The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-03-12

I How many people in Honolulu
know there are three Japanese and
two Chinese papers published here?
And again, how many people know
anything of the methods of publica-
ton, frequency of issue, or in fact,
anything about them? The answer is
patent to all, and it is expressed in the
two little words, avery few"
And yet these five newspapers give
employment to large number of peo-
pie, editors, managers, book-keepers,
collectors, compositors and pressmen.
= There is a vast difference between a
Chinese and a japanese printing Of
flee. In the former everything, even
to a small advertising poster, is care
fully pencilled out with India ink on
a sheet of paper the exact size of the
page to be printed. From the editor
these sheets are passed to the en-.
graver and photographer. In this class
of work the Chinese are most expert.
Contrary to the general rule, they use
no type, everything is Autographed on
stone and printed therefrom. These
stones after the edition has been print
ed, are planed off and used over again.
The Office of the Hawaiian Chinese
News, on King street, is conspicuous
more for the total absence of type
than anything else. The visitor will
see an ordinary old fasA5oNed printing
press of the style in yAgbS a hundred
years ago, and lithO ET4ph stone Iy-
ing on the bed thereof Rne press, al
theagh n1ade In China, fs an almost
exact reproduction of the old Wash
ington hand press, so Well-known to
every American printer. The method
of printing is exactly the same as that
of the time of Gutenberg.
The Hawaiian Chinese News is the
oldest of the Chinese papers in Homo
lulu, but, like other papers, it has its
ups and downs and opposition publi-
cations. AT present there are two
OCULAR Chinese papers published in
the city, but the News seems to have
a monopoly of the business. This
office turns out q large amount of
poster Work-a favOrite method of
Celestial advertising. The paper is
we'll patrouilad by CaucasiOn mer-
chants, its columns showing the names
of nearly all the prominent merchants
in town. These aayegSsements are
printed in squares, Il s. name of the
merchant being pr in English,
and the description Ris wares in
Chinese.
In the Japanese be Offices a
very different state Sirs exists.
Instead of printing !, ematter on
one side of a largs Of paper
which is folded so tbf blank side
always comes on the &ie, the jap
anese newspaper CO. @es out In as
many different forms + its American
rivals.
There are three of these printed in
Honolulu, the most : prominent of
which is the HawaiiSR ShtApo, hav-
ing its office on NuU hu street over
the old sodawater fad fN, Tee pages
of this paper are abot HR ikghes in
size but there are tn Ft PIX q them.
1t is Issued weekly N ds he talented
editorshIp of Mr.. B. Sh lzu. r. About
advertising matter, tn aalance being
devoted to editorial wtfng, which in
a Japanese paper coVafs everything
in the shape of news.
Other Japanese papers are the 6o-
nolulu HOchi, a semi weekly with q
circulation of about 800, confined
mostly to these islands and the
Hawaiian Shimbun. 1t may be
of interest 10 state the meaning of
these Japanese names. onlnpO means
literally, "Utws;" hochi, t'report;"
and shimbun, what one hears" The
ShinpO has circulation ofNover 1000,
extending from London to 4okiO.
Japanese newspapers an printed
from metal type, the same s English
ones, but whereas an English or
American newspaper Otfices has less
than 100 different characters, an ordi-
nary Japanese office has 1000 at least.
Their alphabet cOn!nius forty seven
letters IO commence witt1s and their
language some 2UO, coo word5, each one
of which is expressed hy, 4 separate
character. Oh these words 1000 are
in geufAl every day use, and no mat
ter hey small the rrintins office may
be foafS. Of typ" containing from
twenty tHEf'y Ot each of these char
acters' ni b. kept Ola hand. Instead
of beingtuRo" n loosely into boxes, as
with A eficam type, they ere care
fully sta&ed ui in racks angrd along
the walls.
ProbaSIy no het'er ilea of n J 'pan-
ese printing office can be Oiaine than
from recent article OH the subject by
Henry Norman, published in "Real
Japan" from which the following Is
extracted:
"They are very keen journalists in
the land of the chTysauthemum; but
il must he allowed that the business
is carried on under difficulties from