New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-09-15
THE TRIBUNE.
LABOR IN YORK:
RS cIRcUmsTAScEs, CONDITIONS AND REWARDS.
No. XIV.The printers-again.

The invention Of the Napier Press and aPpiica
ion Of steam power to printing, have produced al
suise revolution 10 the business Previous to ;his
N or;nting was executed on the hand Press, which
I'D been gradually improving upon its original rude
cnsruc,ion for two centuries, until the solid iron
Press worked by lever power, was thought TO be
a. ,erection of this machine its simplicity, excel
..ce and durability seeming to stamp upon il the
,,upting inscription of the Pillars of Hercules, M
AL yh,a' At FIRST the Napier was used only in
Newspaper Offices, where it quickly became invalu-
able from tho rapidity of its execution In the course
n. few years Il was further improved so as to be
uxd in printing the cheaper qualities OF books-as
.chools books, &c. and o new discovery being made
.bout this time in paper making, by which printing
,aoercoud be manufactured to any required size and
With increased expedition and facility; the Napier
h.esn to be used in Book Offices generally until at
ne present time il has entirely superseded the hand
psess for general work-thc latter being used only
in Job printing and extra fine works designed for
The centre table.
The Adams' Press is a machine Of American in
yep,ion, worked by steam. power, but on the same
principle as the hand Press. Harpers Pictorial BIZ
BE is worked on this Press.
80 late a. 1884 the hand Presses were universal
in the Book Offices. employing large number Of
wwkmen. Five ten and fifteen Presses in an Of
foe were common, and Harper and Brothers and
the Methodist Book Concern ran upwards OF forty
each Ten dollars per week was the average earn
ings OF the Pressmen, which was vastly superior to
hose Of Compositors, and the reason was that the
employers could never make t,co.fhirdcrs Freshmen
The business demanding O workman and no sham.
The introduction of the Napier and Adams Presses
threw eventually nine tenhs ofthese men out Of en-
poymept and solitary sort of fororn hope only are
found in their places or near them gazing upon the
yspers and the foreign force which surrounds
hem.
At the present time half at least of all the per-
sons working as Comp0sit0ys are mere type-set-
ers and not printers workmen in the strict sense
Of the word They scarcely competent to make
up the matter they set and would be as much both
cred as holman if called upon 10 impose and make
ready form for the press This has been the result
partly Of the method ia which some ofthe larger es
,sblishments did their work more than twenty years
ago, and partly through the recent improvement in
psper.making spoken of, and the introduction Of the
Napier Press In the first instance, Book Offices
employed large number of hands, Of whom three
fhh might be un.apprenticed boys, employed
few good workmenby the week to impose, &c, de
Quoting one and half or two cents per page from
each Of the Compositors. BY this means work was
expedited and type settlers rapidly made. In the
second instance. mammoth sheets and Napier Press
es gave the first impulse to cheap publications, and
these, rushed out as they were, and continue to be-
made il incumbent to adopt the same rule general
y, viz. a few good workmen to make up and impose
while the rest set up the copy aud pay deduction
Of two cents per thousand to the office.
III to the improved Napier Press that the public
u ndebled for the cheap papers, and thousands who
fifteen years ago were fain TO to resort TO the rum
shops OF an evening to learn read the daily news
have il now brought to their doors at price less
than the interest of the money they wont TO expcnd
10 those dens Of rum. As something of offset to
,his II must be admitted that the same cause has
greatly increased the dissemination ofworthess and
IMMORAL reading, tending TO vitate and deprave
both the taste and feeling and although works OF
an opposite tendency continue TO be published. they
have not been and are not encouraged TO the same
extent with the romantic and injurious.
We remarked iii former number, that OF the
Joumeymen Printers who come to own establish
nenis, few become rich Wecan look back through
lapse Of thirty years, and call 10 remembrance
some eight or ten who have passed TO the second
edition Of existence, and who were considered
wealthy, maintaining their credit TO the last. Some
who lived TO see the commencement OF the strife OF
empetiiion were worth plumb. and content with
her gains retired from the field, resigning their
business TO Others most Of whom werc unsuccessful
Luxury has ruined Printers as well as others
Within the last twenty years, we have seen several
Establishments Suddenly spring up. and flourish, and
expand as il were by magic. Fortunes were quick
y made and as quickly lost-adep:s in making
money, they failed in securing it. Expensive styles
diving fine house, carriage. &c speculation and
senhlity, soon emp,ied the welliiled Golfer and
Ultimately they exemplihed in themselves the truth
ola trits observation sc, some people on horse
oack and they will do-like Gilpin, in one feature
least getting dorm where they first got xP.
Besides there are those among the fortunate ones
Who do not subscribe TO the maxim, Live aud let
i've Like Bonaparte. they cannot and will not
brook rival in the empire of letters Doins the
higher book business ON the mos, extensive scale
md Possessing the means for any emergency. they
ro~n upon and usually overcome the small efforts
" heir brethren TO make living they are known
have expended three and four thousand dollars
yer annum in this crusade. which accounts for the
nceni and continued sale of popular works IN mum
o9s prices below the cost Of paper and binding.
Nee things ruin the Journeyman. II one publish
seils works below cos, to overthrow another he
wi Of course. fill his establishment with boys and
wothirders who are themselves obliged to sho9l
aiwen,y.one before The renewing and ever advanc-
ing schools Of smaller fry.
Several attempts were made some years back to
Introduce girls into Printing Offices as Composi'crs
ea' the practice was soon abandoned Girls are
"~ever, employed On most OF the power presses
run IN Book Ofices as the labor on these machines
more suitable for feminine hands.
we conclude by rcmarking that, so far a. Jour
ynen are concerned, the golden age OF Printing Is
p@~ns away. The increase OF Printing Oihces IS
" certain increase Of the number Of boys and two
''1ders' and the decrease Of prices and those who