St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-02-04
ENERALLY speaking, there
isn't much known about
the printing business out
side of the immediate fol-
lowers of the craft or those

N"\. isn't muCl known ABOUT
INN the printing business out
SSN side of the immediate fol-
~SV lowers of the craft or those
closely connected with It.
and the average father, particularly in
a country town, would probably not
consider it with high favor as an oc-
cupation for his son, believing, per-
haps, that about all there is to 1t Is
setting type and laboriously running
an old-fashioned press at not very
high pay.
However, there is not a finer line of
work, nor one with better opportuni-
ties for acquiring competence and
for advancement among all the lines
of human endeavor. The fact that
printing is one of the most important
departments of modern industry adds
to the opportunities that are open to
the earnest young man.
Like all occupations, to acquire pro-
ficiency in printing the applicant must
begin at the bottom and devote sew
eral years to learning It, He has to
start as apprentice.
To get a job in the first place, let
your boy Tor YOURSELF apply to the
foreman of the particular printing es-
tablishment you may select; for the
foreman is the boss of the workroom.
1t is well, If you have any choice, to
choose an institution of some standing
which does large and varied class of
work, as the opportunities for learn
ing will be far better there than in a
little job office of the zone horse"
variety
Except in some country towns, so
called, the boy has to be registered
with the union as an apprentice right
from the start; but this will not entail
any expense, as the typographical
union does not charge dues or other
fees until the neophyte has become a
journeyman. Your boy must be about
sixteen years old, but he need have no
further education than the merest or
binary one.
His pay for the, first year will be
about four dollars a week, and the
work eight hours day, as obtains
generally in printing offices. His
duties for this period will be to get ac-
auainted with the cases (the fiat boxes
divided into compartments containing
the TYPED and sorting leads, and to
run errands for workmen, etc.
During the second year his pay will
be two dollars week higher, and in
this period he will get his first direct
work at the cases, learning to set i'm
prints 1.-THE insertion of names, adj
dresses or other matter into type al
ready set) and small reprint (short
printed matter).
In the third year the pay jumps to
eight dollars weekly, and the duties
show corresponding growth. BY
this time he will have q. pretty good
rudimentary knowledge Of the bust
ness, and will be able to acquire pro-
ficiency in setting longer reprints.
and locking up small forms Of type. /.
D., getting them ready for press and
foundry.
Fourth year-his pay is now SO a
week, and he is almost a printer; for
your boy is now setting plain jobs,
from manuscript and doing the ordi-
nary regular work Of the journeyman.
The fifth year he is a senior stu
dent, known colloauially as q two
thirder" (thts term refers to the pay,
which is $14 a week, or two-thirds that
,ai5 - ;o,,rr ouroap1 do;nr pro ~ 10 1I1,
everything the regular workmen do
and putting polish on his practical
education.
Then he is full journeynan and
drawing $21 week. and goes into the
union as a regular member. The cost
Of belonging to the union Is, roughly,
$40 to SIS a year, part of which goes
to the maintenance of the printers
home at Colorado Springs. Any mem
Der is admitted to this home when,
age or disability, he is unable
to earn his living, and even is allowed
there during convalescence after sick
ness, and all necessities furnished him
without charge. There is no such
thing as a member ever having to go
to the poorhouse.
After your boy becomes journey
man, the foreman tries him out on
various phases of the work to find II
he has executive ability or special
aptitude. The first special stunt"
will probably be to give him the entire
work of setting, making up, and pre-
pairing for the foundry of sixteen
page form, with, Of course, such help
as he may require, and IL he does this
well he win find himself before long
handling the most important work of
the shop, and will then be eligible for
The assistant foremanship.
II an opening should occur, he would
be competent to take this position by
the time he is twenty-three, or seven
years after he started out as appren-
tice; and a couple Of years or SO later
would be able to take the foreman
ship. The foreman is the actual boss
Of the composing room, employing all
the men and laying out the work, ETC.,
Of the journeymen and apprentices.
Foremen are paid from $35 to $50 a
week, according to the size of the es-
and the city they may be
n. Their assistants receive from S25
10 $40 weekly.
The next step in advance is to be-
come assistant superintendent at $50
% SITS week. and then superintend-
emit, when your boys pay will be from