Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-02-09
(By c. F. DAUGHERTY)


where are all the printers" asked
local employing printer the other
day, after he had tried for a month
to get sufficient printers to man his
shop. Several years ago." he con
tlnued, printers were plentiful, and
there were always several printers
showing up on the sub list, but now
there Is not an idle printer in the
two towns, and from efforts to-seeufe
printers from other cities, it seems
the same situation prevails every
where. We pay way above the local
scale but that does not seem to be
any indueement. A few years ago,
We could always depend upon few
tourists showing up, but these are
gone, too, and with the exception of
Nike Baehman, there hasn't been a
tourist hit the Twin Cities for over
year. Where are all the printers,
anyway"
Well, they amt making EN- any
more. The young fellows are no
longer attracted to the printing trade,
because conditions since the war are
Sueh that a young man can make
from $40 to $50 a week at other
occupations, and print shop em-
gioyers will not pay oyer $40 to $12
!of apprentices. So the boys take
loos driving trucks and selling soda
water IN preference to learning a
good trade. They would rather be a
Iueks driver all their lives at $25 a
week than to start learning a trade
al slz week, which is graduated
upward every year until at the end of
ah apprenticeship of five years he
Mo9ia De competent to receive the
M oTale or 6etter-probably $45 a. week.
Ihe employers must make up their
alilas To pay apprentices more
wages, or they will find themselves
years.
lhen, about 500 printers went to
rance .ai and never came back.
Llhe typographical Journal lists
aoout iO0 printers in the mortuary
eoiamn each month.
me tourists cease to show up be-
sa saase railroad detectives have be-
~ ~ % so pesky that they won't let
~ .lie hoooes' ride free any more, so
s;.; ss! nave congregated in the big
NE me where they can find employ
H'shL when they want it.
pafing the war thousands of print
es. s entered other lines of employ
r. s''s because employers were slow
~ a9Nahee wages, and they have
- returned to the trade.
NJ, Inc 44-hour strike lost to the trade
~ ~ than 1000 printers who quit
,R ae printing business entirely rather
thaH seab. ''i : i'''''ei
" country print shops, which former
eeass5 5isasea printers galore, have
tb.sss 70 produce. 1t usually took
: - ~ ot Tour eompositors to "set up''
rn5;s..fy weekly, and in this way the
Ts''.sllts IT, en- OF printing were learned.
wsel.. country printer" after a few
h n ID city shop, soon caught on
a % s city ideas and developed into
evss. 80 cry printer. But now nearly
49, 49, country shop has a linotype
the sIas .i.e ooss runs himself, and with
no fr,,stpao rs,sspaon Of one man he needs
laflner help.
Is I..easef reason printers are scarce
2s gSaase -, there is demand now for
we,s .. eeht more printers than there
is o.. ssa years ago, and this demand
Sing every day.
msda 49oa1 z1 all the printers that are
eBfs no ne" adays are those whose par
inp 'sslst upon their children learn
%, 200 sood trade, and the few Who
e565,.saf - start in the technical courses
Tbs 1T.sa 20 by a few high schools,
sebool biographical Union conducts
'o.e IN several Of the larger cities,