Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-04-07
GP0 Indifferent
ToFuss Over
Budget Cutting
Worlds Biggest Print
Shop Gets No Funds,
But Makes q Profit
BY Hugh Humphrey

BY Hugh Humphrey
When the annual spring budget
cutting festival gets into higl
gear on Capitol Hill, there's on
Federal outfit that views the en-
tire multi-billion dollar debat
with complete indifference.
The worlds largest printing
plant, the Government Printing
Office, doesn't have to ask Con
gress for money. It gets no appro
priation, yet this year 1t will turn
out record 500 million in bust
ness, with a stable net profit fo
the Treasury.
1t never worries about imitation
or depression. AS long as mem.
bers Of Congress make Speeche.
and Government officials write
orders and documents, the prod.
ucts of the GPO will be in de.
mand.
Operated like a giant private
industry, it produces more thar
10000 different printed items
each month, ranging from beau.
tifully illustrated books to the
now-not-So-lowly two-cent poSta.
card.
Printers Word Stands.
After economy minded law
makers dig into departmental
budgets, they send for John j
Deviny, public printer and tor
man in the GPO. With price lists
in hand and an eye on protection
Of his profitable business-like Or
ganization, the 70-year-old Mr.
Deviny drops around.
He listens patiently while f1scaI
experts explain why a certain
agency's printing bill must be cut
Then he always gives the legisla.
tors two choices:
THAT agency can either Stor
writing so many orders and spe.
cial documents or you can in.
crease its printing budget. The
GPO price is rock-bottom, anc
you can't get it cheaper"
Mr.. Deviny, who was born neal
the site of the sprawling GPC
Building at North Capitol anc
H streets, is the first civil service
career man to become Public
Printer. The original possessor Of
the title, John D. Defrees, WA
appointed by President Lincoln ir
1861. Before that time, officia
Government printing work was
done by private shops.
Agencies Must Payer Else.
Like his predecessors, Mr.. De-
viny-who now lives at 3571
Brandywine street N.W.-is con.
cerned primarily with keeping
GPO on a sound financial basis
His bookkeeping department bills
each Federal agency by the month
for printing orders delivered. II
an agency is slow in settling its
account, the GPO collection de-
partment swings into action, send
ing duns and letters requesting
prompt payment.
When the deficiency days ar.
rive, his planning experts take nc
chances. They keep a close watch
on the financial condition of evers
agency and Office and if an order
is received from a department
whose funds have run out, the
red flag is up. It's cash on the
barrelhead then-or no work.
Best known for the Capitol's
daily newspaper-the Congress.
sional Record-the GPO's 1850
employees work around the clock
to produce an average of 10000
printed words each day on al
jobs. The Record, ranging from
Is pages to more than 450-de.
pending on the vocal abilities Of
Congress-averages 42,500 copie!
nightly.
Besides making money for thu
Government, the GPO also serve:
as an unofficial back-stopper fol
Congress. There have been times
many times-when a lawmakel
inadvertently introduced into the
Record some comment or letter
that could have been embarras.
sing in public print.
They Get Them Out of Bed.
The GPO's editors never hest
tate to rouse a member of Con.
gress from bed at midnight to ash
if he really intended such com.
ment. The score for good catche:
Is heavily in favor of the editors
Hurry-up orders are no particu-
lar problem, thanks to the more
than 5000 skilled craftsmen II
the 33-acres of working space
Last fall, when the rate on post.
cards was jumped to two cents
the GPO started production Of
the new cards. From November
to December 26, it turned out
exactly one billion. five days be.
fore the January l deadline.
Little known to many persons
almost half Of the GPO work /!
farmed out to private printing
plants on standard rate scale
which is a bit higher than GPO's
1--WE just can't handle it all here.
Mr.. Deviny says.
Closed to Visitors.
Oddly, the GPO is closed tt
visitors despite its obvious tours
attractions. A large number o
secret papers is printed eacl
month and the Strictest securit,
regulations are enforcerd.
Most money from its sales
the books and pamphlets usual,
have a low price tag-is pure grav
for GPO. The type is already sc
and initial cost has been borne b.
some agency. The sale Of thes
publications is well over the mil
lion mark each year and MAJ
order business alone accounts 70
more than 100000 items.
Profit? Approximately SIS mil
lion net.
Like any book shop, the Docu
ments Room has its best seller,
Nerennio1 fav0Y.itn which ha