No. 7. Showing the estimated cost of work unfinished on the 30th of September, 1869. No. 8. Comparative aggregate statement showing the earnings and disbursements for the year ending September 30, 1869.

No. 9. Showing the number of hands employed, the length of time each was employed, and the amount earned by each, for the year ending September 30, 1869.

COST OF THE PUBLIC PRINTING AND BINDING.

· Statements No. 1 and No. 2 will show the approximate cost of the public printing and binding for each department of the government during the year ending on the 30th of September, 1869, as it appears on the books of this office. Statement No. 1, exhibiting the cost of the printing, binding, and lithographing and engraving for Congress, is given very much in detail, with the view of showing the cost, as nearly as is practicable, of each of the annual reports and other public documents which were printed in excess of the usual number, (1,550 copies, and fifty copies for the use of the Librarian of Congress, under a resolution of Congress,) and the manner in which they were authorized to be distributed. The actual disbursements of the office, as detailed in Statements Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, were as follows:

For the public printing

For paper for the public printing

For the public binding.....

For lithographing and engraving for Congress..

For mapping for the Supreme Court of the United States

For salaries, &c., in the office of the Congressional Printer.

$563,300 76

399,798 51

385, 219 41

145,370 51

1,037 50

12,514 00

By reference to Statement No. 1 it will be seen that a large number of the public documents ordered to be printed, either by law, by order of the Senate, or the House of Representatives, were for distribution by the executive departments and bureaus.

The amount realized during the year from the sale of paper, paper shavings, documents, &c., is $22,669 79, which has been deposited in the treasury of the United States, as required by law.

The following table exhibits the disbursements of this office, under their respective headings, during the years ending September 30, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, and 1869, viz:

DISTRIBUTION OF THE PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.

Inquiry is frequently made as to the manner in which the usual or regular number (1,600) of executive and miscellaneous documents and reports of committees are distributed; as also the bills and joint resolutions, of which 750 copies are printed. This information is given in the following statement:

The reserved documents are bound in volumes of appropriate size, (in sheep and calf,) and are distributed as follows:

Such number of extra copies of the public documents are printed as are authorized by law, or may be directed by the special order of the Senate and House of Representatives; and these are distributed in the manner directed by law or by the house ordering them.

PAPER FOR PRINTING.

The fourth section of the act of July 27, 1866, gives to the Joint Committee on Printing the exclusive control of contracting for paper for the public printing, and of "fixing a standard of paper for the different

descriptions of congressional and executive printing." Under the direction of the committee contracts were entered into for supplying any required quantities of the various kinds for the year ending on the 31st December, 1869, with the following persons:

CLASS 1.-Fine uncalendered Printing Paper, 24 by 38 inches, 45 pounds per ream of 500 sheets: William H. Hoffman, of Baltimore, Md., 1,500 reams at $6 25.05 per ream, and 1,500 reams at $6 38.1 per ream.

Emanuel Shober, of Lancaster, Pa., 19,000 reams (more or less) at $6 467 per ream. CLASS 2.-Fine calendered Printing Paper :

William J. Bryan, of New York, N. Y., 9,000 reams (more or less) 24 by 38 inches, 53 pounds per ream of 500 sheets, at $9 25.91 per ream; and 1,000 reams 22 by 34 inches, 44 pounds per ream of 500 sheets, at $7 68.68 per ream.

CLASS 3.-Superfine Printing Paper, hard-sized and supercalendered, 24 by 32 inches, 45 pounds per ream of 500 sheets:

Richard Kingsland, of Franklin, N. J., 1,000 reams, at $7 87 per ream.

CLASS 4.-Map Paper:

Richard Kingsland, of Franklin, N. J., 1,000 reams (more or less) of such sizes and weights as might be required, at 174 cents per pound.

CLASS 5.-Writing Papers:

H. M. Clarke & Co., of Boston, Mass., 21,300 reams (more or less) of such sizes and weights as might be required, at 211 cents per pound.

CLASS 6.-Paper for post office blanks :

William H. Hoffman, of Baltimore, Md., 3,100 reams (more or less) of several sizes and weights, at 16.23 cents per pound.

Statement No. 4, appended to this report, exhibits the exact quantity of each kind of paper purchased during the year ending on the 30th of September, 1869, and the cost per ream. The aggregate amount expended was $399,798 51. There remained on hand at the end of the year papers of various kinds, as will be seen by reference to the same statement, amounting in value to $136,389 25.

All the papers furnished under contract during the year 1869 were purchased at a little lower rate than they were in 1868—the average being about seven and one-half per cent. less than in the year previous.

