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A-21049, FEBRUARY 17, 1928, 7 COMP. GEN. 492

A-21049 Feb 17, 1928
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OR RULING OPERATIONS FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE ARE BLANK BOOKS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ACT OF MARCH 1. IN YOUR DECISION IT IS STATED "THAT BOOKS WHICH REQUIRE PRINTING. OR RULING OPERATIONS FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE ARE BLANK BOOKS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ACT. THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE DECISION APPLIES TO OTHER ARTICLES WHEN THERE ARE PRINTING. IS NOT CLEAR. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMMODITIES IN USE AND CONTRACTED FOR BY THE GENERAL SUPPLY COMMITTEE IN WHICH ONE OR MORE OF THE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS REFERRED TO ARE INVOLVED. WHICH ARE IN COMMON USE AND SOLD TO THE PUBLIC GENERALLY AND NOT MANUFACTURED SOLELY OR ESPECIALLY FOR USE BY THE GOVERNMENT. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THESE ARE TO BE CONSIDERED AS COMING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE ACT REFERRED TO.

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A-21049, FEBRUARY 17, 1928, 7 COMP. GEN. 492

PRINTING AND BINDING - BLANK-BOOK WORK BOOKS WHICH REQUIRE PRINTING, BINDING, OR RULING OPERATIONS FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE ARE BLANK BOOKS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ACT OF MARCH 1, 1919, 40 STAT. 1270, REQUIRING THEIR PROCUREMENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONTRACTED FOR ON THE GENERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE.

COMPTROLLER GENERAL MCCARL TO THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, FEBRUARY 17, 1928:

THERE HAS BEEN RECEIVED YOUR LETTER OF FEBRUARY 2, 1928, AS FOLLOWS:

THERE HAS BEEN RECEIVED YOUR DECISION OF JANUARY 10, 1928, IN RESPONSE TO MY LETTER DATED DECEMBER 20, 1927, REGARDING THE PURCHASE OF BLANK BOOKS.

IN YOUR DECISION IT IS STATED "THAT BOOKS WHICH REQUIRE PRINTING, BINDING, OR RULING OPERATIONS FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE ARE BLANK BOOKS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ACT," THE ACT REFERRED TO BEING THAT OF MARCH 1, 1919 (40 STAT. 1270). THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE DECISION APPLIES TO OTHER ARTICLES WHEN THERE ARE PRINTING, BINDING, OR RULING OPERATIONS, HOWEVER, IS NOT CLEAR. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMMODITIES IN USE AND CONTRACTED FOR BY THE GENERAL SUPPLY COMMITTEE IN WHICH ONE OR MORE OF THE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS REFERRED TO ARE INVOLVED, SUCH AS CALENDAR PADS, LABELS, VARIOUS FILE CARDS AND FOLDERS, PRESS COPY BOOKS, SCRAP BOOKS, MEMORANDUM TABLETS, CROSS-SECTION AND PROFILE PAPERS, ETC., WHICH ARE IN COMMON USE AND SOLD TO THE PUBLIC GENERALLY AND NOT MANUFACTURED SOLELY OR ESPECIALLY FOR USE BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THESE ARE TO BE CONSIDERED AS COMING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE ACT REFERRED TO. THERE IS LIKEWISE SOME DOUBT AS TO WHETHER THE LEGISLATION APPLIED ONLY TO ARTICLES PRODUCED BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, OR WHETHER IT PERMITS THAT OFFICE TO CONTRACT FOR ARTICLES WHICH IT DOES NOT PRODUCE AND WHICH HAVE, HERETOFORE, BEEN CONTRACTED FOR UNDER AUTHORITY OF SECTION 4 OF THE ACT OF JUNE 17, 1910.

YOUR DECISION IS REQUESTED, THEREFORE, AS TO WHETHER ALL ARTICLES OF SUPPLY THE MANUFACTURE OF WHICH REQUIRES ONE OR MORE OF THE OPERATIONS OF PRINTING, BINDING, OR RULING, MUST BE PRODUCED BY AND PROCURED FROM THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, OR WHETHER SECTION 11 OF THE ACT OF MARCH 1, 1919, IS APPLICABLE ONLY TO THOSE ARTICLES COMMERCIALLY CLASSED AS BLANK BOOKS.

IN REPLY, YOUR ATTENTION IS INVITED TO THE FACT THAT THE DECISION OF JANUARY 10, 1928, 7 COMP. GEN. 411, ONLY CONSTRUED THAT PORTION OF THE ACT OF MARCH 1, 1919, THAT REFERS TO "BLANK BOOK ORK" AND ADOPTED FOR THAT PURPOSE THE DEFINITION OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING THAT "BOOKS WHICH REQUIRE PRINTING, BINDING, OR RULING OPERATIONS FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE ARE BLANK BOOKS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF THIS ACT. MANY OF THE ARTICLES MENTIONED IN YOUR SUBMISSION COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE CONSIDERED AS BOOKS. THE ACT OF MARCH 1, 1919, SUPRA, IS NOT, HOWEVER, CONFINED TO BOOKS OR TO BLANK-BOOK WORK BUT COVERS ALSO "ALL PRINTING, BINDING * * *.' THIS PORTION OF THE ACT HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF NUMEROUS DECISIONS BY THIS OFFICE WHICH I BELIEVE HAVE COVERED IN GENERAL THE SUBJECT MATTER OF YOUR SUBMISSION. YOUR ATTENTION IS ACCORDINGLY INVITED TO THE RULINGS OF THIS OFFICE ON THE SUBJECT TO BE FOUND IN 2 COMP. GEN. 178; 3 ID. 345; 6 ID. 665; AND ID. 772.

IN THE DECISION OF FEBRUARY 6, 1928, A-21349, 7 COMP. GEN. 464, THE RULING IN 6 COMP. GEN. 772, WAS HELD NOT APPLICABLE AFTER JUNE 17, 1927, TO TABULATING CARDS PURCHASED IN THE FIELD FOR EXCLUSIVE FIELD USE. IT IS THOUGHT THAT THE DECISIONS CITED WILL ENABLE YOU TO DETERMINE WHICH ARTICLES OR SUPPLIES INVOLVE PRINTING, BINDING, OR BLANK-BOOK WORK, AND WHICH SHOULD, THEREFORE, BE PROCURED FROM THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE AND NOT CONTRACTED FOR ON THE GENERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE.

IN PLACING CONTRACTS FOR THE GENERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE, THERE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1924, 43 STAT. 592, RELATIVE TO THE PURCHASE OF PAPER AND ENVELOPES, OR THE ACT OF MAY 13, 1926, 44 STAT. 550, RELATIVE TO THE PURCHASE OF INKS, GLUES, AND OTHER SUPPLIES MANUFACTURED IN THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. SEE 4 COMP. GEN. 96; ID. 352; 6 ID. 87.

IF, AFTER CONSIDERATION OF THE DECISIONS CITED, THERE REMAINS ANY DOUBT CONCERNING THE PROCUREMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ITEMS INVOLVING PRINTING, BINDING, OR BLANK-BOOK WORK, YOUR FURTHER SUBMISSION IS INVITED, TOGETHER WITH COPIES OR MORE SPECIFIC DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FORMS OR ARTICLES INVOLVED.

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