Evening star., 1922-04-26
PUBLISHERS SEEK
TO CHECK WASTE
President Williams Says AS
sociation United Against
44-H0ur Week.

Publishers Association against any ef-
fort to introduce the forty-four-hour
week work into newspaper shops, and
declaring that there cannot be any re-
duction in newspaper advertising or
subscription rates at this time. 7. X.
williams of the Pittsburgh Press and
president of the association, called
upon the members to eliminate waste
in the newspaper plants of the coun-
try and get behind the apprenticeship
school movement in. order to prevent
a shortage of skilled help in news
paper plants.
Calling attention to the achieve
ments of President Harding. himself
n publisher. Mr.. Williams urged Ms
hearers to follow the example of their
iIlustrious fellow craftsman. and. as
he had led in the scrapping OF en-
gines of war to promote International
cooperation. for the publisher to
scrap the jealousies and animosllles
that in their ultimate results are
harmful not only to those upon WHOM
they are used, but to those who use
them as well. Only by this methoo
will this association obtain its fullest
results. he added.
"Cndoubtedl one of our chief needs
is a further lowering of the cost or
production and the elimination of viii
full waste" said Mr.. Williams. The
former lies chiefly beyond the imme-
diste control of the publisher: the
latter is entirely beneath MS own
roof.
Wages Held Too High.
"As further alleviation of the high
cost Of production. many insist that
labor costs are too high and that the
chief end to be sought is reduction
in the wage scales of skilled work
men. While it is conceded that some
reduction is in order from the very
top-notch prices still being charged,
and while these reductions seem Ger
tain to come in course of time, yet
there is another. and ] think, better
light in which to consider tins prom
lem-Securing greater and more en-
cient returns from labor. Publishers
generally are not averse to giving
labor high wage in keeping with
the experience and skill required by
the business. but in return they have
a right to insist upon days work in
constructive labor producing some
thing of real value to the employer.
During the period of business re-
adjustment we have been passing
through the publisher has been forced
to look out for the elimination of
waste. increasing of efficiency. and
lowering of costs on every hand is
ii not a good time for the newspaper
printing trades unions to do likewise?
In this day Of Industrial economy.
when lowering the cost of producing
the necessities of life means so much
to the welfare of mankind. does 1t not
seem strange that trades unions
should have in their code of laws
regulations designed exclusively for
the purpose of creating jobs and not
producing usable production for the
emplover?"
Mr. Williams declared that while at
one time these job rules might have
been laudable in order to prevent un-
employment there was no need for
such a code today, and added:
"In fact, there is today in all the
large cities scarcity of printers,
pressmen and stereotypers. If the
six days work a week rule was sud-
denly enforced there would be hun
dreds of newspapers badly crippled in
getting out. Statistics from the large
cities will show that a very consid-
erable percentage of printers, press
men and stereotypers are at present
working or being paid for from seven,
eight and nine and in some excep-
tional cases. even ten and eleven days
q week"
Macon schools Noted.
Mr. Williams then drew attention
to the schools at Macon, Ga, and
elsewhere, but declared that they
were too limited in scope to do much
to change the labor situation.
"The high cost of labor. therefore.
is not so serious matter now as
securing the cooperation of labor
to give efficient, full-tirne. usable
work in return" he continued. "And
in devising some means of attracting
and training apprentices in the
trades SO that there will be sufficient
labor to meet the future demands
of the rapidly growing and expand
ing newspaper business. However,
It Is conceded on all sides that pres
ent wage scales are too high and
that reductions must follow the gem
eral market in all lines of produc-
tion.
In view of conditions cited, there
can be no Justification whatever for
the forty-four-hour week in news
the association will continue against
it. Besides. apprenticeship laws
should be changed so as to invite
more apprentices in the various
trades. instead of repelling them, as
present restrictions apparently do.
own interests. present and future.
should see that the full quota of ap-
prentices are carried in each de-
partment."
A call for the revival of the con-
servation committee was made by
Mr.. Williams, who called for an ag
gressive campaign against waste in
the handling of newsprint. freight
hauls. Standardization of roll lengths.
weight of paper, pressromm waste.
core waste. etc.
Millions Wasted Yearly.
It Is safe to say" he declared.
shat millions of dollars are wasted
annually through lack of proper
study and attention to these SUBJ
jects."
with the softening of newsprint
prices. there has come the tendency
In a few quarters to reduce subscrip-
ton prices" he continued. 1T is
gratifying to note that the expert
ment has been made in only few
instances, these being reductions
chiefly from 3 cents to 2 cents daily,
and, according to data reported to
the trade publications. results in the
way of circulation gains have been
so negligible that 1t is certain the
thought of general reduction is alb
surd and unthinkable.
Likewise. any thought of reducing
advertising rate. The present cost of
newsprint. f. Q. b. sidewalk, is 100
per cent higher than the pre-war
price. while the compilation of mill
ing rate of news paper shows only a
very moderate increase in rates over
the same period. Advertisers have
come to appreciate these facts, and
in the business revival that is now
under way there is seldom heard a
serious complaint about high rates
from those we'll informed"