Summer Hangovers

Though Congress vacated the Capitol fortnight ago, its manifold committees, regular, special, select and joint, were left last week with plenty of summer work to do. The House and Senate had ordered a mass of investigations, probes, surveys, inquiries, studies, inquests and hearings, each of which meant toil and travel for one or more members at public expense.

At summer sessions, Senate committees will dig into: 1) Indian conditions; 2) post office leases; 3) wild life; 4) the Alaska Railroad; 5) commercial relations with China; 6) the Farm Board; 7) air and ocean mail subsidies; 8) the failure of retail wheat, meat and sugar prices to drop with commodity prices; 9) stock exchange practices; 10) the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation; 11) the effect of depressed foreign currency values on imports; 12) the Department of Justice's handling of Cleveland's Union Mortgage Co. case; 13) water resources of the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Kern Rivers; 14) rents in the District of Columbia; 15) campaign expenditures; 16) R. F. C. loans; 17) the Columbia and Snake rivers; 18) Government economy; 19) the St. Lawrence Seaway treaty.

Meanwhile House Committees will explore: 1) Government competition with private industry; 2) aid to veterans; 3) campaign expenditures; 4) railroad holding companies.

The Congressional Record, costing $58 per page, does not stop with Congress. For ten days after adjournment it continues to appear as a supplement containing the oratorical leftovers of the session. Into it are also rammed members' undelivered speeches ("extension of remarks"), newspaper articles, addresses by outsiders --a wordy overflow for campaign purposes.

Last week appeared an 89-page supplement issue of the Record (cost $5,262) which, among other things, contained: 1) $522 worth of unemployment data from Colorado's Senator Costigan; 2) $319 worth of speeches by outsiders from Iowa's Senator Brookhart; 3) $145 worth of tax views from Illinois Representative Keller; 4) $116 worth of "The American Post-office in Colonial Days" from New York's Representative Mead; 5) $520 worth of "Pressing National Questions" from Wisconsin's Representative Nelson; 6) $290 worth of ''Scots and Scottish Influence in Congress" from South Dakota's Senator Norbeck; 7) $58 worth of "Economy in Government" from North Carolina's Representative Bulwinkle.

Public Printer for Congress and the Government is George H. Carter (salary: $10,000). In his massive red brick plant near Union Station, he heads the largest printing shop in the world. His payroll numbers 4,845. In 1931 he made and used 185,885 Ib. of ink, 83,957 Ib. of bindery glue. He bought $2,692,297 worth of paper on which 88,524,736 copies of Government publications were turned out.

The Government Printing Office works on a cost basis. For each & every government agency a printing appropriation is made by Congress which is paid to G. P. O. for work done. In fiscal 1932 G. P. O. did $14,323,524 worth of business. The year before it showed (by mistake) a 1/8 of 1% profit--$18,674. The 1933 appropriation for Congressional printing is $2,250,000. Of this sum between $600,000 and $700,000 will be used to get out the Congressional Record. The balance will go for the publication of committee hearings and reports, bills introduced, public documents ordered by Congress, directories, etc. etc.

But Congress is not the only Government agency that fritters its printing appropriations. Published within the last two months by G. P. O. for executive departments for public sale: Capons & Caponizing (5-c-); "I'm Alone" (10-c-); The Commercial Forcing of Lilies-of-the-Valley (10-c-); The Disinfection of Stables (5-c-); American and European Swords (357#162;); Poultry Keeping in Back Yards (10-c-); Specifications for Nail Pullers (5-c-); Outlook for the Mackerel Fishery (10-c-); Philippine Land Mollusks (5-c-).

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