United States Congressional Serial Set Volume 2887

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1891 Excerpt: ...of Committee on Appropriations: Dear Sir: I beg to call your attention to the Milligan steam plate-printing presses that were put out of use in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the 1st of July, 1889, on account of the clause in the "sundry civil appropriation bill" for the fiscal year 1890 forbidding the Secretary of the Treasury from usiug them after Jnue 30, 1889, unless the owners and patentees would signify their willingness to accept a royalty of one cent per thousand impressions for their use, which they did not do. This rate of royalty would hnve amounted to about 8i a year upon each press, or abont §150 dollars a year for the whole eighteen, instead of the $1 per thousand impressions the Government had been paying and had agreed to pay for I heir use, so long us it used them. We request your committee to insert in the "sundry civil appropriation hill" for 1892, at the point where you specify the amount for plato printing, the following: "and for royalty at not exceeding one dollar per thousand impressions for tho use of steam plate-printing machines." The records of the Bureau show that for every dollar the Government paid for the use of these machines, it saved five dollars. That each machine saved.$5,000 a year. That the eighteen steam presses saved the Government $300 a day. That the cost of doing tho work by hand was two and a quarter limes as much. That the quality ot tho work done on the steam presses was just as good as the same printing done on the hand presses, and more uniform. Since the steam presses have been put out the Government has not been able to get its work done. That the supply t hat was on hand when they wore put out has been exhausted, and the Government does not now have and has not f...