NEWSPAPERS IN JAPAN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 5 January 1927, Page 7

NEWSPAPERS IN JAPAN

WORK OF COMPOSITORS

A world-wide authority on the commercial aspect of printing, Mr R. T. Porte, president of the Porte Publishing Company, Salt Lake City, is a passen»er by ■ the t'.'arinthia, which arrived at Auckland this week; Mr Porto is the author of many well-known books on printing costs and is the compiler of the Franklin Printing Catalogue. Mr Porte has made a point of calling on publishing houses in the various countries visited, and has also addressed numerous gatherings, including the PanPacific Congress at Honolulu. He was the first white man for 10 years to go through the Japanese Government printing office. At Korea. Mr Porte visited the Daily News" office, -"here the quaint results of an edict by ths Japanese Government were apparent

Owing to objection being taken to an editorial, the printing press was confiscated, but allowed to remain in the building. As u result, the firm bought a new machine, which was installed alongside the old one. This is now rusted.beyond repair and the printing is done by the new machine.

■ The .humours of type-setting in a Japanese newspaper oliicc were referred to by Mr Porte. The whole newspaper alphabet, consisting of about 2000 characters, was all classified in cases. A compositor took a piece of ''copy" to be set up and was assisted by five or ten boys, who each took a "take," or a short section, and ran around the room securing the necessary characters. It was estimated that each buy travelled 14 miles a day on this work." Although thry could no' perhaps read or write. [the boys could set "copy" accurately 'rhrough a knowledge of the appearance J of the type.