The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-03-14

fIl faces Of type have been originated
in this country than any other. Of
their beauty and value to the printer
il is unnecessary to speak. It's enough
TO state that If It were not for modern
faces like the Card Texts, Ray Shaded
Blacks, Scripts, &c, many q printer
whose presses are now in active and
profitable employment would bestand-
ing idle, and that, under the new and
vigorous competition Of the steam
lithOgraphic press, this valuable class
Of work would have been apprOpria-
ted by the lithographer. No foreign
types could have averted this result.
The manufacture Of ornamental types
in this country is but in its infancy,
and SO Is the competition Of HIno-
gTaphy by steam presses. The letter
press printer Of the future viii need
all the help he can get. 1t is clearly
70 his interest to promote the inter
ests Of the type founder. The abOli-
ton Of the duty Of . per cent on type
would Immediately arrest this deyel-
] opment. For less pay, the American
type-fOunder could not design new
faces.
To some printers, the saving Of 25
| per cent. on their next purchase Of
/ type NAV seem an immediate advan-
tage too important to be overlooked.
| But are its Interior effects considered?
/ The removal of the duty affects the
value Of old type as well as Of new.
/ Every printer who signs a petition TO
Congress TO abolish the duty, is peti-
/ tionfng that Congress shall declare
his present stock Of types TO be Of one
/ fourth less Yalue-is petitiOning that
/ rivals and competitors shall have the
/ privilege Of commencing business
I with 25 per cent. more advantage.
Ifit will cOnduce TO the public good
to remove the duty on types, why not
take it off presses and paperg They
I TOO can be bought abroad at lower
rates, and the immediate saving that
may be effected Will be Of service.
But when paper and presses have been
imported to such an extent that the
value of every printing office Is re-
dueed one-third or one-half, and when
unthinking rivals have been stimu-
lated to enter a trade already over
crowded, to the consequent depression
Of prices, will this general cheapening
Of values be Of advantage to any in-
terest?
VIII not the pernicious example set
By printers themselves, in clamoring
for a removal OF the duty on type and
printing material, recOil on their own
heads? Ifit is Of prime importance
70 printers that types should be cheap,
then IL is Of equal importance 70 the
public that printed matter should be
cheap. American printers have con-
sidered hitherto thst their work is
necessarily Of such local necessity that
they can be Indifferent to the cheaper
labor and cheaper work Of foreign
printers. 1t is an error. Much OF
the large work now done here, not
only Of books, but of labels ana job
work. could be done abroad at half the
prices of American printers. 1t Is
done to an extent the effects Of which
are already seriously felt by the trade.
One New-York insurance company
alone is known to have RENTED $50
900 to England within the last two
years for calendars in colors. Excel
| lent wOrkmen can be hired IL Ger
many and Holland for IS cents per
day; in France and Scotland for 81 per
day; paper is equally cheap, and large
buyers of printing know 1t. Hprinters
insist on a removal of the duty on
type, it will soon be followed by a re-
moval Of duty on paper and printed
matter. In a competition Of prices
between labor at IS cents and at s. 80
per day, the American printer has not
the slightest chance Of success. The
damaging results Of this competition
would be felt by every printer in the
country. Is it wise to invite it2
THEO. L. De WINNIE.