New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-06
THE TARIFF ON TYPES.
A PRINTERS VIEWS.

,tine types Printers are solicited to petition for
~. abolition of all duty. 1t is claimed that the ex-
,tns duty is virtually tax on knowledge; that 1t
.ryes no public advantage, enricbing only the type
4 .rpder while ii Expresses the printer; that re-
naval Of the duty would reduce the cost of types in
h country from IS 20 75 per cent to the great ben
AZ, Of the printer and the public whose interests it
,serted should be held superior to those of the
American type-founder.
This curt summary is fair statement of the case
A. tho petitioners. Before making any further OBJ
.ystions it may be well to state the exact amount
At this duty-a necessary fact to the discussion that
| A. not stated by the advocates of the measure.
The duty on printing types is 95 per cent. on the
ccign COST The same tariff that imposes this duty
pnmerates many articles that subject to double,
treble and quadruple that rate. This tariff was con-
sruced quite much for revenue as for protection
There Is no warrant for the belief that typetounders
hays boon specially favored.
- not practicable to state precisely the foreign
| cost OF type. The prce-lists of foreign founders
have different prices and classifcatiOns; they make
distinctions that are not made here; their sizes ana
,,nes are different their classihcatons are aito-
.,,her different from those Of American founders
,,he chat purports to show at glance and In con-
to-. the price of foreign and domestic types rs mis-
| le,dins To be truthful it must be accompanied
| with many explanations.
Bnt such table is not needed 1t is admitted
that tho foreign rates for Roman types are lower tnan
| ,he American rates. But this admission should be
apn,ed in its broad sense only to the larger SIZES
The smaller. more useful and most purchased sizes
! ~ for,ign Roman advance much more rapidly In
4 pnca than they do with Us, as the bodies de-
or,,.. IN SIZE The rates for foreign Blacks, SCRIPTS
OrnamentaS and for small fonts and small sizes Oh
Roman are quite as high as and sometimes higher
than the rates of American founders. An average
made up from a contrasted table showing the Amer
can and foreign rates for each size Of Roman type
would show that the foreign type was cheaper. Inc
Inferencas deduced from such table would Do 10
ceptive The larger Sizes that serve only 70 decrease
tbs average rate to injurious contrast WIN 'no
American average rate, are sparlngly bougnt anu
little used To be just comparison should 10 III
sttnted not between all sizes of Roman face only
hat between such sizes and faces as constitute inc
GREATEST part of the stock of every American printer
an ALL offices, such stock is chiefly made up OF
fh smaller sizes of Romans in most job offices, there
A. large proportion and sometimes the greater pro-
,ortiop of Ornamentals If careful inquiry be made
as TO the relative cost at respective points OF manu-
f,etnre of n fairly assorted stock of American and
foreion types it will be found that in the aggregate
there IL no such formidable disparity in price as has
been claimed. The proposition that foreign printing
sypes are always so per cent cheaper than the Amer
tcan is altogether untenable Such an assertion may
I De maintained only by combining the comparison TO
selected sizes and faces that constitute but portion
OF the ordinary composng-roOm stock.
II printers were traders only. who made the selling
OF type their exclusive business specious reasons
f,ght 10 advanced why they should not be shut out
of the cheapest market. But it is the business OF
Tia printer to use the type he buys. sit his in
fsrost To boy his tools in foreign marketsf Would
In rs to the general welfare of the trade that 1t
lsb,uId he dependent for existence on foreign
lfJundera'
setting sside all considerations of public welfare
nnd confirming the question only to its personal re-
lsus il may be asserted that the incOnvenences OF
susng foreign types can hardly be overstated Win
Give writer this evil is not matter of speculation
but one Of experience. More than 20 years ago, he
wls employed in an Office that, for that day, made
large purchases of foreign Ornamentals. How much
time was wasted in fddging for sorts, IN useless
strreotyping in double printngs, cannot be ex-
pressed by figures. This extra work was compulsory
for tho sorts were not to be had Any printer can
s,a that such waste of time soon makes cheap type
drlr IL i, enough to add that the experiment OF
Using foreign type was unsuccessful, ana was
abandoned.
Ca text types, these annoyances would be still
ereater. 1t matters little how large a font is
ordered or how well 1t is sorted, every printer finds
g. necessary from time to time to buy additional
s,-N Ii these sorts can be had quickly the work
can be- done to profit; if they cannot be had, The
~ 1rk IA lost And here we may properly acknowl-
edgs the obligng disposition of our founders in the
furnishing of sorts in many cases where the sorts
cost them much more than they receive have tele-
erIphed at o'clock in the afternoon to Philadel
yhia firm with whom bad few dealings, for pound
OF sorts and have had them specially cast and de-
iiyeTed In Eew-York by noon of next day. New
York founder has kept men and machines at work
all night TO give the Office odd sorts that
CURED. and that were furnished next morning.
b. d Instances are quite common.
On a font of foreign type, such accommodation is
impossible. The purchaser cuts himself off from
ell chance Of help when he is In extremity If such
purchaser 800 by his choice of foreign type
ard for want of sorts has to decline profitable orders
Which he might make profit of twice that sum-
Or has 10 execute such orders at disadvantage and
loss has no not been penny wise and pound foolish
Foreign types will be found especially objection
hls 20 sn American printer, by reason of their ir-
rsglianties- If American types are not uniform in
bply. they are at least uniform in hight to paper
Tie variations we now have in body are quite
enough butt they are trivial as compared with those
Of foreign founders Whoever fancies that it will
be ,oh B advantage to have, in addition to his MIS-
eei.aneous stock French bodies made up TO Four
MRS points and to IDIOTS points that Justify with
10 'ihe bodies and with the novelty of hicks on the
o. z. or to have German types that are above our
sHndani hight or Scotch types that are below il,
~ all lifted TO mOlds unused in American foun-
orloa may try the experiment. For use the writer
would refuse them at any price.
ms not wise Cor American printers TO take any
"rs that will discourage American type-founders
/ reinr 70 roia 4ba