was to be made we had great hopes, of course, but our wildest expectations have been exceeded. As for myself, not caring to mention any names, I must say that the men who look after the welfare of the JOURNAL have simply "done themselves proud."

Friday evening, Jan. 10, occurred the semi-annual meeting of the Northwestern Publishers' Association. It was held in the rooms of the Commercial Club and was well attended.

N. C. O'Connor, better known as "Nick," a popular member of No. 42, who has been holding a situation on the census board, has made application for a clerkship in the office of the secretary of state. 'Tis said his prospects are good.

Stevens, Martin & Martin, printers and publishers, who were partially burned out the fore part of last month, have begun work again.

Mrs. S. E. Palmiter, wife of Eugene Palmiter, of Harrison & Smith chapel. died December 11, 1895. The remains were taken to Monona, Iowa, for burial. Mr. Palmiter has the heartfelt sympathy of all.

Several members of No. 42 took part in the civil service examination held in Minneapolis recently for positions in the government printing office, and the following have been notified that they stand some chance of securing positions: E. E. Stevens, Frank Hoover, W. H. Dedrich, Theo. Paulfranz and R. Whitman.

Fred Hudson, a former member of No. 42, was in the city recently. He is publishing a paper on his own responsibility in the neighboring state of Wisconsin, and is doing well.

The long-felt and much-advertised-for want at Maple Lake has been filled. Frank Hamilton has started a paper there. There is no question as to Frank's ability as a printer, and he ought to make a go of it.

The Monticello Times makes the statement that "a printing office is generally considered a pretty tough place, and the

newspaper worker a very bad man," to which the Buffalo Journal tartly replies that "the same may be true of the Times but does not apply to the Journal." But Bros. Eaton and French never did have much time for each other.

A woman's edition of the Grand Forks Plaindealer is now well under way. How those who have been there will pity the poor compositors.

At the recent annual election of the trades and labor council, E. E. Stevens, of Typographical Union No. 42, was elected president, and T. W. Schmidt, another member of our union, was reelected secretary. The other delegates from No. 42 were nominated for various offices, but they firmly declined, stating that they were not desirous of doing the hog act. The printorial delegation cuts no small figure in the council, and can always be relied upon to "tote fair."

The daily papers of Minneapolis all had something more or less appropriate and gushing to offer anent the new year, but it remained for a quill driver of the country press to eclipse them all. He concludes his remarks thusly: "The old custom of New Year's calls was most innocuously desuetuded by reason of excesses." Dollars to doughnuts that editor takes the JOURNAL and has been reading "Hyperion's' letters. CHAP. Minneapolis, Minn.

Notes of the Passing Show. The control of the Journal has gone out of the hands of the Rogers heirs, a syndicate of wealthy persons having recently purchased four-fifths of the stock. Stephen O'Mera is again managing editor and Thomas B. Reed is being boomed for the presidency.

William H. Kennedy died on December 23. He had been employed in the Globe composing room for thirteen years, and was born in Ireland in 1852.

On New Year's day the employes of the Post in all departments held their annual banquet at Young's Hotel. Nothing like

these gatherings to cement a fraternal feeling between employer and employed.

The seventy-second annual meeting of the Franklin Typographical Society was held on January 2, and the annual reports were most encouraging, there being a cash balance of $800 on hand, besides the valuable real estate which the society holds. The sum of $2,920 has been paid out in sick benefits and nine members died during 1895. The total membership is 507. At the request of the society flags will be displayed on all public buildings of the city on Franklin's birthday, January 17. The following persons were re-elected to the most important offices: President, M. C. Upham; vice-president, M. P. Higgins; secretary, C. W. Brown; collector, Leonard Raymond; treasurer, W. H. Cundy; librarian, J. F. Ford, Jr.; trustees, C. W. Holden and H. B. Danforth.

The annual meeting of the Globe Relief Association was held on January 7, when the following officers were elected: President, J. C. McMahon; vice-president, R. H. Cohn; treasurer, Stephen Booth; secretary, A. W. Tyler; auditors, W. H. Jordan 2d and H. A. Benedict.

The percentage dues plan was submitted to the referendum on January 2. Although a large majority of votes were cast for the plan, still it lacked a few votes of the necessary two-thirds majority. This means that a ten-cent assessment per week must be again levied.

