Chapter XCI. *to provide for executing the Public Printing, and establishing the Prices thereof, and for other Purposes.*August 26, 1852. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,* Joint resolution of August 3, 1846, repealed
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Chap. XCI.— An Act *to provide for executing the Public Printing, and establishing the Prices thereof, and for other Purposes.*August 26, 1852. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,* Joint resolution of August 3, 1846, repealed.That the joint resolution entitled “Joint Resolution directing the manner of procuring the Vol. ix. p. 113.printing for each house of Congress,” approved August third, eighteen hundred and forty-six, be and the same is hereby repealed.
Sec. 2. *And be it further enacted,*Superintendent of public printing.That there shall be a superintendent of the public printing, who shall bold his office for the term of two years, Salary.who shall receive for his services a salary of twenty-five hundred dollars per annum, and who shall give bond with two sureties to be approved Bond.by the Secretary of the Interior, in the penalty of twenty thousand dollars, for the faithful discharge of his duties under this law. The saidTHIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS.
Sess. I. Ch. 91. 1852.31superintendent shall be a practical printer, versed in the various branches of the arts of printing and book-binding, and he shall not be interestedQualifications. directly or indirectly in any contract for printing for Congress or for any department or bureau of the government of the United States. The first superintendent under this law shall hold his office until the commencementTerm of Office. of the thirty-third Congress, and the superintendents thereafter appointed shall hold their offices for two years, commencing with the first day of the session of each Congress.
Sec. 3. *And be it further enacted,*That it shall be the duty of saidHis duties. superintendent to receive from the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives all matter ordered by Congress to be printed, and from the several chiefs of departments and heads of bureaus all matter ordered by them respectively, to be printed at the public expense, and to keep a faithful account of the same, in the order in which the same shall be received, in a book or books to be by him kept for that purpose.
He shall deliver said matter to the public printer or printers in the order in which it shall he received, unless otherwise ordered by the joint committee on printing. He shall inspect the work, when executed by the public printer or printers, and shall record in a book or books, to be by him kept for that purpose, the dates at wliich the returns of said work are made and whether the same is executed in a neat and workmanlike manner, upon the paper furnished to the public printers by said superintendent, and the amount allowed by said superintendent for the said printing.
It shall be his duty to supervise the execution of the public printing, to inspect the work when executed, and to see that the same is done with neatness and despatch; to report every failure or delinquency of duty on the part of the public printer, and from time to time to report the said delinquencies to the joint committee of Congress on printing. He shall issue his certificate for the amount due to theHis certificate of work done, to be a voucher and not to be transferable. public printer for such work as shall have been faithfully executed, which certificate shall be made payable to the public printer at the treasury of the United States, and shall not be assignable or transferable by indorsement or delivery to any third party.
Said certificate of the superintendent shall be a sufficient voucher for the comptroller to pass, and for the treasurer, upon the order of the second comptroller, to pay the same. Sec. 4. *And be it further enacted,*That it shall be the duty of theProposals for paper to be advertised by the superintendent. said superintendent of the public printing to advertise annually in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, New Orleans, Louisville, and Cincinnati, for the space of sixty days prior to the first of December, for sealed proposals to furnish the government of the United States all paper which may be necessary for the execution of the public printing, of quality and in quantity to be specified in the said advertisements from year to year.
He shall open such proposals as may be made, inProposals, how and when opened. the presence of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of December annually, provided a Speaker shall have been elected, or as soon thereafter as a Speaker shall be elected, and shall award the contractContracts, how awarded. for furnishing all of said paper, or such class thereof as may be bid for to the lowest bidder, whose sample, accompanying his bid, shall most nearly approximate to the quality of paper (size, weight, and texture all considered) advertised for by the said superintendent.
The sample offered with the bid accepted shall be preserved by the said superintendent, and it shall be his duty to compare these with the paper furnished by the public contractor; and he shall not accept any paper from the contractor which does not conform to the sample preserved as aforesaid. It shall be the duty of the superintendent of the public printing to deliver the paper for the printing of the United States upon32THIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 91. 1852.Paper to be supplied and charged to the public printer.the requisitions of the public printer or printers, and to charge him or them therewith; and as the printing is returned and passed by the said superintendent, he shall credit the public printer with the quantity used in the public service.
It shall be the duty of said superintendent to have Account of paper supplied, to be balanced at least yearly, or reported to Congress.the requisitions of the printer and the returns of paper by the printer balanced at least once in each year, and in default thereof to report the same to Congress for such proceedings as Congress may direct. In default of any contractor under this law to comply with his contract in Provision in case of default of the contractor for paper.furnishing the paper in proper time and of proper quality, the superintendent is authorized to advertise for proposals, as hereinbefore provided, and award the contract to the lowest bidder; and for any increase of cost to the government in procuring a proper supply of paper for the use of the government, the contractor in default and his securities shall be charged with and held responsible for the same, and shall be prosecuted upon their bond, by the superintendent, in the name of the United States, in the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Columbia.
