The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1891-01-18
THE STATE PRINTING.
History Repeats Itself in This Natter.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRoNICLE.l

Ell
The present agitation on the subject
Of reducing the price of the State print
ing IS similar to the one in 1879, and
prompted by the same spirit, VIZ: An at
tempt of one paper published here il the
city of Raleigh to unfairly cripple its
competitor, and the result was then,
| and will Be now, If listened to by the
mem bers Of the Legislature, 10 further
reduce the wages of the mechanics who
do the work This do net believe the
General Assembly will do il they under
| stand the matter.
For several years previous to 1879 the
Daily News of this city had enjoyed the
| State Printing contract II EIGHTY CENTS
per thousand ems, and notwirhstaud-
| ing this favorable contract vita the
State they employed what is known
among the fraternity as "rat" printers
and compelled them to work for TWENTY
FIVE cents per 1000 ems and pccketed
TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY PER CENT.
In the meantime the Daily Observer
was established here by Messrs. Hale ard
saunders and paid their compositors
Union prices, or forty cents per 1000
ems for type-setting, While the aforesaid
Daily News was getting from the State
eighty cents and paying their rat"
printers only TWENTY FIVE CENTS. The
'atter paper was again candidate for
the State patronage, and after beiDg
fairly beaten as she choice of the Demo
cratic members for the work at the es-
tabished price, proposed to the General
| III I,.,- Il Il
at FORTY CENTS, tney believing that as
the Daily Observer was paying their
printers FORTY CENTS. the scate a5 men
; IN force by the Printers UGlon III this
. city, they would be utterly unable to 90
the work In order that Messrs.
Hale and Saunders might be enabled K
/, have the work done at this price
the Printers Union reduced their scale
Of prices TO 333 cents per 1000 ems, vel
: knowing that it was this or nothing By
this action Of the Legislature the Stat
Printer was compelled to give out tn
typ0grap phlca part Of the work to io1
}, Offices WHO had on hand the material Il
! 90 the work with, (ior there would no
, be profit enough ii the work At 40 cent
u for four years to justify buying tue out
y iii for doing IT'D for the same reaso
g every State Printer since that time IA
= been compelled 20 do the sane thing
- be desired 60 do the work without loss
. himself
y The proposition of The News and Oh
: server TO take the work At fifteen pt
I, cent. less than the price now fixed
lu law Is OBVIOUSLY on It's face for the pa
pose Of preventing competitor in th
y city from getting the contract, and N
for the purpose of beneh5ing the poo
tax payers, as he claims. If he had bee
patriotic enough to have done this whi
he was the State Printer for four year
ct then he might pose in the attitude of
benefactor; but he did not do so. If Il
legislature should be blind enough to a
!. cept this proposition, made in a b;
lle business spirit, the reduction will fall
that of 1879, upon the mechanic.
ed practical printer in this city can sic
- that there is more than cost al
= very small margin on the wo
70 at the present prices; and If II
lrl is so, aud the committee W.
wi have the matter in charge can get
IN testimony of half dozen practi(
m. printers in the city who are out of I
It business to establish that fact, then
ss present Legislature should refuse to |
nd ten to the proposition Of a dissppoint
'as aspirant, and give the work to the pal
led whom the Democratic members sh
or name at the price established by law
ng If the committee will take the trou
'ho they can ascertain the further fact II
ere the price paid in this State IS LOW
nd THAN THAT PAID BY ANY OTHER STATE
ew THE UNION for work Of similar char
led ter; and | would suggest that if Il
led find that to be SO, they should reco
ser, mend that the price be charged f.
ned forty to fifty cents
girl PRACTICAL PRINTER
ha