The age-herald., 1899-08-16
MACHINES
Are the Cause of New York Strike
 Trying New Monotype

From the New York Commercial.
 The real cause of the strike on the Sun, was the introduction of labor-saving ma chimes. As is well known in newspaper circles, the Sun is the only daily paper in this country which has continued to set it's paper by hand labor. The late Charles A. Dana was always opposed to machine composition, and the Sun people have req sons of their own for not desiring to n- troduce the Mergenthaler machines. which are used in nearly all newspaper offices. By continuing handwork, the Sun has given moro employment to labor during the last few years than any other news paper in this country, and it has carried a much larger payroll in its composing room than other metropolitan papers.
 Some time since the Sun management decided that when they could secure a ma- chine which would set type as satisfac- torily as by hand they would introduce such into their office Their investigation convinced them that the Lanston mono type machine was the coming machine, al though they have experimented with sev- eral others. When convinced that the Lanston was the machine they wanted, they placed order for some forty ma chimes, which was the number estimated for their requirements. They have now ten of these machines in operation, and the results produced have convinced them that they will not require more than ff- teen additional machines. The cost of set ting type by the Lanston machine is from 16 to 20 cents per thousand ems, as com pared with 50 cents per thousand for hand composition.
 It was the introduction of these ma chimes that caused the strike. No com- positors are necessary to operate the Lan- ston, which is handled entirely by me- chanics, and which produces it's. work au- tomatically, It casts each letter or char acter on a separate piece of metal and au- toma tically adjusts and feeds them into lines. When the printers union heard of the introduction of these machines, they insisted upon the Suns putting a compost tor on each machine. The Sun accepted this with as good grace as was possible, and union operator was placed by the side of each machine to watch the wheels go round. Naturally the Sun took meas ures to protect itself, and immediately laid its wires to secure a supply of non-union men. When the union people heard of this a strike was ordered.
 The general introduction of such ma chimes will certainly have its effect upon printing labor. The copy is prepared in the editorial department. and when placed in the machine works automatically. The only necessity for printer is in the pulling of the proofs, correcting galeys, setting up
 
 the old story of the introduction of auto matic labor-saving machinery, with which all industries in this country must contend so long as American genius applies its ef- forts to reducing the cost of production.
 The advantage claimed for the Lanston over the Mergenthaler machine is that 1t casts and sets the type, not in a slug, and practically reproduces hand composition at a great saving of labor. Several sizes of type can be produced on the same machine by simply changing a set-screw, and in each face there are caps, italics and all the special characters the same as in a font of hand type. It has been rumored that the Lanston was an English machine, but this is not true. It is yankee product pure and simple, and the rumor probably came from the fact that the Glasgow Herald was the first newspaper plant to be fitted with these machines.
 The setting of type by the Lapston ma- chine consists of two distinct operations First, the copy is run off on keyboard, similar to that of a typewriter, on which each character or letter is represented by round perforations in a ribbon of paper This ribbon of paper with it's perforations is then put into an automatic casting and setting machine, which is governed auto nlatically by the holes in the paper ribbon. These holes differ from each other only in location and in the combina tions effected. As the ribbon is fed through the casting machine, the holes put parts in motion which center the matrix, which is then seated upon mold of novel construction, ard the flow of metal from the nozzle being directly into the matrix, which is filed then followed instantly into the body of the mold under pressure to insure perfect cast The type is elected from the mold into carrier and upon the completion of any line that line Is advanced to make room for the next The lines of type are thus cast and set into a galley until the matter Is all set up. These gaHeys of ma chine set type are then handled the same as if the type had been set by hand. Proofs are drawn and any necessary corrections are made by hand before the type is placed in the form.
 The Sun at present has ten machines, which is not sufficient to set its paper, so that the machines are kept busy large portion of the time casting type only, and the type thus cast is put into the type cases and set by hand. This is why they require at present supply of hand com positors. After they have their full quota Of machines the only competitors required Will be those necessary to make the neces- sary corrections and lock the type up into the forms.