The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-10
TN DREAD OF THE MACHINES
Troubles of the GOvermaeRt Print
ing Office Press Feeders.

They Claim Their Brethren Of An
other Union Are Not StnrsainG by
Tnen. in Their Fight Against an
Automatic Device-yIay Disbnnd.
The Government Printing Office just at
this time is a centre of interest for mem
begs of all branches of the printing craft.
Union matters are uppermost in the
minds of every body in the big Office The
Biudery Wonen's Union has forced near
Iy all the non-unionists into the organi-
Zation after a years struggle but right
! on the heels Of this announcement comes
tie news that there Is danger of the Press
Feeders Union going TO pieces.
The latter organization was formed
about three years ago The movement to
bring into a union all of The press feed
/ ers in the employ of the Government and
those of the private printing establish
ments in Washington originated, it is
said, with pressmen in the Government
Printing Office. who are leading members
Of the local Pressmen's Union \ large
majority of the feeders in the city are
employed by this Office. All of these Gov
. eTnment feeders are women. and it took
constant and hard work for months to
induce them to organize. Finally the
movement took root and the Press Feed
ers' Union came into existence with
something like 500 members
/ The cause Of danger of disruption of the
/ Press Feeders Union lies. at this time
it is alleged, in the Introduction Of the
automatic press feeder into the Govern
nent Printing Office. When the feeders
union was organized, it is said. the press
mems organization promised that the
+ feeders should he protected from the en-
81 T7f ~ yya9cbinnFZ-
pOsitOrs at the big shop have been pro-
tected against the linotype machine This
promise majority of the feeders regard
as having been broken.
They assert that when the first auto
matte feeder made its appearance in the
1 Government Printing Office the pressmen
were impiored 10 protest against it, but
they declined to do SO Now there are
eight or ten Of these machines in the
office, and each one has displaced two wo-
men. This would not be SO bad if it
ended there. But the hand feeders be-
Iieve they see in this device the elimina-
/ ton of nearly ali of them as soon as the
new printing Office is equipped. They de-
/ clare that every sign points to an auto
matte feeder on every press on which it
! can be used as soon as the new Office is
( organized
The feeders assert that the refusal. of
the pressmen to come to their rescue is
purely selfish While the automatic feeder
does away with hand feeders. each press
on which il IS employed requires a press
/ man. Now one pressuIan runs two
presses. IN other words. the occupation
OF the hand feeder is destroyed by the au-
tomato service. White II creates jobs for
Dressmea Herein. the feeders declare. lies
the secret Tor the refusal OF the Press
mems Union TO help them in their trouble.
1t is said that the question VIII be
brought To the attention of the InteTna-
tiOnaI Printing PTeSSmcn S and Assist
ants Union of NOrth America when that
body meets IN this city in June. The
leaders Of the Press Feeders Union will
fight against the automatic contrivance.
and il is freely asserted by many of the
women that if this aid is not given. the
union VIII be broken up