The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1878-05-10
BOY PRINTERS.

In the Printers Circular for April we find
an article on this subject, 50 full of good
sense and sound suggestions that we, cannot
torbcar making a few extracts from ii. lis
local application Il Obvious. The writer
goes on to say that boy printcrs-not ap.
prcntices in regular printing offices, but lads
who have cases and presses at the homes of
their parents, where they work most indus.
triously-hayc not only become very mum.
erous, hut their number is constantly in
crcasing. Originally, printing was dabblcd
in by boys rs a pastime; they were then
what they pretended to be--amatcur print
err. They still claim 10 be So but are not.
Nearly all Of them work for pay, and have
done so for long time, lnrsstently solicit
ing patronage from the friends Of the par.
cnt, and getting it, too. for they furnish in
tcrior work at wonderfully low rates. The
latter they can readily do, because they pay
no rent, and have no one to provide for, not
even themselves. Against such an unfair
competition as this no business can success.
fully stand. In nearly every section of the
country the regular printers who have
capital invested have rent and taxes to pay.
and large numbers of joumeymen, who
have spent the best years Of their lives at
the profession, are suffering seriously from
the nroads made on their business
by the so-called amateur printer
boys. The lads themselves, in many IN
stances are injured by being allowed TO
pursue money making business on their
own account. The proceeds Of their work
belong To them to spend as they choose;
that a great many OF them spend it impro
perly is certain.
There is another evil rising from the host
of amateur printers that is to he found
scattered broadcast over the whole land, in
city. town. and hnmlct-we refer 10 the UNI
fair warfare wagcd by these boy printers
against printers regularly established in
business, and Who, having millions of dol
lars of capital invested, are compelled to
r,lmain in /, or bankrupt themselves in their
efforts TO quit. These amateurs. foi reasons
above given, are able To execute work at
such low prices as no one regularly engaged
in business would accept. In this way
standard of prices far below that which
ought To prevail is forced upon the trade.
for the reason that the public are always
eager to grasp at great bargains. even il
he who offers them bankrupt, himself in 50
doing. Fair competition in trade is healthy,
and no good business man will complain
when subj .cted to it; but the unfair compe
tition which the fifteen or twenty thousand
amateur printers Of this country bring To
bear upon the regular printers, would bring
ruin upon any business, were the profit.
thrice what they are in the printing bust
ness. Til, should not he So Our trade is
an ancient and an honorable one and those
cuEd1cu III IL rilbuIu ~ itdsl IihNt ~ ldiI 81
chance a. those engaged in other pursuits.
There are no amateurs among the grUccrs,
dry goods houses, hardware merchants, jew
elers. or dozens OF Others We could name.
They do have pedllers, but the ,torekecpers
ere protected from them by the
license laws which prevail in every State,
and their numbers are not 50 great a.
to seriously interfere with the regular
trades
Now, We repeat, those regularly engaged
in carving On the printing biisnessare emit
tied 10 the same protection which Others
enjoy. and If evils arise the printers them
selves must cndcayOr to eradicate them
The amateur business is a great and grow
ing eyil-onc which takes from its legiti.
mate channel hundred. Of thousands Of dol
lars every year aud sluanders it in tho
iriyo!i,ic, o; youthful indulgence; it ha-
a.,o been Instrumental in bringing prices to
,ucll IOw figures, that, if Til, state Of affair,
continues. many Of our printers viii bc com
PEELED 10 sacrifice the fruits OF hard labor,
and s"ck other p"rsuits in which to gain a
competency.
In the abs"nce Of anything better we
would suggest that those regularly engaged
in the printing business, having their CAPT
Il i =. "a, Al. 4.