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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 2

[trade dispatches]

Parliament was prorogued at the end of last month, after the most barren session ever held. A few amendment acts were passed; and the one positive result of the session—the imposition of increased taxation by means of the Customs—was in direct opposition to the will of the country as expressed at the last general election. No real attempt has been made to give effect to the demand for retrenchment.

So effectually do the Gisborne papers carry out the practice of ignoring each other's existence (so far as direct reference is concerned), that the only real report of the late libel case is to be found in the Independent itself! The two other papers had some brief and enigmatical references, which by themselves are quite unintelligible. One said the alleged libel was contained « in a writing in a newspaper, » and the other that it appeared « in a print. » The latter journal also referred to the accused as « the man » and s the woman. » Such are journalistic amenities at Gisborne. From a South Island paper we learn that the publication of the Independent has been discontinued; and we have not lately seen it, for the past week or two, among our exchanges. The local papers, however, are silent on the subject. Nothing is more difficult than to compile a full record of journalistic history, on account of this prevalent habit on the part of the press of ignoring, as far as possible, their « local contempories. » Private correspondents will please note, and kindly keep us posted in press items.

The Employing Printer, in an article on « The Value of Presswork, » has laid its finger upon a practice which, in this country, at all events, lies at the root of most of the depression in the printing business:— « The printer with large press facilities claims his necessity to sometimes figure at a lower rate than another who has barely enough machinery to get through his work. This necessity, he urges, arises from the fact that his labor and power expenses are going forward whether his presses are idle or in motion. He argues, that even if he does not get what his presswork costs him, it is the difference between the half loaf and no bread, and if several of these half loaves are aggregated, the percentage of the year is increased by that much. Consequently, while doing part of his work at less than actual cost, he claims to have really added the amount of that work to his profit, less wear and ink. In a community where there is one office run on this principle there will be a great demoralization in the printing trade, particularly with respect to large runs of presswork and competitive bidding. We do not care to discuss the business morality which charges one man twice as much for the same work as another man because of the varying circumstances of dull and busy times when the orders are received. In the present day competition in business seems to justify any amount of selfishness and disregard for the claims of others, and the struggle becomes not one of the survival of the fittest, but a fight for all there is in sight. The only way that we can think of to eradicate the evil is for the employer to have a little less rather than a little more machinery for his business, and to keep his labor down to the the same careful basis. If this plan is adopted, there will be no disposition to demoralize prices, and weaken on rates when a cusomer comes in for figures. »

page 80

A Southern protectionist paper writes enthusiastically of the power of the new tariff « to fill the veins of our commerce with the wholesome blood of active, independent, wage-earning consumers. » Exactly so—but we, as « active, independent consumers, » and producers too—decidedly object to the bleeding process.