UNWISE COMPETITION.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2546, 5 March 1877, Page 3

UNWISE COMPETITION.

" Two "and. Two-make F.oitr."—-This statement may not present any very startling 'novelty. It will not oven excite a moment's discussion. It's self-evident truth has long f-ince established it as the standard illustration of a fact that is entirely indisputable. However, i(s accuracy is hot mote generally recognised than that of another problem, in simple arithmetic. Say that "two from two leaves nothing," and you are still as certain not to be contradicted as though you had said—" two and two make four." But as simple arid plain as this proposition is, there are those who not only waste the best part of their lives endeavoring to find something like the' snrne solution of tftt* problem by subtracting that they do by adding one of these figures to the other, but they use things of actual value in performing the experimental operations, instead of contenting themselves with the comparatively inexpensive implements— a slate and pencil. They seem to have either forgotten or lost faith in the multiplication table, and all the primary rules of simple arithmetic. They do not seem to think the answer to the queslionr— "John had five marbles and gave, them to James: how many lrid he left ? "is capable of practical application to the affairs of business life. They regard these childish examples as of about the same practical value as so many Chinese puzzles.

Unfortunatel/, very many of those to whom we allude are engaged iv the printing business. Not a few of them are endeavouring to carry on job printing according to this system, acd in endeavouring to get four out of two, by 'subtracting two, manifest a degree of patience and perseverance which no number of failures can abate.

The only reason, why some of these enterprising job printers do not, become hopelessly bankrupt sooner is that v the competition is so'great that they/cannot get enough to do. '*c have heard ir, said, as an illustration of human folly, that "if a pig sticks his nose'in the fire, the first pig that sees him do so will go and stick his nose in the same place." We suppose the porcine exomp'ar of man's conduct thinks that if the other pig could stand it there is no reason why he can't. If'a job printer hears that a rival is doing work for about the cost of white paper, he comes to the conclusion that he can make money in that way as fast as his rival, and so follows suit.

The most singular evidence of incapacity for business that these competitors display is their eagerness to obtain more work upon these ruinous terms. Onp would suppose that a sagacious business man who wishes to break down his rival, instead of contending for business at ruinous rates, would endearor to throw as much of such trade as./possible into the hand of his competitor. But, instead of this, they scramble and importune for such patronage as eagerly as though they thought that if they could _ only get enough work to do at prices below its cost, and then collect about half their bills, they could make, it profitable. A man who knows no better than'to undertake this, merely because he sees some one else trying the same experiment; is Incapable of doing business for himself, or-anyone else.; It is just as impossible for anyone to make money at job-printing 1 who does not receive for bis work more than the cost of labor, material, tent, and wear f.nd tear of type and implements, as it is tor him to take two from two and have anything left. The queerest feature of the whole thing is, that. they all know, and acknowledge this, theoretically ; but they don't know, or won't- acknowledge it at all in practice. , •-"■ l

. 1 here is no necessity for this.- No condition of: financial embarrassment, no stringency of money market can excuse such heedless folly. A man can never be extricated from his difficulties in this way. It is the broad and sure road to insolvency and bankruptcy. When matters have come to: such a pass that a course of this kind seems necessary in order to keep on in business, the best thing to dp is-to suspend or shut up shop intirely. Better even to fail with the white paper and the unused ink on hand and worth their cost prices, than to go to smash after haying squandered the most valuable portion of your stock, and with nothing to settle your accumulated indebtedness but a lot of worthless accounts. Remunerative prices can be obtained from prompt paying customers if the work is well done, and the printer has the nerve to standtout for what it is reasonably worth.

[i he editor of the Printers' Register in republishing the above article, says :-- "We have pleasure in reprinting this wholesome article from the Chicago Specimen. Ihe. subject concerns alike..the English and Colonial printers, and we heartily endorse the sentiments of our American contemporary." We (Star) can commend the article to the consider*? tion of printers near home, some of whom seem to be actuated by a desire to obtain work, the price being a secondary consideration. Ihe result is that printers in the north island are generally an impoverished class, whose remuneration for work—and that uncertain—is 25 per centum below that paid "in: the South.] •■.'■■. ;