Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-02-21

TO see that the telephone has been more
generslly brought into use by the English
than American newspapers. During the
sessions of Parliament all the night reports
are sent to the office through this medium.
\ Stenographer sits at the table Just before
the telephone tranSmitter and takes the
notes as spoken from the Times reporter
In the Commons. There are score or
more of these reporters who take turns at
recelylng reports, Instead of transmit
ting them as we do in America they are
taken IN turn TO men who operate type
setting machines, and are read off to them
as the machine reels out the type. set and
ready 10 so into the form, The telephone
is used 10 facilitate the work of getting
out the parliamentary report. But to pre-
vent errors the reporters in the Commons
take their notes rs fully rs usual and repair
to the office after adjournment, where they
read the proof, not from the messages sent
over telephone wires, but from their note
books. This checking system prevents
errors in dictation. BY the side of the
room where th' special wires are is another
typeSettting machine and the Paris letter
of NJ. de Blowitz is put into type hot from
the wire. These typeSettiug machines are
quite feature of the Times office. There
are perhaps dozen of them in use The
foreman of the composing room told me
that they would set up from FIVE to seven
columns Of matter in a night,
One man is in charge of all the special
wires, and he has wire in direct COM
munication with Reuters office. Without
any tattery, II may be said that this man
can. ut 4 half hour 5 notice. place himself
in communication with any part of the
lNl> t,l,,.,s,,,l
Is no unusual thing for hm 10 receive.
through Reuters agency, dispatches from
the interior Of India, from China Japan.
Canada and America, as well rs from con-
tinentat Europe in one night. None of
the English editors have reached tho point
where the telegraph is as larSiy or as fire.
quently used as in American journalism.
DR.. Norvln Green, President of the West
ern Union Telegraph Company told me
few months ago that it was nothing .un-
usual for the American newspapers to re-
ccive aS much as 6OO. 600 words during =
busy dav and night in Washington. These
are large figures and would appall an Eng
hSn newspaper man; but, ON the other hand,
il may he said that no American newspaper
pays rs much for telegraph rs the Times,
or Standard or the News. When YOU re-
member that it often costs - and some
times 81 per word from the interior of the
Indian Empire it will be seen that gather
ing news IN the distant part of the Queens
dominion is expensive.
There are employed in the composing
room of the Times eighty men. Not all
of them are used in setting type;
large force is required to classify the
small advertisements that form So lm-
portant part of that newspaper. Some
of these are paid 10y the day, some 10y the
week and some 10y the piece, and they all
make good wages. ! asked the young man
who was showing me over the building
about the editorial force. He said that the
Times had nearly one hundred men in
London ON its payroll. These furnish
editorials, reviews. reports of all kinds and
special work. Its number of foreign cor
respondents he said, was 50 large that he
could not tell the number except hy
reference 10 a book in the business office.
And you may rest assured, he said,
that the Times has a correspondent i'll
every city of Importance IN continental
Europe. These men are IN communlca-
tion with the office and receive instruc-
tionS regularly. 1t often happens that
thcy are not required to send dispatches,
because the news may not warrant 1t; they
forward letters to the Office once or twice a
week, and are in perfect discipline and so
we'll know what the Times wants that they
never make the mistake of flooding the
office with unimpOrtant matter. Some of
them are paid salaries, others are paid for
what matter Is used.
In Great Britain ii is different. Every
telegraph operator in the Dominion is Ill
the Times service. He understands that
we will pay more for news than any other
paper in London, and we always have first
choice of anything that is going on. In
all of the big cities of the Kingdom we
have regular correspondents. These are
paid by the week or month. At rough
guess should say that the correspondents
of the Times throughout the world, | mean
men who can he called upon at an hours
notice. and can be depended upon to do
good work, number 5000.
One thing that strikes the visitor above
all others III the Times Office Is the mag
nifcent discipline and system. There Is
no yelling or confusion, or no rushing OF
men here, there and everywhere. They
are trained like Bismarck's soldiers, and
the foreman of the composing room is az
absolute as the Gar. He keeps the place
in good order. The floor was cleanIy
swept. and, indeed, was a pleasant contrast
to some newspaper offices IN America that
| might mention. So admirable IL the
system and so careful the management for
the comfort of the men, that cloak-rooms
are provided where each article of cloth
ing is checked by an attendant the same
us at Her Majesty's Theater.
What Is the most surprising OF all about
this most marvellous newspaper Is that
4 A. 4 ,ly,,. ~ 10
made on the spot except the paper. The
Times office is a vast machine shop and
factory. The Walter machines. named in
honor Of Mr.. Walter, their inventor, are
made here The typeSetting machines
are made here
All the appliances used in the composing
room and stereOtyplng room are made here
even the type is made on the spot and the
electricity that lights up the great build
ing is furnished from the laboratory on the
premises. The whole of the new building
which the Times now occupies, and which
was designed and built by Mr.. Walter and
Mr.. Macdonald without the aid of archi-
tects or contractors, may be said to be the
most convenient and commOdious news
paper binding in the world. The very
bricks used in constructing the building
were made on Mr. Walters estate and
brought to London by his own people.
There is no invention that promises to
aid in the making Of a great newspaper
that Mr. Walter and Mr. Macdonald are
not willing to try, and, If found feasible,
buy outright and use in their establish
ment. Walter and Macdonald are the
only two men beside BIowitz who have
any personality outside of the Times office.
The others are known As good journalists,
and are well paid for their services, but an
onymity has long cen one of the features
of the "Thunderer. and it is only on rare
occasions that even great man il allowed
to sign his articles in the Times. That
there are great men writing for the paper
is nc secret