"Improvements have been made in the direction of free-flowing inks, and these are fast becoming popular; and, while for correspondence and commercial uses they are undoubtedly sufficiently permanent, for records many of them are not, and it was with a view of preventing the use of these upon records that this investigation was made. No attention has been given to the permanency of the inks, as against their removal by acids.
"The use of proper ink is considered so important by the British government that the inks used in the public departments are obtained by public tender, in accordance with the conditions drawn up by the controller of H. M. stationery office, with the assistance of the chief chemist of the inland revenue department, to whom the inks supplied by the contractor are from time to time submitted for analysis. Suitable inks for the various uses are thus obtained, and their standard maintained. The last form of 'invitation to tender,' or 'proposal,' as we term it, is appended, as being instructive.
I cannot learn that the United States government uses any such care as the British government in the matter of ink, although the question has been a troublesome one in the departments.
"The State department issues no special rules for determining suitable inks, or requiring that particular inks shall be used. Proposals are asked for the lowest bids for the articles of stationery required, the last form of proposal asking for bids upon seven black inks, one crimson, and one writing fluid, which are named.
"With the market full of inks worthless for records, the only safety for our records seems to be in the establishment of a system similar to the English, which shall fix upon proper inks for various uses, which all recording officers shall be required to use.
"I believe that the recording officers will be glad to have the question of permanent inks decided for them, and to know whether inks which were in use many years ago, and have stood the test thus far, are maintained at their old standard. In the face of sharp competition among manufacturers, they fear they are not."
Mr. Swan, proceeding still further, secured the services of two of the most distinguished professors of chemistry in this country, Messrs. Markoe and Baird, and submitted to them in camera sixty-seven samples of different inks, known only by numbers, for chemical analysis; in a long and exhaustive report on the work they had set out to accomplish, and also with a dissertation on the chemistry of inks in general, they complete their report as follows:
"As a conclusion, since the great mass of inks on the market are not suitable for records, because of their lack of body and because of the quantity of unstable color which they contain, and because the few whose coloring matters are not objectionable are deficient in galls and iron, or both, we would strongly recommend that the State set its own standard for the composition of inks to be used in its offices and for its records, have the inks manufactured according to specifications sent out, and receive the manufactured products subject to chemical assay. In this way only can there be a uniformity in the inks used for the records throughout the State, and in no other way can a proper standard be maintained."
Mr. Swan comments on the report of his chemists, and calls attention to other tests made by himself:
"The conclusions at which I arrived were drawn, as stated, from manufacturers or recording officers, wholly independently of the chemists, but they will be found to coincide in many particulars with theirs. I did consult them in regard to the practicability of maintaining a State standard for record ink, which they have approved.