DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 289 



requests of miscellaneous applicants, orders from the bureaus, offices, 

 and divisions of the department, to newspapers, and to other outside 

 agencies cooperatmg with the department; 2,896,241 copies of these 

 were sent upon requests of newspapers and other agencies, which 

 leaves a total of 3,603,585 copies distributed to actualmiscellaneous 

 applicants. 



The policy in handling miscellaneous requests, namely, of sending 

 about one-tenth of the number requested, where tlie applicant re- 

 quests more than one copy, and informing him that additional copies 

 may be secured by applying to some Senator or Ecprcsentative in 

 Congress, or that they may be secured by purchase from the Super- 

 intendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, has been main- 

 tained. 



Tlie work of distributmg the enormous number of pubhcations 

 above mentioned involves a great deal of clerical as well as manual 

 labor, although most of the latter is performed in the Office of the 

 Superintendent of Do('uments, Government Printing Office. Thou- 

 sands of individual pubhcations are carried in stock, and correct 

 records of this stock must be kept m order to furnish proper informa- 

 tion and regulate the distribution. La connection with this work 

 there are miutitudinous details, a knowledge of which can be acquired 

 only by long experience in the work of this office and the general 

 activities of the department. 



Congressional Distribution. 



In connection with the work of supplying the publications requested 

 by Members of Congress 51,409 orders were issued on the Office of the 

 Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Oflice. These 

 orders were for miscellaneous publications, or pubhcations other than 

 Fanners' Bulletins. It is estimated that these requests would average 

 five pubhcations and would aggregate approximately 257,045 miscel- 

 laneous pubhcations furnished at the request of Membei-s of Con- 

 gress. 



In the work of the congressional distribution of Farmers' Bulletins 

 there were received 57,553 letters requesting that Farmers' Bulletins^ 

 be sent to addresses either furnished on addressed franks by Members 

 of Congress or indicated in their lettere. 



In executing requests contained in this correspondence it was neces- 

 sary to issue 49,751 orders on the Office of the Superintendent of 

 Documents, Government Printing Office for the distribution of 

 8,811,150 copies, an increase of more than 35 per cent over the pre- 

 vious year. 



Involved in the congressional distribution was the sorting and 

 comiting of millions of franks, checking and comiting the aggregate 

 number of Farmers' Bulletins indicated on checked lists of Farmers' 

 Bulletins, substituting bulletins pertaining to the same subjects for 

 those the supply of which was exhausted, and in many cases making 

 a selection of bulletins to be sent at the request of a Senator or Kepre- 

 sentative. 



Tliis work is exceedingly heavy at times and taxes greatly the 

 capacity of the small force of persons engaged in handling it; and 

 there is a rush season, when it is very advisable in order to give 

 proper and efficient service that additional employees be assigned to 

 the work for two or three months. 



33382°— AGK 1917 19 



