The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-02-08
A Great Trade Movement.

ness displayed by the union printers
of big Sin" as the great New York
c~onfraternity is called, in their attl-
tude towards ty~pesetting machines.
At their meeting yesterday after u
two hours discussion of the recon-
mendations of the Machine lnvestl-
eating Committee it was resolved to
adopt the principal feature of the
committees report and establish a
school for setting type by machinery,
the cost of which, it is estimated, will
be about $500 per month. A new
committee will be appointed, composed
in part of machine experts, which
will have charge of the formation OF
the school and decide which one or
more of the typesetting machines
shall be adopted by the union.
Now this is what we call moving
with the world. 1t has been too often
the reproach of trades combinations
that they opposed progress. Taking
the shortsighted view that the intro
duction of machinery would reduce
the number of situations, one union
after another has bitterly fought
their introduction. From the fight
against the fast looms for wool and
cotton which convulsed England in
the earlier part of this century down
to the opposition which some Of the
weaker members of the printing trade
have made against typesetting ma
chimes, the same story has been told
over and over again, apropos OF
almost every new invention.
OF course such struggles are as futile
as the traditional effort to keep out
the tide with a pitchfork. The world
will move on in spite of every effort OF
blind and foolish men to stop it, and
in the long run the only people who
get hurt are the obstructives. But
that is only one phase of the foolishness
of opposing progress. In the long run,
nobody aver suffers through a step
such as that which the printing trade
is now making. Instead of decreasing
employment, the typesetting ma
chimes will presently increase it. Ii
fewer compositors will be needed by
the world, a greater number Of ma
| chinists and die makers will be neces-
sary to make the type machines. The
impetus given to the printing and
publishing trades by cheap com
| position will cause a greater demand
for pressmen, bookbinders, news
| dealers, and other trades and bust
nesses connected with publishing.
The effect on the trade of typeset-
ting will also be very marked, and
very beneficial. The trade, like many
others, is injured at present by an
army of semi-incompetents and ire
sponsibles who hang on to its out
skirts. and who by virtue of their
union cards are II drag on their fell
lows and a nuisance to employers.
The machines will weed this class out
of the trade. Only fast men and good
men. men who are capable of hand
ling display matter with skill ana
taste and who are accurate, careful
workmen will have any show when
the machines come into general use.
We have no doubt but inside a de-
cade practically all straight matter"
will be set by machine yer in country
offices, and the tramp printer will be
a sort of medieval tradition. We look
forward to the time with satisfaction.
We believe all the best class of print
ers feel with us that the reduction of
numbers and improvement of stand
ard will be a benefit to their guild. We
most heartily congratulate the MEM
bers of No. 6 ON their good judgment
and liberal spirit in helping the great
evolution along instead of blindly set
ting their faces against it.