I would respectfully suggest that the range of papers to meet the current wants of the Government Printing Office is too narrow, and that it be enlarged so as to avoid, if possible, the necessity of applying to the Secretary of the Interior for authority to purchase in the open market. I have purchased in open market, under authority from the Secretary of the Interior of date September 2, 1869, of Jessup & Moore, 1,200 reams of fine calendered printing paper, 24 by 38 inches, 70 pounds to the ream, at $12 214 per ream, no such papers being supplied under the existing contracts.

I regret to state that in some cases there has been considerable difficulty in keeping the quality of the contract papers up to the standard adopted by the Committee on Printing. This was especially the case

as to the contract of Emanuel Shober. The closest inspection, attended with much labor, has been exercised in respect to his papers, and they have proved so uniformly faulty that only 3,903 reams have been ac cepted from him. During last summer three hundred and twenty-one reams were culled from his deliveries and rejected.

In this connection I will suggest a remedy for the evils incident upon the present system of soliciting and accepting proposals for supplying paper to this office. An amendment to the existing law authorizing these contracts, which would confer upon the Joint Committee on Printing a wider discretion in accepting or rejecting bids, as is the case in other departments of the government, in my judgment would insure healthier competition, and a more favorable grade of contracts so far as quality and price are concerned.

LITHOGRAPHING AND ENGRAVING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS.

The aggregate amount paid for this character of work was $145,370 51, the details of which will be found in Statement No. 6. The illustrations accompanying the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents on Arts and Manufactures absorb the principal part of the appropriation for lithographing and engraving, those for the report for 1868 costing $95,112. They are indispensable to a proper understanding of the report, and are very handsomely executed, at prices which are deemed reasonable for the character of the engravings. Proposals for this work are invited by public advertisement yearly, and the contract is awarded by the Joint Committee on Printing to the lowest bidder for the style of work advertised for.

MAPPING FOR THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Some of the records of the Supreme Court of the United States which are ordered to be printed are accompanied by maps, plats, diagrams, &c., and a small number of copies in fac-simile, on tracing linen, are required for the use of the court. These, for the last year, cost the sum of $1,037 50.

THE PUBLIC BINDING.

The amount expended on account of the public binding during the year ending on the 30th of September, 1869, was $385,219 41, the details of which will be found in Statement No. 5. The value of the materials on hand at the end of the year was $52,545 47, being $1,157 98 in excess of the amount remaining over at the end of the preceding year.

CONDITION OF THE PUBLIC PRINTING AND BINDING.

Attached to Statement No. 1 will be found a list of the documents, &c., unfinished on the 30th of September, 1869, the end of the year for which the statistical portion of this report is made up.

CUSTOM-HOUSE AND POST-OFFICE PRINTING.

In July last, under the law of Congress to that effect, the Commissioner of Customs transferred to the Government Printing Office all the printing and binding for all the custom-houses of the United States. This work had been previously done by private printing offices in the several localities where the customs were collected, and the transfer suddenly precipitated a large amount of business upon the resources of this office. For instance, during the first month after this change orders were received for 4,416 blank books, printed and plain, of all sizes from cap to imperial, and for 1,510,300 blanks of all the sizes in use for the customs service. During the next month thereafter the orders amounted to 1,526 blank books and 682,500 blanks, similar in character to those already alluded to. I refer to this matter more especially to show the rapid increase of business in this office.

The Post Office Department is also concentrating its entire printing and binding in this office, which, with the customs work, has already increased the item of blank-book binding alone at least one hundred per cent. over any former period.

SPECIFICATION DEPARTMENT.

This department takes in the printing of the Patent Office specifications and claims, which, until November, 1868, was executed at private offices in this city, and paid for by the Patent Office. At the date above mentioned that printing was added to the business of this office, and the expense has since been borne by it. It now employs one assistant foreman, two proof-readers, two copy-holders, one maker-up, thirty-three compositors, and two laborers.

BRANCH OFFICE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.

On or about the 11th of May last I received the following letter from the Secretary of the Treasury:

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, May 11, 1869.

SIR: Heretofore it has been the practice of the Treasury Department to have printing for the use of the department done within the Treasury building. By the existing law the departments are required to order all the printing necessary for the government service from the Government Printer. This course causes considerable inconvenience to the department, and, inasmuch as there are in the Treasury building several printing presses and other material for doing the work, it seems practicable to those who have had the most experience in business that you should take possession of these printing presses and materials and establish a branch office here, at which the work for the Treasury may be done.

Should this arrangement meet your views, I should be glad to have you take steps to carry it into effect.

Very respectfully,

GEORGE S. BOUTWELL,

Secretary.

A. M. CLAPP, Esq.,

Public Printer U. S., Washington, D. C.