page 77

Punch-Cutting by Machinery.

All printers acquainted with the literature of the craft are aware that types are cast from a matrix made by striking a steel die into copper. The illustrations of the counter-punch, the punch, the « strike, » and the finished matrix, are familiar to all; and the great cost of type is largely owing to the tedious and expensive process of engraving the steel punches. Should a printer require three or four special characters, such as peculiar accents, not in the typefounder's stock, he is charged one guinea each for cutting the punches. We have long been convinced, on many grounds, that some less costly process was practised by American founders, and probably by German houses also; and that their extraordinary productiveness as compared with English houses must be due quite as much to readier methods as to superior enterprise. That electrotyping was resorted to we doubted, as the founders denounce the process itself no less than they do the piratical firms who by this means appropriate their original faces. « Electrotype copper, » says Caslon, « is not capable of bearing the contact of good hard metal such as it is absolutely necessary type should be made of in these days of printing by machinery. » Conner, in the New York Typographic Messenger, writes of « the vile stuff, misnamed type, from bogus or electro-matrices. » And later: « Electro-matrices . . are liable to swell or vary in line, height, and thickness; not having an angle to assist the type in its delivery from the matrix —except such as may be made through the agency of a graver, which is often so imperfectly done as to cause the letter to chafe on its sides, producing light points on the face—the counters are liable to break out, the face is smaller than the original, and in every way inferior to the article produced through the agency of steel punches driven in copper. » In the article first quoted, the same authority says; « In the whole of our large assortment of book and newspaper letter (Roman or German) we have not a single electro-matrix. » Only a careful reader would note that fancy styles are not included in this statement. The London « pirate, » Morton, says that most of the modern fancy types are reproduced by a process similar to his own, and that being originally cut on type-metal, « strikes are impossible. » Two or three years ago, we made inquiry regarding electro-matrices of a gentleman in London who is an authority on the subject. His reply was: « All the founders use them. » But the great specialty of the American houses—the engraving machine—by which is secured a rapidity and accuracy hitherto unattainable, and by means of which alone it is possible to produce tint shades like those of the « Horizontal, » « Tinted, » and kindred styles—does not seem to have come into use in England. This, in conjunction with electrotypy, has caused a revolution in the art in America as complete as when hand-casting was superseded by machine—but it has not, as yet, made type any cheaper! In the last number of the Typographic Messenger, Mr David Bruce, the veteran punch-cutter, writes candidly: « When the art of electrotyping was first introduced as an auxiliary to type-founding, I, having adopted for a long time the specialty of letter-cutting, saw at a glance my vocation gone: but I bowed reverently to the advance of science. »

In the Inland Printer Mr Sehraubstadter, a type-founder, describes the electrotype process, in an article so interesting that we copy it entire in this issue. The illustrations, which in the original are the natural size, have been reduced one-third lineal, and very neatly and accurately engraved for our pages, by Miss Maxwell of Dunedin.

Our conclusion is, that whatever rubbish may have been produced by electrotypy, and however it may have been misused by piratical manufacturers, types from electro-matrices are quite equal in quality and often superior in design to anything produced by the older process.

Paris typefounders are busy. One firm, Lespinasse & Olliere, is executing an order for a 150,000lb fount. The type is required for a dictionary.

« Its getting near Christmas, isn't it Father? » asked a little six-year-old the other day. « What makes you think so, my dear? » « Because the boy has begun to bring the paper right up to the porch. »

Mr Willis's new patterns of Christmas cards are out, and are the best yet produced. They include pretty views of Lyttelton Harbor, Ocean Beach, Port Chalmers, Wellington Heads, &c.

« As sure as the sun will rise to-morrow, » predicted the Auckland Bell, « the Stout-Vogel administration will be strengthened by the present general election as no ministry was ever strengthened before. » The Prophet of Bel is a false prophet.

The St. Louis Printers' Register says:—« Typo is the name of a new venture in printers' journals, coming all the way from Napier, New Zealand. It is an excellently edited and well printed sheet, and is deserving of a long life. We hope we may see many succeeding issues. »

Our Auckland correspondent has sent us a copy of the last annual report and balance-sheet of the local branch of the Typographical Association. It deals with matters deserving of serious consideration by all engaged in the trade. To some of these we have referred in former numbers; but we intend taking up the subject again.

Messrs Benton, Waldo, & Co. write us from Milwaukee that though they have doubled their producing capacity within the past twelve months, they are so far behind with orders for their self-spacing type that they have had to cease advertising and call in their salesmen. Brother Jonathan knows a good thing when he sees it. « The punches of this type, » they add, « are cut by machinery of our own construction, and they are just as much more perfect as machine-work is than hand-work. » A reference to Mr Benton's machine will be found in the article on Electro-matrices, page 71 of this issue.

The paper read by Mr Colenso before the Philosophical Institute supplies an important chapter in the early history of the Colony, and, incidentally contains much information as to the first books printed in New Zealand, the settling of the orthography of the Maori tongue, &c. We hope to see it in full in the next volume of the Transactions, In seconding the vote of thanks, Mr R. C. Harding referred to Mr W. Colenso as the William Caxton of the Colony. He also inquired as fo the whereabouts of the old Stanhope press—the first printing press in the colony, but no one present could answer. Can any of Typo's readers supply the information? If it passed safely through the Maori troubles, it is probably in use as a proof-press—or stowed away in some lumber-room. It ought to be in the Colonial Museum. Will our contemporaries pass this query along?

A valuable contribution to the early history of the colony has been published by Mr A. D. Willis. The little book is entitled « Interesting Chapters in the early History of Wanganui, » and is illustrated by two lithographs, representing Wanganui in 1847 and 1887 respectively. Capt. Wilson, of Hawera, it appears, recently found the diary of his late father Dr. Wilson, covering the eventful period of the Gilfillan tragedy and subsequent native troubles. The diary had been lost for many years, and the historical portions are here reprinted. The second part of the book is by Mr C. Burnett, and records his first impressions and observations on his arrival in 1856. To Typo, who remembers Mr Burnett's arrival, and whose first recollections are of Wanganui, this part of the book is of great interest. The Chronicle was an institution when Mr Burnett came, but must have been a very young one, for if we remember rightly, it first appeared in 1856. We can still recollect the commotion on the Thursday morning when No. 1 of « our new paper » came out—a four-page demy weekly, in large type. Caps being short, the italic case was freely resorted to. W of course gave out first, and the frequent recurrence of « We » and « Wanganui » used to suggest mild jokes as to the printer's condition. « No sober man, » it was remarked, « would allow his letters to reel about in that fashion. » Long prior to this, however, the Wanganui Record, on blue foolscap, of one and sometimes two pages, published at irregular intervals, was printed by the late Mr Francis Watts, on a small camp press, which afterwards passed into the hands of the Rev. C. H. S. Nicholls, who held the double office of parson and schoolmaster. A few years ago, Typo, hearing that his old teacher was at the Upper Hutt, made a pilgrimage thither, and saw again the press on which was printed the first newspaper in Wanganui. Mr Nicholls, we believe, has still some copies of the Record—a curiosity now-a-days. Wanganui, by the way, is correctly written and pronounced « Whanganui, » but the earlier settlers, for some unknown reason, had an invincible objection to the aspirate in this case, and have never recognized it.