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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 3

[trade dispatches]

page 44

The following additions to our list of exchanges are acknowledged with thanks: Type, the organ of the Dickinson Foundry, Boston, No. 1 vol i, January, 1889; the Union Printer, New York, the organ of the American Typographical Unions, from vol. xii, No. 8, 9th February, 1889; Books and Notions, Toronto, from February, 1889.

The Mornington County Herald is the name of a new weekly, published by Mr Philip P. Nind, Cranbourne, Victoria.

Mr Ivess, of the Albury Mail, has had a strike in his office. His system of employing hands below standard rates, which caused so much trouble in this colony, has not been a success in New South Wales. His paper was brought out on several successive days by a foreman and two boys.

Zeitgeist is the title of a small monthly, issued gratis in connexion with the Wesleyan Church, Waikato, and edited by the Rev. C. H. Garland. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the new paper is its title. Whether the spirit of the times tends towards Methodism, or is even of a distinctively Christian character, are debatable questions.

Mr J. C. Hart, of Melbourne, who has already made one attempt to start a « labor » paper, has, we gather from the A. T. Journal, a big scheme of the kind in hand. He is endeavoring to form a company, with a capital of £20,000, in £1 shares, to establish a labor organ. Several trade unions have promised their support.

It is probable that one of the principal religious denominations in New Zealand, at present without any special representation in the press, will soon have its own organ. A thoroughly good representative paper is contemplated, and as the church is a large one, and has a fair share of well-to-do members, the success of its organ should be assured.

The Bruce Herald, Tokomairiro, has just celebrated its « silver wedding, » its first issue having made its appearance on April 14th, 1864. The proprietor then was Mr Joseph Mackay; the paper was a weekly, and was published at 6d per copy. Its district was a wide one, embracing all the country from Invercargill to Dunedin.

The Rev. T. Flavell, who has edited the N. Z. Schoolmaster for the past six or seven years, has now retired; his place being taken by an editorial committee composed of practical teachers. An editorial committee is generally found to work very unsatisfactorily in all respects—its efficiency being in inverse proportion to the number engaged. Let us hope this last experiment will prove an exception.

The New Zealand Primitive Methodist is the latest addition to denominational literature. It is a modest quarterly quarto, and disclaims any intention of entering into competition with the weekly Methodist. The engraved title is poorly-designed—an impossible ribbon and the inevitable tree-ferns. A good type heading would have looked better. The paper is published in Auckland; the editor is Mr A. J. Smith, one of the ablest ministers in the connexion, and the sub-editor is Mr D. Goldie, m.h.r. The new venture should be a success.

Mr E. R. Peacock, well known in Timaru and Napier, has gone into business in Melbourne, having, in conjunction with his brother, started the « City Printing Office, » in Bourke-street.

The young orator who lectures on Robert Emmett is now in Australia. Newspapers there would do well to collect the money for his advertisements in advance. He left a good many New Zealand papers lamenting.

Mr Thomas Buckland, of Charters Towers, Queensland, has taken action against the London Echo, claiming £25,000 damages for libel, a statement having appeared in the paper to the effect that he was an absconder.

We have received some early numbers of the Ellesmere Chronicle, a semi-weekly which has arisen in the place of the lately-deceased Guardian. We hope the new paper will find its lines fall in pleasanter places than those of its predecessor.

The Sydney Morning Herald, has just passed into the hands of Mr J. R. Fairfax and his three sons, Charles, Geoffrey, and James. Mr E. Ross Fairfax, the younger brother of Mr J. R. Fairfax, has sold out his share, and means to settle down in England. The Herald is the finest newspaper property in the Southern hemisphere, and one of the leading papers of the world. Its profits are estimated at £80,000 per annum, and it is reported that an offer of a million sterling for the concern was lately refused.

In another part of this paper Mr Mills draws attention to the serious and surprising errors regarding Australian journalism in the last edition of the Encyclopœdia Britannica. The errors are too painful to be ridiculous, and they are the less excusable as correct information might have been gathered from any English press directory. To omit the Sydney Morning Herald from the list of New South Wales dailies is like ignoring The Times in an account of the London press; and to credit a paper like the weekly Bulletin with a daily circulation of 20,000 is an absurdity too awful to contemplate.

The great libel case, Dibbs v. the Daily Telegraph, (says a Sydney correspondent), has at last been concluded. The costs and damages in the first case, in which Mr Dibbs gained a verdict, have been paid, and the proceedings which were pending for a second libel action against the paper have been withdrawn. The case has been a great windfall for the lawyers, who must have divided some five or six thousand pounds among themselves. But I question whether it has given any solid satisfaction to the successful plaintiff, and I am certain it has given none to the defendant newspaper.

All the printers in Brisbane, Queensland, suddenly struck work on the evening of 5th April, and the publication of the papers next morning was attended with considerable difficulty. The cause of the strike was that offices employing members belonging to the Typographical Association had undertaken work for non-union houses. The telegrams published during the month on the subject of the strike appear to have come from a prejudiced source. In another part of this issue we publish a communicated article from a well-informed contributor, giving the facts from a unionist's point of view.

Mr W. O'Brien, m.p., editor of United Ireland, has taken proceedings for libel against the Marquis of Salisbury for publicly stating that he advocated murder and pillage in Ireland. Does Mr O'Brien never read his own paper?

Mr Parnell having withdrawn his Scotch action against The Times, first « postponed » and has since withrawn the Irish one. He has, however, taken action in the English Courts for libel, claiming £100,000. This action is doubtless based on the Pigott letters; and as those letters have been withdrawn by The Times without reservation, the paper will practically have no defence.

A destructive and fatal fire occurred in Melbourne on the afternoon of Easter Monday (22nd April). It broke out in the Bijou Theatre, which was totally destroyed, as well as the adjoining premises, the Lorgnette office, occupied by Mr W. Marshall, the well-known theatrical printer. The list of casualties was heavy—two men killed (one being Fire Brigade Captain Parsons), and six badly injured. The loss amounts to nearly £50,000. Mr Marshall's loss is estimated at £11,500, £5,000 of which is covered by insurance. His valuable machinery was destroyed, as well as a large stock of paper and pictorial posters, and the large theatrical engravings accumulated during thirty years of business. Among the latter were recent importations valued at £3,000.