Part 25 (1/2)

Mr. CHANEY. By how much?

Mr. SOLBERG. I have not been able to ascertain the exact figures for printing, but I should suppose that the balance might be some thousands of dollars against the office.

The CHAIRMAN. You have some figures, Mr. Remich; you made some statement earlier in your remarks upon that subject.

Mr. REMICH. Yes, sir. I took this leaf from the report, and I will read it. This is the last year's report of the office:

The earned fees paid into the Treasury for the year ($78,518) exceeded the amount expended for salaries, which was $74,600.37.

The additional expenditures during the year for stationery and other supplies can not at this date be obtained from the chief clerk of the Library, but for the first six months of the year they amounted to but $309.63, and the year's contingent expenditures, therefore, should be under $1,000. The yearly average for the last five years has been $954.29.

Then they say:

The appropriations for 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, and the first half of the fiscal year 1906 include the sum of $25,740, to be used in bringing up the arrears of work prior to July 1, 1897, which amount should therefore be deducted from the total sum for appropriations for service as not properly a charge upon the current work of the office, leaving the excess of fees earned over appropriations used for service $125,675.39 for the eight and one-half years.

The copyright fees are not, however, the most valuable a.s.sets of the office. During the year the articles deposited and credited numbered 213,498 articles. This large deposit of books, periodicals, maps, music, engravings, photographs, etc., includes many articles of considerable value which the Library of Congress would otherwise be required to purchase, and these articles therefore represent an annual acquisition of property to the value of many thousands of dollars.

Mr. CHANEY. But they do not produce any money.

Mr. REMICH. They do not produce any money--that is so; but they save you making an appropriation. This saves the Appropriations Committees of both House and Senate from appropriating money each year to buy these things that you would otherwise have to buy to place upon the shelves of the Library. Now, I want to do my share, and I want my business to do its share, toward supporting this Government. But I do not think, in view of this report, that there is any good reason why this great, rich Government should place this increased burden upon our industry.

Mr. CHANEY. Do you not argue unfairly when you undertake to bring in the Library as against the proposition?

Mr. REMICH. I am not trying to bring in the Library as against the proposition. Every author has to file two copies of his book, and they are placed in the Library. I say that if they did not do that, Mr.

Putnam, the Librarian, would have to take money out of his appropriation and buy these books. I should suppose that that would be so. Otherwise he would not say that they were of great value. I am willing, if they want to make a certificate of every view we have and send to us, for any convenience of the office, to take them; but to force us to pay for thousands and thousands of certificates, which will make it impossible for us to make a profit in the manufacture of our goods at the close margin under which the business is conducted under our contracts, would be a hards.h.i.+p, and I do not believe you want to drive us out of business in that way.

Mr. CHANEY. We certainly do not want to drive you out of business.

Mr. REMICH. It seems to me that it would have that effect.

Mr. CHANEY. But I take it that the Librarian's purpose was to try to make this thing pay its way.

Mr. REMICH. I have no doubt about that. Mr. Putnam and Mr. Solberg have told me that by this consolidation of subjects many certificates could be saved. I should be glad to comply with their suggestion if our business was of such a character that we could do this series work; but you can see the difficulties.

Mr. PUTNAM. We want to be as clear as possible, and to meet this difficulty. Let me ask you this: Do you not do any series work, or is it only that you do not do work in a series under this limitation as to pose or composition?

Mr. REMICH. We do not do that cla.s.s of work.

Mr. PUTNAM. If the words ”only in pose or composition” were stricken out, would there be a material reduction in your fees? In the first place, it seems to me that it would be convenient for us to know--how many copyright entries do you make in the course of a year?

Mr. REMICH. I can not tell.

Mr. PUTNAM. Have you any idea?

Mr. REMICH. It varies with different years.

Mr. PUTNAM. Would it run up into thousands?

Mr. REMICH. Some years I think it does.