The machine is making inroads on weekly papers. The writer knows of an office in a neighboring city where one machine. is in use, the operator performing duty as

his own machinist.

THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL in its new form presents a handsome appear ance. It seems to me that the contents were not up to the usual standard. The page of editorial items dealing blows at monopoly, the enemy of labor, was missed with regret.

The militia of this city have no rifle range where they can, by practice, become expert shots and thereby be better able to

do more deadly work when called out to repress workingmen who have the courage to strike against tyrannical conditions. But an order appropriating money for this purpose was passed by the aldermen last year, a site selected and approved, and all in readiness for the mayor's signature, when it was discovered that the land speculators who owned the location were about to pocket $100,000 by the transaction. Two years ago the land was bought for $23,500, it is assessed for $25,500, and the owners were willing to sell to the city for $120,000. The mayor vetoed the purchase. Had this deal been consummated could it be called a steal?

While on this subject it may be well to record the fact that at a banquet of the Beacon Society at the Hotel Vendome on December 28, two prominent citizens talked on the war question. Col. Albert A. Pope, who is at the head of the company manufacturing Columbia bicycles, delivered himself of the following: "I wish we had a full brigade of regiments of the regular army stationed permanently right here in Boston, and that four times a year they could be marched up State street, that they could be pointed out as the strong arm of the law, to show socialists and anarchists that we won't stand any of their nonsense. The militia can't be depended on to fire on their brothers in case they have a mob to contend with, but the regulars will do their duty, and that is why we should have an increase in the regular army."

I am neither an anarchist nor a socialist, but these people were simply used to hide what the speaker really meant that wageearners must not resort to such nonsense as striking for higher wages, shorter hours or better conditions. Good union men can consistently refrain from purchasing Columbia bicycles in future.

Boston, Mass.

S. T. C.

EXAMINE closely "Want" ads in the JOURNAL.

"the biggest little thing for printers," and once used, will be regarded by the expert job compositor as indispensable. They save the time of cutting card, are always accurate and do not swell when wet, besides being indestructible. They are put up in fonts of about one thousand five hundred pieces, assorted sizes, and sell for one dollar net. The sale of these spaces for the inventors has been undertaken by the American Type Founders Co. If you order them or cause them to be ordered, say you saw them mentioned in THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL.

entered as apprentice at the printing business, in a small office in the southern part of the state. He has been a habitue of the Twin Cities off and on for several years, and is now a manipulator of Merganthaler keys on the Times. He is enthusiastic in his devotion to unionism, is held in warm regard by his fellow-craftsmen, and has been frequently honored with responsible duties, among others that of president of Minneapolis

He is yet young, but has given many indications of an honorable and useful future.

Action of the St. Louis Mailers.

I was somewhat surprised to see in your recent issue a letter from the president of No. 8, criticising Mailers' Union No. 3 in its efforts to unionize the mailing rooms in St. Louis. I can not believe that Mr. Hyams is familiar with the trials the mailers have undergone during their attempts to secure recognition, and for that reason desire to explain.

When the mailers first presented their scale they were met by the publishers who combined and agreed amongst themselves not to recognize our union or to have anything to do with the committee from the union. We then presented our case to the allied trades council, and were referred to the organizer; we were also told that we could not expect any assistance from No. 8, as they had a contract that had several years to run. The organizer advised us to work upon two papers, viz.: Republic and Chronicle, as every other English paper employed union mailers, although not as union men and were not paying the scale.

All the mailers in the Republic office had once been members of our union, but were forced out of it by the foreman (since fired). The mailers at the Chronicle were not union men, nor were any members of the union regularly employed there, as stated by Mr. Hyams. After quite a delay, our union not making any progress toward a settlement, decided to ask the aid of the trades and labor union. The committee from that body could do nothing, as the publishers would not meet them, and we did not see how we were to secure recognition unless we took some decided step or waited about four years for No. 8's contract to expire, so we began a fight on both the Republic and Chronicle, and did not single out the Chronicle as Mr. Hyams states. Both the Republic and Chronicle employ union printers, but neither employed union mailers. The manager of the Republic agreed to employ union mailers and pay scale before a dozen circulars were issued, and we

ceased hostilities towards it and amended our circular. The Chronicle sent for me and I had quite a talk with the manager, but he refused to give in and our fight on the Chronicle was continued for several days before he saw the error of his ways.

