New-York tribune., 1884-01-03
dicton Of the Signal Service office, Clear and cold,
would be fulfilled Thus ended the second day Of l5si
PRINTERS RATES TOO HIGH.
THE UNION SIGNING IT'S DEATH WARRANT.
DRIVING BOOK WORK OUT or THE CITY-FIvE
HrNnRED PRINTFRs without WORK.

DRIVING BOOK WORK OUT or THE CITY-FIvI
HUNDRED PRINTERS WITHOUT WORK.
Andrew Newton, who is under contract tC
Norman L. Munro to print the cheap books which th'
latter publishes discharged II compostors from his
poy on Saturday night The men were all members o
/ typographical Union NO 6. Mr. Newton found thai
by paying the Union rates he losing large amount
Omoncy his contract and decided TO have his compost
| tion done out of the city. The fact that sucl
step should be taken opened up grave possibilities
relating 10 the injury which wOnld to the printing
trade should the high prices for composition continue
| this city
The general sentiment among the larger printing houses
that the high for composton37 cents thousand
FOR loaded and 40 cents thousand for solid matter
day work-win the business in this city. The large
offices viii he forced TO succumb because they are com
PEELED pay the Union and therefore unable tC
compete with the Offices which pay women com
positors only % thousand. The great majority OF
the offices have refused to take contracts for the printing
books and weekly newspapers because the
not be made profitable. II all OF the important Offices
continue busness-whch is unlkey-they will cOnfne
their work simply display printing and the press work
ofpamphle where time is the main requisite in the con
tract
NJ B. WynkoOp Of the firm OF Wynkoop Hallenbeck,
No. 121 Fulton-st, said to TRIBUNE reporter yeser
day that the work OF his Office was confined to what ia
called fine" printing. He for the Brooklyn
Directory every year 81 had been in the habit he
nued, Of paying forty cents thousand for the compo
on Of the directory before the strike that when the
demand for higher rates made it did not affect
but ordinary composition the rates that are enforced
are injurious 10 the trade. A large number OF
publishing houses, / know, have all their cOnpO-
ston done ont Of town. There are houses
in Hartford ard NewIavcn which subss upon the work
they get from this city They pay 25 cents thousand to
and in consequence afford to underbid New
/ ,It..oJ n
Johnson published his encyclopedia he the copy to
large firms here, but they underbdden by Phia-
delpha house. because the rates OF composition were
lower there than here This took large job out OF this
city, and am that the amount Of composition and
printing thar is sent out OF NewYork aggregates annually
many hundreds OF thousands Of dollars. Should another
strike take place for advance in rates, the printing
business would have to go under The assumption
which the Union makes, that the best men in
the trade members of it, is nfoundcd. As a
rule the skilled composors are not members OF the
Union and refuse to become connected with it because
they object to dictaton."
Douglas Taylor, OF No 80 Nassau-st said: "Theefect
Of this strike and its resulting increase in rates has had
serious effect the business OF all the large printing
houses. Ihaye been obliged refuse all winter CON
tracts for the printing Of books would be unable
make any profit a contract should I make one
Previous TO the strike my business excellent.
agreed to the Union and employ only onehalf
have averaged only oneha Of the wages they earned
before the strike and have had y per less business
Twenty-Five who previous to the strike averaged
from SIS TO 500 each week make not than -
a week at the increased Union rates Five hundred com.
pOsOrs to-day ont OF employment III this city, and
unable to obtain work. Within the last five years
business has increased only 20 per cent while the
ber OF wOrkmen has increased 100 per cent and the
crease in cannot be justified. The book and job
printers in this cty-that is, the best Of them-are
satisfied TO pay good wages but are handicapped
by the offices who employ and women
at low rates and while the Union controls our
offices we cannot compete with them IN prices
work We losing estimates jobs every dag
account OF being high The result Of all this
will be the use OF typc-setting machines, which never
strike Captal is required them but work can be
done cheaper than It Is at present and firm with half
dozen skilled turn out much work though Il
had fifty men. The strike has called forth women aud
children a. competitors men, and the reaction viii be
inevitable and matter Of only short time. Trade
this time OF the year Is always duh; and It
printing houses in this city has made more than
it, expenses since the rise in CON position rates The
ieadDR firms I'm The city have Oranizcd an a-s0ciaon
called the TypOthetR which has fifty members represents
nearly 800 900 900 capital and poyes over 900 meu
one of the principles Of it, organization is protection
The association VIII extend over the entire country and
should another strike the members Of the organza
tion will be prepared 10 talk to the Union with some
power
to the strike he had lost every cent OF profit on his autumn
printing business OF New York" he added
confined almost exclusively az present display
The little OF no book composition without profit and l.
essentially labor OF love have been Obliged refuse
a large amount Of simple composition account
the which cOmpOSltOrs charge and the fact
that Mr Munro finds Il necessary % lock out his
proves that the loss Is general. Inc bOOk ana weekly
newspaper work going out of the city, and only
the composition taken from NcwiOTk, but the electro
typug also. / compelled 10 employ Union men,but
nv business has suffered great extent by the
strike yon can understand that do not feel especially
amiablc on the subject
When John ". Lowell. the publisher OF No. Il Vesey-
st. asked what he thought OF the effect OF high
for composition the trade, he said " have all my
book work done ROuse Point y. Y. Ny compositOrs
charge tweuty-seven cents thousand
which Is just thirteen cents thousand less than
/ would be obliged To pay in this city.
nav -al aries time-wOrk ranging from $40 10 Sl2
II would be simply out OF the question FOR get my
book composition done in this city and make money.
had work done in New Haven and IN other places,
but before my work Is done In this city the Of the
Union will have 10 come down"
Nj Newton when asked 10 his reasons for closing
his shop, said: ind that in the eight weeks that have
been working under the Union rules and al the Union
scale have lost about $500 besides the interest the
quiry found that could have my work done outside
and have the plates brought here for
much less money than I can have the same
work done here When the chairman OF the Office
and said further that when the Union reduced its prices
10 a point where could get my work done Cheaply
elsewhere, should reopen my shop The position Of the
Union only result in driving all the book work out Of
which would have enabled 10 employ least forty
more hands. ! had 10 give il up. have talked with
several other large employers, and confident that
many others viii follow my lead now that the ice Is
broken
npJJrJ-t tDV