Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives

of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

That upon the passage of this act the heads of each of the

executive and judicial departments at Washington, District of

Columbia, shall immediately cause estimates to be made of

the amount of stationery and other articles which will be

required by them for the ensuing year, which are now furnished

as stationery or under stationery contracts, and forward

the same to the Congressional Printer, who shall immediately

issue proposals for such articles and stationery and make

purchases of the same, in the manner and under the regulations

provided for in this act.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Congressional

Printer shall, at the beginning of each session of Congress,

submit to the Joint Committee on Public Printing estimates

of the quantity of paper, of all descriptions, which will, in his

opinion, be required for the public printing during the ensuing

year; and also estimates of the quantity and articles of

stationery required for each and all of the executive and judicial

departments at Washington, and for the Senate and House of

Representatives and the Congressional printing office.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the heads of

the several executive and judicial departments, and the Secretary

of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives,

shall, on or before the twentieth day of November, in

each year, furnish, or cause to be furnished, to the Congressional

Printer estimates of the articles and the quantity of each

which will be required for their several departments for the

year following.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the Joint Committee

on Public Printing shall then fix upon standards of

paper for the different descriptions of public printing, and for

all stationery and articles required, and the Congressional

Printer shall, under their direction, advertise in two newspapers

published in each of the cities of Boston, New York,

Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Cincinnati, and in

any other city where in their judgment it may become necessary,

for sealed proposals to furnish the government with

paper and all other articles of the quality and in the quantities

specified in the advertisement, which shall specify the

quantity and quality of all the articles required; and he shall

furnish to the applicants samples of the standard articles

which have been adopted.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the advertisements

for sealed proposals shall specify the minimum portion

of each article required for either three months, six months,

or one year, as the Joint Committee on Public Printing may

determine; but when the minimum portion so specified exceeds

in any case one thousand reams of paper, the advertisements

shall state that proposals will be received for one

thousand reams or more.

Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That all sealed proposals

to furnish any article shall be opened in the presence

of the Joint Committee on Printing, and the contracts shall be

awarded by the committee to the lowest and best bidder for

each article or class for the interest of the government; but

they shall not consider any proposal which is not accompanied

by satisfactory evidence that the person making it is a manufacturer

or dealer in the articles which he proposes to furnish,

and the said joint committee shall, in their award of each contract,

allow and designate a reasonable time for filling it.

Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That no contract

for furnishing paper or any other article shall be valid until it

has been approved by said joint committee, (if made under

their direction, or by the Secretary of the Interior, if made

under his direction,) according to the provisions of section

nine.

Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the Congressional

Printer shall compare all articles delivered by any contractor

with the standard of quality, and shall not accept any

article which does not conform to it; and in case of a difference

of opinion between the Congressional Printer and any

contractor with respect to the quality of any article furnished,

the matter of difference shall be determined by the Joint Committee

on Printing, or in the recess of Congress by the Secretary

of the Interior.

Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That in default of

any contractor to furnish the articles contracted for at the

proper time, or of the proper quality or weight, the Congressional

Printer shall report such default to the Joint Committee

on Public Printing if Congress is in session, or to the

Secretary of the Interior if Congress is not in session; and

he shall, under the direction of the Joint Committee on

Public Printing, or of the Secretary of the Interior, as the

case may be, enter into a new contract with the lowest and

best bidder for the interest of the government among those

whose proposals were rejected at the last opening of bids, or

he shall advertise for new proposals, under the regulations

concerning advertisements for proposals hereinbefore stated;

and during the interval which may thus occur he shall, under

the direction of the Joint Committee on Public Printing, or

of the Secretary of the Interior, as above provided, purchase

in open market, at the lowest market price, all such articles

necessary for use.

Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That in case of any

contractor's default to comply with this contract he and his

securities shall be charged with and held responsible for any

increase of cost to the government in procuring the supply

which may be consequent upon such default.

Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That when any

such default occurs the Congressional Printer shall report it,

with a full statement of all the facts in the case, to the

Solicitor of the Treasury, who shall prosecute the defaulting

contractor and his securities upon their bond in the circuit

court of the United States in the district in which such

defaulting contractor resides.

Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That the Joint

Committee on Public Printing, or during the recess of Congress

the Secretary of the Interior, may authorize the Congressional

Printer to make purchases in open market whenever,

in their opinion, the quantity required is so small, or the

want is so immediate, as not to justify advertisement for proposals

and the award of a contract therefor.

Sec. 13. And be it further enacted, That the Congressional

Printer shall charge himself in a book, to be kept for

that purpose, with all paper and other articles or material

received for the public use, and he shall furnish the same to

the foremen of printing and binding, and to the officers of

the executive and judicial departments, and of the Senate and

House of Representatives authorized to receive them, on

their written requisitions as the public service may require

them, taking a receipt from each officer for such article, which

shall be entered to his credit; and accounts shall be kept

with each department, and all articles delivered charged to

them. And to carry out the provisions of this act the

Congressional Printer may employ one clerk of the fourth class,

one of the second class, and one messenger, and shall give an

additional bond of forty thousand dollars, and receive, in

addition to his present salary, one thousand dollars.

Sec. 14. And be it further enacted, That from and

after the passage of this act it shall be unlawful to make further

contracts or purchases or payment for any stationery

or article furnished as such, except under existing contracts

and in accordance with the regulations hereinbefore provided.

Sec. 15. And be it further enacted, That all acts and

parts of acts inconsistent with the foregoing provisions are

hereby repealed.