The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-27

The annual meeting of the Linotype
Company. Limited. OF Great Britain. held
in London recently. exhibited the affairs
Of that company to be in a most prosper
Gus condition. only a little less flourish
ing than these OF the parent American
concern, in fact The net profits Of The
company for The year were Eeo6.oe0. Of
which EISo. zoe in debenture interest and
dividends were distributed. The deferrei
ordinary stock Of the company received
10 per cent dividends and was established
on u per cent basis The sum Of E2o.e00
was added 10 the reserve fund, making a
total of G2I7000. and E26.o GOO was car
ried over TO the present year.
The gross manufacturing profits Of the
company amounted to E2li.ooo or more
than 81 GOO 00O against &1g4 coo. an in
crease OF $50. OPS. or 100000. The gross
manufacturing profits for the year 1894
were E56 600. They have increased TO
four times that amount IN the past FIVE
years.
The statement was made at the meeting
that the immense profits Of the company
would have been much larger but for the
increased cost OF materials used. Coal has
advanced in London so per cent. pig iron
- to IS per cent. brass 80 per cent and
same drain on net profits has been made
in the American Company except for which
the IS per cent rate on the stock earned
80 far this year would have been az least
per cent larger il is said.
The British Company has followed the
policy Of the American concern in buying
up all the patents which its directors con-
slider in the least likely to benefit it or to
lead to rivalry with it, During the past
year it has taken out forty-siX new Pat
ents many Of which are considered likely
TO prove very valuable The total number
Of establishments Using machines manu-
featured by the company in Great Britain
the Continent. and the Colonies but prin-
cipdlly up 10 the present time in England
alone is 7O5. Many Of these establishments
have from six to forty machines In 1897
the total number Of companies was only
1853. The book and general printers using
the Linotype machines in Great Britain
have increased since 1897 from Il to l16.
Chairman Lawrence'S Views.
Mr.. j. lawrence, the Chairman Of the
British Linotype Company. made an elo-
quent and exhaustive address to the
meeting detailing its growth and pros
perity, and pointing out to the sharehold-
ers the fine outlook for expansion, and I
augmented profits in the future. He stat .
ed his belief that the Linotype will con- /
tinue to be the only commercially sue /
cessful and practicable machine for a 1
long time in the future.
His remarks on this question are par /
ticularly interesting. as they are appli- /
cable to conditions in America as well. He 4
said among other things:
we are presenting to you consecutively, /
year after year, reports disclosing contin-
.rfg in, 10 rz lint
say there must be fly in every ointment,
and there must be some in ours. At
present however. we do not know what /
the fly is; but. dealing with it under the 4
head Of possible competition. I would like I
to make one or two remarks, which /
hope will be taken seriously TO heart by
everybody who takes an Interest in this
company First OF all. I would say that We
view competition with no fear. We buy
up or control all new inventions in our
particular line which have any real merit
IN them.
we see no cloud on the horizon. We
do hear OF machines coming forward, and
with regard to those machines and 20 the
companies which are in existence ! ought
10 remind you that the Linotype always
has had competition. From its earliest
days it has been working and forging its
way side by side with the existence Of 9th
D.
OF eleven years existence the position to-
day is that the Linotype stands absolutely
unriyaled. There are fewer competitors
than there were five years ago. OF even
three years ago We know Of no Office in
England. or the Continent. or in America
where anybody can point with success to
8 type-sctting machine. We have heard o,
machines being put dOwn-we know Of
them. We have accurate records OF their
ale
and we can say quite fearlessly and truth
fully that we can hear Of 70 instance OF
any machine being worth the while Of the
newspaper printer or a general printer 10
adopt in preference TO the Linotype
No Fear of Competition.
People assume that if these new ma
chimes come out we must suffer ] do not
see that at ALL Take the worst aspect of
things II these machines come out. and.
contrary to expectation. they succeed. We
shall be just in the position Of every pre-
mier company where there are a great
number Of persons engaged In the same
Ednstry-we shall always hold our own
There are at this moment il England
America and on the Continent Linotype
machines representing a capital value OF
{ . eco 600 sterling. The bulk OF those have (
leen bought and paid for Now. is IL rea-
sonable 10 suppose that a man who has paid /
$40 G0o. G2e 600 or $50 eco for an outfit I
If machinery Of that kind is likely TO throw
Il carelessly on the scrap heap unless he
has brought before him some strong and
reasons, and has shown 20 .
him vastly greater economies possible bv
adopting some other machine II there Is
lothiug else left to US there is the repair
ug Of those machines. and the repairs are
yettiug a very considerable item. We are I
BEGINNING to derive considerable revenue I
nder this head; it is not large at present.
because our machines were SO wei made iu
he FIRST instance that they need very little
epair. bur even the best. strongest and
yorthiest Of machines VIII. In course of
line. need repairs and that repairing bus
hess is now beginning Machines sold
even wears ago now want fixing up with
little Improvements and require additions Z
D be made and new parts 10 be substituted. Z
nat is d source OF revenue 10 you apart Z
rom the mere supplying of machines ] 7
aid moment ago that We should regard
urselres as being in the premier position " Z
Mr.. Lawrence spoke thus Of the death
( Mr. Mergenthaler: /.
During the past year we have had TO I
ecord the death Of Mr.. Ottmar Mergea- n
haler whose name viii probably 20 down r
o history with those Of Gutenberg. Kos 4
er, and our own Caxtou as one Of he y
reatest inventors Of the age He was not 6
eally the sole inventor Of the Linotype a
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