The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-18
Printers Protest
Against School
Charge Unfair Competition
in Florence by Reformatory
School

To the Public:
The South Carolina Industrial
school. located in this city's su-
burbs. maintains a printing school
to teach boys sent there for dis
ciplinc the art Of printing. No one
COULD object to that, if the boys
are interested in learning the
trade, aSd will thereby become use
full members of society when they
arc discharged from the institution.
We submit. however. to the fair
minded people Of the state that the
school. as now operated, is doing
hurt Of legitimate business in that
it is actively competing for busi-
ness here. and also indirectly, as the
manufacturing plant for an office
supply concern, with statesmen out
soliciting printing.
The school is maintained by a
state appropriation, and we as we'll
as all other enterprises and tax
payers must help sustain it. 1t has
no labor. rent. fuel, light. power
or other bills to pay. The city Of
Florence can not even impose a
license tax. We must meet all such
expenses. and pay city, state and
county taxes as well.
There is no justice in such COM
petition, even though the state in
stitution quoted prices in keeping
with the cost of production tc con-
Germs employing free labor. But it
is not doing this, and their prices
create in the minds Of people who
do not understand the situation, the
impression that they are being
held up We protested to the
party making prices, and he def1ed
rus to stop him. after on argument
more or less animated" and said.
"Tery well. let it be war;" We
don't want war" but We do want
fair and even handed justice, hence
we appealed to the state board of
correction. and thought the matter
would be settled, as we were told
that the state had no inclination to
hurt our business, but simply desir-
ed to teach. the boys the trade. We
find, however, that the school is still
getting all the work it can; and
those who understand business con-
ditions for the past year can see
that every transaction they make is
injurious to free labor. In short, if
the practice is allowed to continue,
and the vision" Of the manager
materializeS into a big plant Che
has had several machinery men
here to quote prices), the state
might as we'll touch torches to Cur
Offices and destroy them-per;laps,
better so-for possibly then we
could salvage something in insur-
ance, while if their comp etition'
90 causes the sheriff or bank
ruptcy court to administer, we
would not save anything.
II the state reform school can
conduct a printing office in COM
petition with legitimate business
concerns, it can engage in any
other competitive lines, and later
may do so.
We are sure the boys can learn
with dummy" copy as we'll as 9TH
erwise; while their school paper
also can be used to teach them.
Every laboring man and employ
er in South Carolina should be in
terested in the passage Of a law
against such labor competing for
business Senator D. Gordon Ba-
ker has promised to introduce such
bill Many states have already
passed such laws. We appeal to
our representatives to help wipe
out this unfair competition.
This is the fight of every man
and woman in South Carolina who
wants its citizens given a square
deal
w. B. Patillo.
= For Pee Dee Printing Co.
j. 3. Parnell,
For Florence Printing Co.
Florence, S. c.. JAN Il.