The evening times., 1900-10-12
THE LINOTYPE In EUROPE
Reports to the State Department
on Its Growing Use.
COnsufs in Belgium. France, Ger
many, and Italy Tell of Its Adop-
ti0n by Newspapers and RooIS
Printing Establishments Other
Machines Not Very Much in Favor.


ting machines in Europe. at the instance
of "a resident OF Massachusetts" who is
interested in the matter. Reports have
been submitted by consular officers in
Great Britain, France, Belgium, Gerna-
ny, and Italy, showing that the use of
machines in type setting is increasing
steadily and rapidly and is already wide
| spread. The reports are now published
by the department in the Consular Re-
ports"
The Mergenthaler machine is the one
almost universally in use and other ma
chimes are being discarded for ii in some
Instances The "TyEograph," or Rogers
machine. which is owned by the Mergen-
| thaler Company in America, is used in
some places. One other machine is men
TONED in one of the reports but no men
tion OF its use is made anywhere.
Consul Roosevelt at Brussels says;
Several of the leading newspapers of
Brussels use typesetting machines of va
rious makes and of English, Dutch, and
German origin. AS far as I can learn no
American typesetUing machine is used
here. The machine at present enjoying
greatest favor is the English Linotype du-
plex machine. Proprietors, foremen, type
settlers, and workmen in general, except
ing union printers, who are extremely hos
tile. have received the machines with ia
Vor.
The field for these machines may be said
to be large, in view of the fact that the
employment of typesetting machines is
rapidly increasing. There is at present only
one book-printing establishment using a
typeseting machine. The reason given by
other book printing establishments for not
using IL is that they have material such
as movable type, etc, on hand, which can
not be utilized If the present system OF
printing is abandoned"
Consul Skinner, OF Marseilles. says:
Upon receipt of the enquiries with
respect 10 the use of typesetting machines
in France, l placed myself in commuri-
cation with MessTs. Moullot fils aine pro-
prietoFs of the largest printing establish
ment in Marseilles and having twelve
branches IN various parts Of this country.
the firm named is decidedly the most ipi-
portant in France, l am persuaded, ard
the information which it has been good
enough TO submit TO me in writing ] con-
slider absolutely reliable. The communi-
cation says;
THE Congress of French Printers, re-
Gently held in Paris and which was at
particularly with this important question;
but the discussion has always been confn-
ed TO the Linotype machine.
. However, in view of the example Civ
en- 20 US by the United States. where il
appears that about z,G00 composing ma
chimes are now actually in use, many of
the French printers at this moment are
studying the matter very seriously and
experiments are about to be made which
will complete those already made, and if,
as there is every reason to believe, the re-
suits are satisfactory, it is probable that
within a short time the use of composing
machines will become general
The field for the use of typesetting ma
chimes in France is extensive. The French
are distinctively reading people, ever
city of consequence possessing a newspa-
per of large circulation, and as the dis
tribution of stereotype plates among local
publishers is unknown in France, all these
papers depend upon local labor for compo-
sition. Although there are proportionate-
~ fewer lars= establishments in France
than in the United States, II seems TO me
that this deficiency is more than made
good by the necessities of the daily news
papers, for the reason just mentioned
Consul sneraI Mason. at Berlin, states
that the number of machines in use in
his district is about 40. He says:
The machines have been in general
ployes. AT first the typographical union
an association which includes practiCaiFy
all typesetterS in Berlin. manifested
some hostility to the new system; but
the representatives of the typesetting
machines judiciously invited the pre5i-
dent of the typographical union to ex-
anime the machine. and made arrange
ments by which the members OF the union
took up the study of the linotype sys-
tenn and furnished the men who now
operate the machines
AT first printing establishments were
somewhat slow and conservative in rec
ogniZing and admitting the advantages
of the machines over hand comp 9sition:
but at present the tide has set definitely
in their favor, and German manufac-
turers are now unable to fully supply the
demand for them The practical use OF
typesetting machines in Berlin began
about three years ago.
"a. Borsig, of Berlin, one of the larg-
est makers of electrical. steam. and ether
machinery in Germany, has recently de-
cided to take up the manufacture of
typesetting machines
1.-The field for the introduction OF
American typesetting machines in Ger
many would seem to be favorable, pro-
vided they can be adapted to German
print and furnished as cheaply as those
of nome manufacture. This demand will
be likely to continue until German max
ers have increased their output suffit-
cientiy to supply the trade. The entry of
a firm Ike a. Borsig into this new field
means that within two or three years
the supply of German-made machines
will probably cover all home demands,
unless the American or other foreign
makers can produce a better machine
than can be made here, or furnish it at
a lower price
In view Of the low cost Of skilled labor
in Germany, the excellent equipment and
large facilities of the German manufacture
ers now engaged in the business added to
the cost of freight and duty on imported
machinery. it is probable that in the eng
the German makers will practically con-
troll their home market for typesetting
machinery. Typesettfng machines are used
for both newspaper and book composition
in Germany, and a most promising market
for such machinery would be Leipzig
which is the principal seat of book pub
lication in this country
Consul General Guenther writes from
Frankfort: From the most reliable
sources of information. it would appear
that there are fifteen typesetting machines
used in the Frankfort consular district.
They are owned by four FIRMS The In
telligenz Blatt.' of Frankfort has four
Linotype duplex machines: the ..Volks-
blatt, of Frankfort. two Linotype ma
chimes; Voigt G Gleiber. printers, eight !
Typeeraph machines: MahIau & VALID
schmidt. printers, one Linotype machine {"
Consul Warner. OF Leipzig says: |
There are. as nearly as 1 can find out. |
forty-one typesetting machines in use in t
this city. Twenty-four are Typograph |
machines and sixteen are Mergenthaler /