officer of the Government who may desire to have his respective publications continued. 3. Resolved, That in determining what publications come within the designation of journals, magazines, periodicals, and other similar publications, the Joint Committee on Printing is of the opinion that section 11 of Public Act No. 314, Sixty-fifth Congress, does not apply to strictly administrative reports, statistical publications, and those required exclusively for the official use of the issuing office or service in the transaction of its routine business. Your attention is again invited to paragraphs Nos. 4, 5, and 6 of the committee's letter of April 16, 1919, compliance with which is respect fully requested. The committee's letter of March 12, 1919, has been designated as Regulations No. 1, and its letter of April 16, 1919, as Regulations No. 2, and they will hereafter be referred to as such. The present letter will be designated as Regulations No. 3. Respectfully, REED SMOOT, Chairman. DECISIONS OF THE COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY. CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, The COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY, Washington, D. C. May 3, 1919. DEAR SIR: The committee has been advised that several requests have already been referred to your office for opinions as to section 11 of Public Act No. 314, Sixty-fifth Congress, relating to the powers of the Joint Committee on Printing and the requirement that on and after July 1, 1919, certain printing, binding, and blank-book work shall be done at the Government Printing Office. As such opinions are of much concern to this committee also, I would appreciate it if copies of all opinions or decisions of your office relating to section 11 of Public Act No. 314 or otherwise concerning the Joint Committee on Printing or the public printing and binding could be sent to this committee as soon as issued, whether in manuscript or printed form. Will you also kindly advise me whether any opinion or decision has ever been rendered by your office or any other officer of the Government relative to the use of the multigraph machines by the Government and whether it has ever been held that such machines, equipped with self-inking roller devices, are, in fact, printing presses, thereby construing their output as printing within the meaning of section 87 of the printing act approved January 12, 1895, as amended by section 11 of public act No. 314, Sixty-fifth Congress, and section 31 of the act of 1895? Respectfully, EDGAR R. KIESS, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY, Hon. EDGAR R. KIESS, Washington, May 9, 1919. Acting Chairman Joint Committee of Congress on Printing. SIR: I have your letter of May 3, stating that you are advised that this office has rendered several decisions relating to the powers of the Joint Committee on Printing and the requirement contained in section 11 of the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act of March 1, 1919 (40 Stat., 1270), that on and after July 1, 1919, certain printing, binding, and blank-book work shall be done at the Government Printing Office, and requesting to be furnished with copies of these decisions. This office has rendered only two decisions relating to the subject referred to one to the Commission of Fine Arts, March 26, that the annual report of said commission was not a journal, etc., within the meaning of the act of March 1, 1919, supra; the other, under date of April 14, to the Postmaster General, with respect to the effect of the act referred to upon existing contracts for printing. Copies of these decisions are inclosed. With regard to your further inquiry, whether this office has rendered a decision relative to the use of multigraph machines by the Government, you are advised that it was held in 13 Comp. Dec., 712, that the use of a multigraph for work usually done on reproducing machines, such as the stylograph, hectograph, and mimeograph, is not "printing" within the meaning of section 87 of the act of January 12, 1895; also in 17 Comp. Dec., 349, the use of a printing press by the office of a Treasurer of the United States, to print certain words and figures upon blank checks so as to make them negotiable was held to be only a substitute for typewriting or ordinary writing, and thus not within section 87 of the act of January 12, 1895. Respectfully, W. W. WARWICK, Comptroller. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY, The POSTMASTER GENERAL. Washington, April 14, 1919. SIR: I have your letter of March 21, 1919, as follows: I transmit herewith a copy of a circular letter from the Joint Committee of Congress on Printing setting forth provisions of section 11 of Public Act No. 814, Sixty-fifth Congress, approved March 1, 1919, being an act making appropriations for the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920. This department now has contracts with private concerns which cover the furnishing of money-order forms, blanks, books, etc., up until November 30, 1919, printed facing slips up to June 30, 1920, and the printing of the Postal Guide up to June 30, 1920. It also makes contracts for postal savings engraved certificates and other forms for the use of the Division of Postal Savings, parcel post, C. O. D., and insurance tags, and tags for the Division of Foreign Mails. It also prints a pamphlet containing general postal information, a daily postal bulletin in Washington, D. C., both of which are furnished to and used by employees of the department in Washington and by employees of the postal field service, and miscellaneous jobs of printing at printing establishments attached to several of the larger post offices, for use in connection with the work of such offices and the work of the respective divisions of the Railway Mail Service. The act making appropriations for the service of the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920 (Public, No. 299), contains, upon page 5, an appropriation "for compensation of printers, etc." These printers are employed in small printing plants attached to large post offices, where there is considerable demand for small but urgent jobs of printing. The same act contains, under " Office of the Fourth Assistant Postmaster General," an appropriation "for stationery for the Postal Service, including blanks, books, printed and engraved matter * * *; the preparation, publication, and free distribution by postmasters to the public of pamphlets containing general postal information, etc." Your decision is requested as to whether, after July 1, 1919, it is necessary, under section 11 of the act approved March 1, 1919, for this department to have the printing work referred to above done at the Government Printing Office, if Tee on Printing determines it to be proper to have the work I those cases where there are existing contracts calling for 30. 