The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-27
Says There's Always a Demand
for Good Printers.
ASKS INVESTIGATION.
Cites the College at Manhattan
and Samples Done There.
Linotype Operating Easily Mas
tered by Students.

To the Editor of the State Journal:
understand that there is a dis
position to belittIe and ignore recon-
mendations of merit if they are not
presented with the approval of those
in authority. Many members of the
legislature have printed letters in
their home papers asking the people
to write them what they'd like to
have done. Unquestionably a ma
jority of the people of Kansas IA
vor the printing of school books by
the state and when it is granted that
school books may be profitably and
other printing needed by state and
county officers, including blank books,
can be printed and furnished for
much less money than is now paid
and the receipts could be used to
build up greater state printing
house and a technical school of
printing and kindred arts. The state
printer has recommended that the
state print the school BOOKS ana ne
can as consistently recommend that
the state print the other supplies
needed by those in the employ of the
state and county and city. 1t would
be fine thing for the state printer
to have charge of the state school
students can do. 1 respectfully ask
that the state printer and the mem
bers of the legislature give the sug-
gestion full and fair investigation.
/ have seen samples of the print
ing done at the state school at Man
haitian. 1t is good printing. With
better equipment it could be made as
good as that done at the state office
in Topeka 1t is not that I need help
in my office that I want boys and
girls taught the printing trade, but it
is because it is a helpful, good trade,
easily mastered by intelligent boys
and girls and the demand for their
services is general They could be
the printing school would soon be as
valuable to Kansas students as the
school for engineers, lawyers, doc
tors, teachers, farmers.
Why Not Teach Printing.
Printing is one of the most useful
industries and probably one of the
strongest They why not teach limo
arts in a technical state school at
with the state printer in
charge and competent assistants
carrying out his plans? Surely the
idea is worth some interest and at
tention. The superintendent of the
printing department at the State
college says heS has read
with satisfaction my article referring
to the subject as printed in the State
Journal. AS the same time I sent the
article to the Journal I sent a similar
article to other papers and to mem
bers of the legislature whom I
might be interested. 1 have
also brought the matter before the
governor and talked about it to
many newspaper men throughout the |
state. I shall also take the greatest
pleasure in personally submitting the
plan to the state printer and in |
bringing it before the State Editorial |
association.
The editor of the State Journal and |
the superintendent of printing at the |
state school have so far been the only |
ones to give the idea hearing. The |
of the printing school |
has sent me samples of work done by |
the students and says that !
Printing Office Course.
''Since the early '70S there has been |
4 printing department at the Agricul- |
tural college, but until recent years the |
equipment was more or less crude and |
was in quarters cramped and unSani- |
Lary. The board of regents has been |
more liberal during the past few years |
and now we have first class equipment |
as far as it goes, and are established in |
a building set aside for printing. Our
type is all modern, uniform line in |
series, and our machines are all good |
except the cutter which will soon be |
by an Oswego power cutter.
Last year the board of regents di- |
rected the establishment of a four-year |
course in printing, which would fit a |
student to operate a printing office in