Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-07
CHINESE NEWSPAPERS.
NOT JOURNALS OF THE CELESTIAL
EMPIRE, BUT or CALIFORNIA.

4
EMPIRE, BUT OF CALIFORNIA
Four NevspaperA Printed In Chinese
ChAractsrs, Published Regularly In San
Fran isco-How the Editing and Print
Ing Il Observation-Disclosures
TIE majority Of the Chinese merchants
and business men In this city, as well as
their clerks and bookkespers, can read and
write the English language, and quite .
number Of them are subscribers to the daily
papers
That those, however, who are not 80 giftes:
may have an opportunity of knowing what
is transpiring N the busy world, there are
at the present time four newspapers printed
in Chinese characters regularly published in
| Francisco. They are all issued weekly and
have an average circulation Of 2, 500 copies
The ajority of these papers are sent into
the interior Of this state, to Washington
territory, British Columbia and the Sand
wich islands Only about one-ffth Of the
whole number is taken in this city. The
subscription price Of each is g. 80 per an
mum, delivered by carriers in the city, and
- year il sent through the mails to the
country or abroad
The Oldest paper Of the quartet is The
Recorder, published by Nun Kee & Co 1t
has been in existence eighteen years, and
has a subscription list Of $50 Of which So
are delivered in tho city and the remainder
mailed to the interior. Nun Kee. Its first
editor and proprietor, made fortune out
Of the Recorder. Selling out three years
ago, he returned TO China TO spend his de-
Ginning yeara The Oriental is published by
h Isa4 e - IL h.. hsav> ,,,.
| five years, and has q circulation Of about
i0a The Weekly Occidental is now in its
fourth year, and Horn Hong & Co, its pro-
| prietors, claim that it is the live paper and
has the largest circulation" 1t has 100 city
subscribers and sO0 in the country. Cum
Shoe, its translator and reporter, is well
educated in English and Chinese, and moth
ing Of interest occurs in the Chinese quarter
that he does not report for the paper which
he represents -
THE LATEST AsPIRAyr FOR PATRONAGE
The American and Chinese Commercial
News, the latest aspirant for journalistic
honors among the Chinese, was started by
Suey kee q Co. little over three years
ago. Its proprietors intended TO revolution
ize the Chimes newspaper business in this
city, and engaged q large staff Of reporters,
etc. Their purse, however, was not as large
as their ideas, and year ago they grace
fully retired-bankrupt The present pro-
prietors now have the paper on paying
basis, and claim a circulation of ;O1 III.
title Of the paper il printed in old Roman
text, and above it is . representation Of
flaming dragon
The staff Of q Chinese newspaper consists
usually Of four persons, viz: an editor, a
sub EDITOR, q translator, and . printer or
Tha al "A,
generally tins proprietors, and each usually
edits one half the paper. The translator Is
a most important person His duties are to
pick mp news around the Chinese quarters
and read carefully the American daily
papers From these he culls the market
reports, accounts Of outrages on Chinese,
the passage Of any laws or ordinances par
ticularly affecting the Chinese, and any
other items which lie thinks will interest
his countrymsn These he translates into
Chinese characters and hands them to the
editors for insertion
The editors copy the characters so sup
piled them with the ordinary Chinese pen
ami specially prepared ink on what Is called
transfer paper. The sheet of transfer paper
is the same size as the paper to be printed
When the editor has his sheet Of transfer
paper filed with characters his labor is done
and he hands the paper over TO the printer.
HOW THE PRINTING Is DONE.
This functionary has photographic stone
already prepared, and to it he transfers the
characters on the paper. After setting
the ink on the stone with nitric acid and
gum he is ready for printing After pass
Ing n wet sponge over the stone, he rolls
over it an ink roller, the ink from which
only adheres to the written characters He
then lays the sheet Of paper to be printed on
the stone placing on top OF it a metal cover.
An iron bar is now PLACED across this cover
and tightene down by lever worked by
the foot OF the operator. The frame on
which the stone Is set is then by means Of O
strap and pulley worked by the printer, made
to slide under the bar its who,e length. The
pressure Of the bar on the cover causes
the impression OF the linked characters TO .
transferred from the stone to the paper.
Tie process Is repeated until the required
number Of copies is printed TheA the
stone is cleaned of and smoothed down. and
;ha characters for the other side of the pa
Ier are transferred to it, and the printing /
of the other side OF tbs printed sheets COM
mences One side only Of paper eau he
printed at a time. A smart printer can /
print one side of 100 sheets in an ordinary
working lay. Five working days are re-
quirei to get out an edition Of l,0O1
The papers are printed with black ink on /
single sheets of thin white paper, except at I
Chinese Few Year, wien either red paper Is \
used or tie characters are printed in red ink l
on the ordinary paper, red icing considered /
the lucky color among the Chimes.
The charge for advertisements is regu- |
lated by the number OF characters employed. |
The price would average about ) cents a |
word in Eng .ish, or e. for one inch square |
fo- one insertion, with a reduction for ads
running for owe. six mon:ha The adver-
tsements generally consist Of notices OF sail
ing days Of steamers, notices issued by the |
Chinese Six Companies, and prices OF sew
ing machines, lamps, firearms, and other /
commodities which find a ready sale among
the Chinese. These are inserted by white
merchants Francisco Chronicle