Sec. 5. *And be it further enacted,*Within what time the public printing shall be done.That the public printer shall be required to execute each job of printing intrusted to him within thirty days from the date of its delivery by the superintendent, except bills, reports, and joint resolutions, which shall be returned as the Clerk of the House, or Secretary of the Senate shall require, unless, for good reasons shown, the superintendent of printing shall extend the time. And should the printer detain any matter, longer than thirty days, a deduction of five per centum shall be made by the superintendent, from the account of the printer, for such job, and an additional deduction of five per centum for an additional detention of twenty days.
If tire public printer shall detain such matter for sixty days, the superintendent shall withdraw it entirely, and shall employ another printer to execute the same with promptness, upon the terms provided by law; and in such case the public printer shall not be allowed therefor. Sec. 6. *And be it further enacted,*Superintendent not to be interested.That the superintendent of the public printing shall not be directly or indirectly interested in the business of the public printing, or in any material to be used by the public printer, or in any contract for furnishing paper to Congress or to Penalty for violation of this provision.any department or bureau of the government of the United States.
For any violation of this provision the superintendent of the public printing shall forfeit his office, and may be indicted before the District Court for the District of Columbia, and if found guilty, shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary of the District of Columbia for any term not less than one nor more than five years, and in addition thereto, may be fined in any sum from one thousand to ten thousand dollars. Sec. 7. *And be it further enacted,*By which Printer the printing is to be done. 1854, ch. 60, § 6.That when any document shall be ordered to be printed by both houses of Congress, the entire printing of such document shall be done by the printer of that house which first Provision when each house orders the same printing.ordered the same.
And whenever the same person or the same firm shall be printer for both houses of Congress, and both houses shall order the same document to be printed within tliree weeks of the same time, composition shall be charged but once for said document; and no sum shall be paid to said printer for altering the headings from the form in which he printed them first to the form or forms in which such document shall afterwards be printed. Sec. 8. *And be it further enacted,*Each house of Congress to elect a printer.That there shall be elected a public printer for each House of Congress, to do the public printing for the Congress for which he or they may be chosen, and such printing for the executive departments and bureaus of the government of the United States as may be delivered to him or them to be printed, by the superintendent Rates of compensation for printing.of the public printing.
The following rates of compensation shall be paid from time to time for such printing as may be ordered by Congress:— THIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 91. 1852.33 First.For bills and joint resolutions— For composition per page, fifty cents. For presswork, folding, and stitching, for five hundred and eighty copies, thirty-two and a half cents per page: and at the same rate per page for any greater number not exceeding one thousand copies. Second.For reports of comittees and the journals of both houses,Reports, documents &c. with indexes, and the executive documents of each house, embracing messages from the President, reports from the executive departments, bureaus, and offices, and documents and statements communicated therewith, with indexes; resolutions and other documents from State legislatures; memorials, petitions, treaties, and confidential documents for the Senate; for composition per page, octavo— For small pica plain, one dollar.
For small pica rule, one dollar and fifty cents. For brevier plain, one dollar and fifty cents. For brevier rule, two dollars. For nonpareil rule, three dollars and seventy-five cents. For the composition of tables larger than octavo size, per one thousandTables. Size of page. ems, seventy cents; but the page of octavo size shall contain not less than one thousand six hundred ems when printed in small pica; and the body of all plain matter shall be so printed, except extracts, yeas and nays, and addenda, which shall be printed with brevier type.
All rule and figure work shall be printed in royal octavo form, withRule and figure-work. small pica, each page containing not less than one thousand six hundred ems, if the matter to be printed can be brought into pages of that size with that kind of type, so as to be read with facility and convenience. If it cannot, it shall be printed with brevier type, each page containing not less than two thousand eight hundred ems; and if it cannot be brought into a royal octavo page with brevier type, so as to be under-stood with facility, it shall be printed with nonpareil type, each page containing not less than four thousand two hundred ems; and when it cannot be brought into a royal octavo page with nonpareil type, so as to be read with facility, it shall be printed with brevier type in a broadside, showing the whole table at one view, and be so filled that it can be bound in a royal octavo volume.
When matter is leaded, the composition shall be counted as ifLeader matter. the matter were printed *solid,* and not leaded. For presswork, folding, and stitching of royal octavo size—•Presswork, &c. For twelve hundred and fifty copies, thirty-two and a half cents per page, and at the same rate for any greater number not exceeding fifteen hundred copies. For presswork, folding, and stitching of each table larger than royal octavo size— For twelve hundred and fifty copies, one dollar and twenty-five cents per page, and at the same rate for any number not exceeding fifteen hundred copies.
