THE LONDON TIMES.

Southland Times, Issue 1063, 4 December 1868, Page 3

THE LONDON TIMES.

The reading-matter of the 'London Times is furnished by twenty-two law reporters, twelve police reporters, and art indefinite number of miscellaneous writers, " penny-a-liners" in London, at least one hundred correspondents iv various parts of Great Britain, and some forty foreign correspondents in pijher parts of the world. Of the Parliamentary reporters, sixteen are phonographers, two make summaries of the debates in the Houses, and one directs the force. To. set up the types there are one hundred and thirty compositors employed, sixty laboring by day, and seventy by night, whilst eleven foremen and assistrnts direct their movements. Twentyfour persons are required to read proofs* and three are employed merely to " pull" the proofs. The advertisements 'are; set up during the day, and the reading matter at night, the advertising pages being made up at from five to seven o'clock in the evening. Heading matter is received until daylight and afterwards, and the reading pages are rarely put to press before four a.m., whilst leading articles are frequently written on Parliamentary debates and other events happening after midnight, and appear in print the following morning. England is different in its habits from the United States, and very early newspaper issues are not demanded. In all this work, the greatest care is taken to guard against mistakes and every line printed_is.read over by proof-readers, • four or five different times. ' I []■ Ten stereotypers prepare the platesjfor the printing machines - by-^the papiermache process now mi- usean Public Ledger offices and 1 in otKer leading newspaper offices in the—United States, and these machines are now run continuously from eight o'clock in the- evening until seven-the-aext— morning; — besides— work during the day upon " second editions.'* Sixteen firemen "and engineers attend the engines and boilers, six men prepare the paper before printing,' ninety -are -■ employed on the pressesT-and seven deliver the paper to^the news-agents after it is printed. JS[o carriers are employed, as in the United States, but the whole edition is sold out__to..news agents, the number of copies printed being no more than the sum total of their orders, which have to be handed in by two a. in. on the previous day. . . ./.; r The whoisale price of the 'Times' is 2id per copy^. the. retail price, 3d. For the benefit of the employes, there are estalinsTiedrinlhisroffice a saving fundTa sick-fund, and a co-operative restaurant, managed by 5 persons^ at which all of the employes get their food and. drink at wholesale cost prices. This is known familiarly as the ."Canteen." Stability and comfort are great objects in Printing H.OJiseJ3.quare^_3Che_apar±meats r .-.dingy. without, are clean and spacious within, and faithful laborers remain there a life time, bequeathing~theiF places to their sons. Many, now in the place have worked their 25 years, and twict ,in particular, still hale and hearty, have been in the office respectively 45 and 55 years. Father and son work side by side, knd all seem to regard the place with the greatest affection. Seventy tons of paper and two tons of printing ink are used every week, whilst the average weight of theP daily issue of the paper is from eleven to twelve tons. The machines upon 'which this large edition is. printed are, the best of their kind. There are two tencylinder Hoe presses, and two eightcylinder Applegath machines ; the aggregate actual work done done by" them being 52,000 impressions an hour, 16,000 from each of the former and 10,000 from each of the latter. Besides these," there is now in use the "Walter Printing Press," which is a Be}f-feeder, -, and, managed by a man and two boys, prints a large share of the advertising pages of the ' Times.' : Its capacity is from 22,000 to 24,000 per hour, and it prodtfces in that time from 11,000 to 12,000 perfect sheets, -printed-on.both_sides,_and-JseadjL for the reader. It is somewhat, , similar to the American Bullock press, and) prints from a large roll of r paper r containing from 2500 to 3000 sheets", cuts them apart after printing, and. then delivers them by a double mqtionjnto tw.o r piles. It has been pronounced- a'- succesß~by competent judges; and will probably revolutionise^ the printing business in England.— ;' Public Ledger.'