We are glad to state that all mailers at the Republic and Chronicle are now members of No. 3, and with the exception of about six we have every mailer employed on any English publication in the city in the union. The publishers of all the English newspapers have met a committee of the union, and as soon as some minor changes are made in our scale, will recognize us as a union, after which time every mailing room in town will be run on a strictly union basis.

Perhaps we could have accomplished this some other way, but I can not see how. I do not believe with Mr. Hyams that we have made a mistake, and I am glad that he admits we have gained our point, but we have done it without the assistance of No. 8, and have our union in good shape, whereas had we waited for the contract of No. 8 to expire we should not have been in existence when that time came.

If No. 8 would take a little more interest in the mailers in the future than

they have in the past, they may find it to our mutual advantage.

M. J. GRADY,

President Mailers' Union No. 3.

St. Louis, Mo.

Machine Gossip in the West. All of the daily newspapers here are now using machines, and all the hand composition required on them is in the setting of the ads and heads.

The Times was the first to introduce machines, and put in a plant of ten. The Journal followed soon after with eight, and the Star with twelve. Some six months later the World, the only remaining paper, put in seven linotypes, and the day of hand composition in Kansas City was past. As a rule, but few outside operators were imported, and nearly all

the men now operating machines here were case-holders on their respective papers. Without a doubt, the members of No. 80 have been very successful in learning the new style of things, and of those who had the opportunity to become operators, very few have failed. In fact, the standard of competency here has been set very high. When the machines first arrived the proprietors announced that an average of 3,500 per hour would be perfectly satisfactory. However, at the end of the apprenticeship period of eight weeks, it was found that no operator had any trouble in getting over the 3,500 line, and the majority were setting about 4,000 an hour. Then the proprietors thought 4,000 an hour would be about right, and that amount was then required of the operators. The limit continued to get higher and higher, until, at the present time, there are but few operators holding regular machines here who do not average 5,000 an hour or over-or a string of 40,000 for eight hours' work. There are any number of operators in Kansas City who can catch the machine whenever they feel so disposed.

The machine scale is a very fair one, but a peculiar feature is the fact that operators on evening papers are receiving better wages than those on the morning papers. The scale for night work calls for eight hours per night-except on Fridays and Saturdays, when nine and ten hours, respectively, are workedmaking a total of fifty-one hours per week, for $24, or $4 per night. The day scale calls for eight hour per day, or fortyeight hours per week, for $21, or $3.50 per day. Now comes the peculiar feature above mentioned. All of the operators on the two evening papers-the Star and the World—are receiving $24 per week, the same wages as are being paid to operators on morning papers, and besides, are working three hours less per week. This matter will probably be changed soon, as in the new machine scale to be presented at the meeting of No. SO in February, an

effort will be made to make a straight eight hours a night scale for morning papers, thus doing away with the three extra hours tacked on Friday and Saturday.

As a whole, machines have been a brilliant success in Kansas City, as far as the amount of work being done by them is concerned. Probably in no town in the country has the average of speed attained by Kansas City operators been excelled, and employers have shown their appreciation of this fact by readily paying over the scale to any good operator. There are several operators on the morning papers who are now receiving $4.50 per night, or fifty cents over the scale, and all operators on the evening papers, as stated above, are receiving the same advance. All machine work is done on time, no piece-work being done, or bonus paid for averages over a certain amount, and, as a result, everything runs along in good shape, and there has never been, practically, any dispute between the employers and No. 80 since the machines were first put in. Another good feature connected with the machines here is the fact that No. 80 has placed but few restrictions in the way of those desiring to practice on them, and there are a number of good operators here who practically picked up what they know by practicing at odd times. This same system is being pursued now by several men in each office, and in the course of six months or a year there will be plenty of operators here who will be able to hold their own in almost any office.

A new evening paper, the Public Pulse, is to be started here in a few weeks. The paper will be set by hand, for several months at least, and will employ about twenty-five printers, all of whom will be members of No. 80. This will be quite a pick-up for several of our old newspaper printers who were thrown out in the cold by the linotype, and who have since been working in the various book and job offices.