1919: and, second, where there are no such contracts Then for the printing work contemplated by the act making For the service of the Post Office Department shall be made from erouriations contained therein or from the allotment for printing ed for the Post Office Department by the sundry civil act, now may become necessary for the department to take steps very The making of contracts effective commending July 1, 1919. “191e6 thereby, an early decision is requested. of the act of March 1. 1919 (40 Stat., -), provides: Committee on Printing shall have power to adopt and employ it its discretion, may be deemed necessary to remedy any Zig tion, or waste in the public printing and binding and the avtrument poblections: Provided. That hereafter no journal, o other similar publication shall be printed and issued is offiser of Die Government service unless the same shall have nurhorized by Congress, but such publications as are now being snacije kuthority from Congress may, in the discretion of the at Pening, de continued until the close of the next regular. chem if authority for their continuance is not then granted not thereafter be printed: Provided further, That on 166 8. peering, binding, and blank-book work for Congress, dos de fadio ary, and every executive department, independent of the Government shall be done at the Government varg sapa cisses of work as shall be deemed by the Joint Comto be anant or necessary to have done elsewhere than in mèng tor the exclusive use of any field service outside of said paragraph of your letter presents three ques on involves action by the joint committee which has Nor peken. It is for that committee to determine what 160 in connection with there being existing contracts. on there is no authority in this office to render a what would be the effect if affirmative action should be evely answers the second question also, as to where there td last question as to the appropriation under which 2:'d be made for printing work specifically appropriated e department service appropriation, is obscure, and taking voceration also that the sundry civil bill has not been enacted propriety of rendering a decision thereon is doubtful. ng the question has reference to printing required to be 50 Giovernment Printing Office by the third paragraph of !! 10 no reason why the specific appropriation for such should not be charged therewith and not the allotments ade under the sundry civil act. In other words, the requirew4raph 3, section 11, that the printing shall be done at out Printing Office does not in itself change the approhareable with such printing. PRINTING OF ANNUAL REPORTS. The annual report of the Commission of Fine Arts is not a "journal, magazine, periodical, or other similar publication" within the meaning of section 11 of the act of March 1, 1919, providing that no publication of that character shall be printed and issued by any branch of the Government unless specially authorized by Congress. Comptroller Warwick to the chairman Commission of Fine Arts, March 26, 1919: By your direction, I have a letter from Col. C. S. Ridley, secretary of the commission, requesting decision whether the annual report of the commission comes within the restrictions of a provision appearing in section 11 of the act of March 1, 1919 (Public, No. 314), which provides: SEC. 11. That the Joint Committee on Printing shall have power to adopt and employ such measures as, in its discretion, may be deemed necessary to remedy any neglect, delay, duplication, or waste in the public printing and binding and the distribution of Government publications: Provided, That hereafter no journal, magazine, periodical, or other similar publication shall be printed and issued by any branch or officer of the Government service unless the same shall have been specifically authorized by Congress, but such publications as are now being printed without specific authority from Congress may, in the discretion of the Joint Committee on Printing, be continued until the close of the next regular session of Congress, when, if authority for their continuance is not then granted by Congress, they shall not thereafter be printed: Provided further, That on and after July 1, 1919, all printing, binding, and blank-book work for Congress, the Executive Office, the judiciary, and every executive department, independent office, and establishment of the Government shall be done at the Government Printing Office, except such classes of work as shall be deemed by the Joint Committee on Printing to be urgent or necessary to have done elsewhere than in the District of Columbia for the exclusive use of any field service outside of said District. A copy of the report of the commission for the period June 30, 1916, to January 1, 1918, accompanies the submission. An examination of the report shows that it is like the annual reports of the departments or independent establishments. It gives an account of the official activities of the commission for the period of time covered by the report. Such reports are designed primarily to give the President and Congress information of what has been done by the department or establishment submitting the report, and is not primarily for the information of the public; that is, the main purpose of such reports is official rather than informational. I am of the opinion that the annual report of the commission is not a "journal, magazine, periodical, or other similar publication" within the meaning of section 11 of the act of March 1, 1919. |