The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-04-22

the work is about divided. Doubtful
copy and all revisions are done by hand
the steady regular work by ma
chinery.
A young man sits before what looks
like piano-board, with four or five
banks of keys all lettered. He plays
on these keys with the fore.fngers of
each hand rapidly, and the types are
rapidly shifted into kind of minute
steel galley, the exact width of the
body of q type. There is no system of
lingering, as with piano music, only the
paws fly like lightning.
The distributing machine just re-
verses the powers Of the setting instru-
ment, and in the last stage each letter
of the alphabet is rapidly shunted off
on to it's separate side track, where they
stand like long trains of freight cars in
the yard of q colossal depot. 1t is q
wonderful machine, but there are others
think now surely approaching perfec-
ton, of much more interest and i'm
portance to newspaper property.
ELECTRIC LIGHT.
The last permanent investment of
tt Times has been the manufacture Of
its own light on the electric system,
using carbon points. The cost for the
plant of this has been very great, but it
is so far successful, and the cost of now
producing light is very moderate.
The entire building is lighted by six
teen electric lights, each light Of from
800 to LOCO candle.power-tar more
than is needed. Sixteen wires-each
starting directly from battery-are
used to distribute the light, and tire
battery is worked from solid and pow.
erful steam engine. This engine had
to be built expressly for the electric
battery, and its power cannot be used
for any other purpose; the light would
waver and be unsteady. Quite thick
porcelain globes are used to temper the
fierce power of the light, and the dark
shadows are in part corrected by reflec-
ton from white cowls. I see no reason
why the new Edison light should not
be attached to this plan if desirable.
This electric manufacture has been
striking advertisement for the Times,
but so far it is not an economy. They
have more light than they need or want
to have, and the cost of the plant is tie
capital of the gas company-not q lie.
gitimate expense Of newspaper estab-
lishment.
THE CANTEEN.
The employees of the Times are fed in
the buildings great saving of time to
employer and employed. The canteen
consists of a fine, large kitchen and two
dining-rooms. Food is supplied at cost
rates to the men-"everything except
beer, on which is charged luric profit,
which saves the canteens always from
loss, and the margin Of profit, whatever
it may be, is always turned into an en-
explained to me.
''That is very excellent, but we do not
call beer food in America"
The canteen is q very good and saw
ing institution. 1t supplies kind of
cheap club to the men, but there could
be no better illustration of the differ.
ence of habits and manners on the
liquor question between the two coun-
tries. Here was 8 careful and conscien-
tious employer furnishing liquor to his
force-aRd, more than that, L ng rows of
bright, FURNISHED pewter ale mugs, each
with "the Times" proudly engraved
with its beaming face, greeted my vision
as one of the embellishments oft can
teen.
THE ELECTROYTYPING SHOP
is q well.appointed room, equipped
with all modern appliances of the trade,
where are made the plates for the
weather diagrams published daily in the
Times and also maps, charts, etc. So
we'll is this shop perfected that mo-
derate-sized plate can be turned out in q
few minutes. Practical newspaper
managers will recognize the economy
and desirable use of this attachment.
THETELEaRAPH SERVICE.
The Times nos it's own wires over
much Of England and most of the con.
tinent, and its own service of them by
accomplished correspond ents-men Of
ability and influence. 1t uses Reuter-
the Associated Press of Europe), but
only partially, and as an incident, its
pages are more of telegraphic news be-
ing generally exclusively its own, and
the Reuter- news coming in only in q
supplementary way. 1t is common
expression among newspaper men in
our country that we only use the tele-
graph largely. I think that the special
telegram advices of the Times exceed
that OF any American newspaper. saving
possibly the New York Herald. 1t does
not strike the populal and unedu-
Gated eye, perhaps so strongly
as ours, because it does not
dead in criminal news, small fires, pet
ty accidents, sensations, etc; but every