The following deductions on account of folding and stitching copies reserved for binding, shall be made:— For royal octavo size, per page, for each hundred copies, one quarter of a cent; for each table larger than octavo, one quarter of a cent; and the following additional charge shall be allowed for trimming, folding, and stitching, and inserting each map, chart, diagram, or plat in the copies not reserved for binding; for every hundred copies, ten cents. There shall be allowed for the presswork on treaties, reports, and other documents, when ordered to be printed in confidence, for the use of the Senate, at the following rates:— For the presswork, folding, and stitching of sixty-five copies, six cents per page, when of the royal octavo size, and one dollar per page, for sixty-five copies, when the matter cannot be contained in the royal34THIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS.
Sess. I. Ch. 91. 1852.octavo page in any type hereinbefore specified; and allowance shall be made at the same rates for any greater number of copies than sixty-five, and not exceeding one hundred. Third.Other matter.For tabular statements of the orders of the day, lists of yeas and nays, circular letters, and miscellaneous printing ordered by Congress, not hereinbefore specified— For composition for plain work, per thousand ems, fifty cents. For rule and figure work, fifty cents per thousand ems.
For presswork, folding, and stitching one hundred copies, per page— For royal octavo, or any smaller size, ten cents. For quarto post, twenty cents. For foolscap and any larger size, twenty cents. But the following deductions shall be made from the presswork, folding, and stitching additional numbers to the number usually ordered by Congress of matter included in the foregoing specifications, to wit: When the number ordered exceeds five thousand and does not exceed ten thousand, two per centum.
When the number exceeds ten thousand and does not exceed twenty thousand, five per centum. When the number exceeds twenty thousand, forty per centum. The presswork, folding, and stitching, of all printing not herein provided Other press-work, &c.for, shall be done by the ream—the rates shall be two dollars per ream when printed on one side, and four dollars per ream when printed on both sides—when any amount less than one ream is ordered, it shall be counted and settled for as one ream.
Sec. 9. *And be it further enacted,*Kind of paper to be used and size of page.That the regular numbers of documents ordered by Congress shall be printed in octavo form, on paper weighing not less than fifty-six pounds for every four hundred and eighty sheets, and measuring twenty-four by thirty-eight inches; and the extra numbers shall be printed on paper weighing not less than forty-five pounds for every four hundred and eighty sheets, and measuring twenty-four by thirty-eight inches.
The paper for any other species of printing ordered by Congress, may be of such size and quality as the superintendent of the public printing may deem suitable and proper. Sec. 10. *And be it further enacted,*Night work may be required.That the public printer or printers may be required by the superintendent to work at night as well as through the day upon the public printing, during the session of Congress, when the exigencies of the publie service require it. Sec. 11. *And be it further enacted,*Price to be paid departmental printing.That the same prices shall be paid for printing for the executive departments that are paid for printing for Congress, except for printing post-bills, which shall be printed on paper not less than sixteen by twenty-six inches, and for printing on parchment.
There shall be paid for printing the post-bills at the rate of one dollar per thousand sheets, and at the rate of ten dollars per thousand for printing parctiments; but nothing shall be allowed for altering post-bills when the alteration consists in the mere change of a postmaster’s name: and notliing herein contained shall prevent the heads of executive departments from employing printers out of the city of Washington, to execute such printing for any of said departments as may be required for use out of Washington, when the same can be executed elsewhere as cheap as at the rates herein specified, increased by the cost of transporting the printed matter to the State or States where such matter may be required for use in the public service.
Sec. 12. *And be it further enacted,*Joint Committee on Printing to be appointed.That a committee, consisting of three members of the Senate and three members of the House of Representatives, shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, to be called the Joint Committee on the Public Their powers, and duties.Printing, which committee shall have a right to decide between the superintendent of the public printing and the public printer in any disputeTHIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS.
Sess. I. Ch. 92. 1852.35 which may arise as to the propriety of the decisions of the superintendent making deductions on account of work which the superintendent may refuse to receive, or which, in his opinion, may not be done with proper despatch, as required by law; and the said committee shall pass upon the accounts of the superintendent of the public printing. Said committee shall have power to adopt such measures as may be deemed necessary to remedy any neglect or delay in the execution of the public printing, provided that no contract, agreement, or arrangement entered into by this committee shall bike effect until the same shall have been approved by that house of Congress to which the printing belongs, and when the printing delayed relates to the business of both houses, until both houses shall have approved of such contract or arrangement.
AllMotions to print extra copies to be referred. motions to print extra copies of any bill, report, or other public document, shall be referred to the members of the Committee on Printing from the house in which the same may be made. Sec. 13. *And be it further enacted,*That all acts or joint resolutionsConflicting acts, &c. repealed. conflicting with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize the cancelmentSubsisting contracts to remain in force. of any contract now or heretofore entered into with any printer under the laws heretofore in force, or to abrogate his rights in any way without his consent.
Nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize theCensus printing. printing of the census, but the same shall be done as may be provided by law hereafter. Approved, August 26, 1852.