Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-05
ENGRAVING AND PRINTING.
Methods in the Office of the Japanese
Government.

From the Chicago Record
All the government engraving, Itho-
graphing and printing. including the man
ufacture of bank bills ard postage and
revenue stamps, in Japan is done at an in
| stitution known by the simple and express
| i've name of Insetsukioku. 1t occupies &
| fine building of French architecture, re-
Gently erected, and equipped with all the
| improvements and conveniences of a we'll
| ordered printing office, but it's capacity is in
sufficient, and the increasing business has
| caused n overflow into a number of an
Client and ill-arraIged structures that have
long occupied the densely shaded grounds
that We're once the abode of prince. The
employees all wear VI iforms of white cotton
while at work, which are changed for their
ordinary street dress when they leave the
building. Many, perhaps two-thirds of
them, are women and girls, who look very
neat and orderly in their scanty raiment,
for 1t is but a single garment. without but
tons, and only held together by girdle
around the waist, and discloses a consid-
cradle portion of their person which in
other countries it is considered modest to
conceal But their unconscious innocence
feels no shs me.
series of short stripes of red, which indicate
rank and length of service. Some of them
have four five and six stripes, showing
that they are veterans. The foremen or
distinctive badge.
The machinery is mostly of French and
German manufacture. Much of it was made
in Japan Upon stolen patents, for the gov
eminent has only to buy one press piece
of apparatus. The ingenious machinsts of
the country will produce many copies
as are needed without conjunction or lack
of skill, although Japanese imita tionS are
not always as durable as the models.
could only find one machine from the Unit
ed States, and that was big trimming
knife in the bindery. Tie secretary and
assistant superintendent who showed us
around, told us there was no objection to
American machinery. They agreed that
the best pl esses in the world were made il
the United States, but the institution was
organized and equipped by Europeans IN
der contract, and they naturally preferred
what they We're familiar with.
The government makes its own inks,
type and other supplies, and has a mill in
the suburbs of Toxic, at which every grade
from the finest bond to ordinary printing
paper is manufactured The Japanese, as
We all know, make the best papers in the
world. There machine shops connected
with the Irsetsu<ioku, at which all repairs
are made. and conventional machinery, and
nothing is bought abroad except an occa-
sional press or some recent Improvement.
which, as l have said, is Immediately imi-
tated.
The natives make excellent engravers
and have the highest degree of artistic
skill and taste. Some of the designers are
eminent artists. and samples of their work
which were displayed in an exhibition room
surpassed anything l have ever seen in
France Or Germany. But their wages
absurdly low. The highest salary paid
among the ergravers and al fists is equiva-
lent to OF " $40 a month in our money, and
this commands their entire time and talent
The superintendent of the institution, who
ranks next to a member of the cabinet
gets about the same pay as the messen-
gers in the government printing Office at
Washingt m. The lowest wages paid among
the 600 employees is ) sen, or , ID cents a
day. to the Joung girls who carry the
printed sheets from the presses to the dry
ing rooms and hang them over the wires
The average is - sen, or y cents a day in
our money, and this for eleven hours work
from in the morning till at night with
half an hours rest at noon for luncheon.