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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 4
[trade dispatches]
It is not pleasant to find one's paragraphs cribbed, or attributed to another fellow; but it is worse to find a « some other body's » par travelling around with one's name attached. It makes one feel mean. The Art Printer conscientiously credits Typo with two little items about the American songs « The Mocking Bird » and the « Pansy Blossom. » We picked them up, unlabelled, but they are not ours, nor have we the remotest idea where to credit them.—So with a recommendation to prevent ink skinning. Typo is given as the authority, but it is not ours. We fancy it belonged originally to some inkmaker's catalogue.
Travellers sometimes tell queer stories. Mr Arnold (« Hans the Boatman » ) has returned to his native states, and gives in a New York theatrical paper an account of his experiences. « After visiting Adelaide he went to New Zealand, opening on 4th July at Invercargill. He also visited Tasmania, Dunedin, Amaru, Wellington, Christ Church, Auckland, Tinaru, Wangmau, Napier, Martin, Woodville, Waiparna, Hastings. He seldom acted in a theatre, but appeared in barns and drillsheds. No orchestra of any description could be had in any of these towns, and the only music was a violin solo by the leader, that he carrried with him, Mr Arnold having to sing his songs as Hans to a single violin accompaniment. » It is somewhat rich to make the far-away island-colony of Tasmania a New Zealand town. Five of the New Zealand names are mis-spelled, and in the list of cities are some possessing as fine theatres and as good musicians as any in the southern hemisphere. Nor would he find any difficulty in obtaining an excellent orchestra in any of the towns named.
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We believe that one reason why paragraphs are not credited is on account of the unwieldy titles of some of the trade papers. It is a decided loss of time and space, and almost makes one's arm ache to credit a par. to the British and Colonial Printer and Stationer or to the Typografiske og lithografiske Meddelelser, and in a name like the last, the ordinary comp will easily get in three literals.
« Puff » of the Evening Press, writes thus: « Some chap has succeeded in getting a seat made from a cork tree grown near Auckland put into the Dunedin Exhibition. Dear me, I'm sorry to hear it! There'll be an application, I suppose, for a protective duty on corks! Oh, yes! I hear a young chap, son of an influential Protectionist, made a whistle the other day, and his father is going to apply to the Government to put a duty of 100 percent, on whistles! No more 'penny whistles,' eh? No; nothing under 2½d, to encourage native industry! Well, really, it's a fact that one always shudders to hear some chap's made something or grown something in New Zealand. It's certain to be the precursor of a new tax!»
When the Tay bridge was about to be opened (says the Stationery Trades Journal) a couple of impecunious young printers wrote to the Edinburgh manager of the North British Railway, suggesting a cheap trip on the day of the approaching event. They enclosed a sketch poster displaying in attractive style their idea of the cheap trip. Instead of a formal reply, in a few days the printers' apprentices had an autograph letter from the manager, thanking them for the hint, enclosing poster announcing the cheap trip, and a couple of free passes; and when the day came, these two young printers had the satisfaction of being accompanied by nearly four hundred excursionists! Printers have ever been public benefactors, and they generally begin young.
In accordance with its custom for the past ten years, with a view to encouraging original research, the Royal Society of New South Wales offers its medal and a money prize of £25 for the best communication containing the results of original observation on each of the following subjects: (Series 9.—To be sent in not later than 1st May, 1890.)—No. 31.—The influence of the Australian climate (general and local) in the development and modification of disease. No. 32.—On the silver ore deposits of New South Wales. No. 33.— On the occurrence of precious stones in New South Wales, with a description of the deposits in which they are found. (Series 10.— To be sent in not later than 1st May, 1891.)—No. 34.—The Meteorology of Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. No. 35—Anatomy and life history of the Echidna and Platypus. No. 36.—The microscopic structure of Australian rocks. (Series 11.—To be sent in not later than 1st May, 1892.)—No. 37.—On the iron ore deposits of New South Wales. No. 38.—On the effect which settlement in Australia has produced upon indigenous vegetation; especially the depasturing of sheep and cattle. No. 39.—On the coals and coal measures of Australasia. The competition is not confined to members of the Society, nor to residents in Australia, but is open to all without any restriction whatever, excepting that a prize will not be awarded to a member of the council for the time being; neither will an award be made for a mere compilation, however meritorious in its way.
Newspaper men, as a rule, would do well to shun Scripture references. Three New Zealand pressmen have come to grief over them during the present month. « Like the widow's curse that never failed, » may safely be attributed to the ingenious comp. Not so, however, the following, in a southern contemporary: « It was King David, if we mistake not, who said, 'O that mine enemy would write a book.' » It was not King David, and the passage is incorrectly quoted. Nor could it have been the compositor who described the Seven Sleepers as « Biblical characters. » After this it would not be very surprising to find Rip van Winkle or the Sleeping Beauty in the same category.—The old blunder of « spoonsful » for « spoonfuls » is always being corrected in pharmaceutical periodicals; but this and parallel mistakes are continually turning up. One of the most comical is a recent assertion that at the base of the Eiffel Tower, after a storm, « carts full of rivets were picked up in the early morning. » —Thus does the compositorial Malaprop interpret his copy: « It was at this stage that I interviewed as regarded the extraordinary opinions expressed by the chairman, and wrote a brief and quite temporary comment in reply. » Not bad for a single sentence.—In a telegram we read that the American press complains that Malietoa « is only to be a tuyrehead at Samoa. » —A contributor to the Napier Herald has discovered from the printed Report of the Education Board that « In some cases where pillar-cases were sent as specimens the hem was too wide. » He suggests that the term is intended as a euphemism for trousers.
The Stationery Trades Journal says:—Nearly all of the printers who have been to the Paris Exhibition have come back awfully disappointed. The show of printing machinery is not only extremely small, but of no interest to those who are acquainted with the progress made in this country within the past few years in printing engineering. If Germany had participated, the result would have been different. It is being realized everywhere outside of France that her printing—except perhaps her best book-work—is in a condition of decadence. French typefounders are a century or two behind the rest of the world. Several specimen books have been issued on the occasion of the Exhibition, which contain old faces that were turned out of the English books a score of years ago. With one or two exceptions, French engineers are equally retrogressive. The Germans are taking advantage of this, and sending their apparatus and materials to all parts of the world, where French manufacturers formerly had the preference. Although a splendid success from a financial and spectacular point of view, the French exhibition, as an exposition of industrial progress in the arts of book manufacture, must be considered an utter failure.