532.21, or $465, 422.36 less
than the receipts for 1928.
The people of the country did not
write as many postal cards last year
as the year before, when more than
2, 600, 900 900 made record output.
Last year there were only l,726,524. 1892
delivered. These cost Uncle Sam
$3.50, 42520. The decrease is attributed
to the new law reducing the postage
rate on commercial cards and author
izing the use of postage permits In lieu
of stamps and stamped cards.
Money order business picked up a
little, with zoos, 265 money order books
used for 200 forms each. They cost
Uncle Sam $163,853.66.
The Post ONCE Department saved
some 100000 on its printing bill last
year through the falling OF in the
postal card trade.
The wonderful service the radio and
airplane are now rendering the Gov
eminent was impressively shown re-
Gently when both of these marvellous
inventions were employed to expedite
the delivery Of money-order forms
printed by the Government Printing
once for the postmaster at Ketchikan,
Alaska. He sent a radiogram at 6:O4
am. It was received by the Navy sta
ton in Washington at 9:45 O'Clock the
next morning, and telephoned through
the Post ONCE Department to the Gov
eminent Printing Office. The required
forms were printed within an hour and
by noon the same day were on their
way to Alaska by airplane, and received
by the postmaster within six days after
he had sent his radio message.
4 X X X
Congress has the biggest printing
bill of any department or branch OF the
Government service. Last year 1t
amounted to $2,460,61608, which was
approximately $430,000 more than the
cost of printing for the entire postal
service, which had the second largest
bill. Congress printing bill showed a
10 per cent increase last year over the
preceding year. Congress Is the only
branch of the Government that pays
its printing bill in advance. 1t ad-
vances a working capital Of $4,000, 600.
In addition to the $4,000 copies OF
the daily Congressional Record, which Is
the daily paper of Congress, some OF
which ran as high as las pages, there
were $3.50 volumes Of the Record
bound in buckram distributed by the
members Of Congress.
Talk is not as cheap in Congress as
many suppose. Senators and mem
bers of the House paid the public
printer last year total of $68 ,266. Is
for reprinting from the Record 17,lsl,-
$50 copies Of their speeches Tor per-
sonal distribution. The envelopes IN
which these speeches were franked out
(postage free) to constituents were also
supplied free to the Congressman,
although the bill for the envelopes cost
Uncle Sam $66,8l3.17.
The cost of printing the extensive
hearings held by committees of Con.
gress is increasing each year. Last
year the printing bill for this item
alone was $275, 328.76. For the last
three years the aggregate cost to the
Government for printing these hearings
was $799, SAIL. The flood control
hearing was the largest last year,
occupying 5,406 pages.