Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-09-22
MISCELLANEOUS.
The London Times,

The reading matter of the London Times
is furnished by twenty two law reporters,
nineteen Parliamentary reporters, twelve
police reporters, aud an indefinite number of
miscellaneous writers, known as ''pcnny.a>
liners in London, at least one hundred corr
respondents in various parts Of Great Britain,
and some forty foreign correspondents in
other parts of the world. or the Parlia-
mcntary reporters, sixteen are photographers,
two make summaries of the debates in the
Houses, and one directs the force. To up
the types there are one hundred and thirty
compositors employed, sixty laboring by day,
and seventy at night, whilst eleven foremen
and assistants direct their movements
Twenty four persons required to read
proofs, and three are employed merely to
pull" the proofs The advertisements are
set up during the day, and the reading mat
ter at night, the advertising pages being made
mp at from FIVE to seven o'clock in the cven>
ing. Reading matter is received until day
light and afterwards, and the reading pages
are rarely put to press before a. NJ, whilst
leading articles are frequently written on Par
liamcntary debates aud other events happening
after midnight and appear in print the follow
ing morning. England is different in it habits
from the United States, and very early news
paper issues are not demanded. In all this
work, the greatest care is taken to guard
against mistakes, aud every line printed is
read over by prQpfreadcrs four or firc differ
ont times.
Ten stcrcotypcrs prepare the plates for the
printing machines, by Tic pap;cr machc pros
cess now in use in the Public LeGge" office
and in other leading newspaper Offices in the
United States, aud these machines are now
run continuously from about eight o'clock in
the evening until seven the next morning,
besides work during the day upon second
editions" Sixteen fremeu and engineers
attend the eengines and boilers six men prepare
the paper before printed, ninety employed
on the presses, and seven deliver the paper
to the news-aSents after it is printed. No
carriers arc cnployed, as in the United States
but the whole edition is sold out to news
agents, the number of copies printed being
no more than the sum total of their orders,
which have to be handed in by two p. NJ,
on the previous day.
The wholesale price Of tie Times is 24d.
per copy, (about 4 cents gold y the retail
price, 3D., C cents goldD For the benefit
of the employees, there are established in the
Office saving fund, sick fund, and CO.
opcretivc restaurant, managed by five persons,
at which all the employees get their food and
drink at wholesale cost prices This is known
famliarly as "The Canteen," Stability and
comfort are great objects in Printing House
Square. The apartments, diney without, are
clean and spacious within. and faithful labor
ers remain there lifetime, bequeathing their
places to their sons. Many now in the place
have worked five-and twenty years, and two
in particular. still hale and hearty, have been
in the Office respectively forty five and fifty
five years Father and son work side by side,
and all seem TO regard the place and its di-
rcctors with the greatest affection.
To print the Times. seventy tons weight
of paper and two tons of printing-ink are used
every week, whilst the average weight Of the
daily issue Of the paper is from eleven to
twelve tons. The machines upon which this
large edition is printed are the best of their
kind There are two ten cylinder Hoe presses,
| and two cight>cylindcr Applegath machines !;
! the aggregate actual work done by them being
! $1,000 impressions an hour, 16, ,000 from each
of the former aud 10, 600 from each of the
( latter. Besides these, there are now in use
the Walter Printing Press which isa self
feeder, and managed by and two boys,
prints a large share Of the advertising pages
of the Times. Its capacity is from % 600 to
$4,000 impressions hour. and it produces
in that time from II 600 to $4,000 perfect
sheets, printed on both sides, and ready for
the reader. 1t is somewhat similar to the
American Bullock press, and prints from a
large roll of paper containing 25OO to 5000
sheets, cuts them apart after printing, and
then delivers them by double motion into
two piles. 1t has been pronounced a success
by competent judges, and will probably revo
lutionize the printing business in England
Public Ledger.