CHILDREN VISIT “THE PRESS”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29516, 18 May 1961, Page 21

CHILDREN VISIT “THE PRESS”

Ngahere Party In Citv

The production of a newspaper was described yesterday to a party of 12 children and two teachers from the Ngahere School, 15 miles from Greymouth, when they were shown around “The Press" building. Their first visit was to the newsroom where they watched copy being set in type on linotype machines. After the working of the machines had been explained, they were each given a line of type on which their names had been set.

In the newsroom they were also shown how a page is made up and a cardboard “mat" is made from this page. Later they saw how a semi-circular page of type, suitable for use on the large rotary press, is made. After seeing some reporters at work they visited the process department where photograph images are transfered to zinc plates. They saw an image being burned on to a light sensitive solution on a sheet of zinc and later this image being etched with acid to produce a “block." The huge rotary press was the last to be seen. Because “The Press” is a morning newspaper they could not see copies being printed. A member of the rotary press staff then explained that in yesterday's paper of 28 pages, enough newsprint had been used, four pagewidths wide, to stretch from Christchurch to Hinds, about 60 miles. The party, whose ages range from 10 to 13 years, are spending five days of their holidays in Christchurch, seeing television, visiting the museum. Lyttelton and various factories. Their headmaster. Mr C. Nelson, and assistant master. Mr D. Mitchell, are in charge of the party.