U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR JAMES J. DAVIS, Secretary BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS ETHELBERT STEWART, Commissioner BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES) fcT ^71- BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS f ................... llOe Htl D PRODUCTIVITY OF LABOR PRODUCTIVITY OF LABOR IN NEWSPAPER PRINTING MARCH, 1929 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE W ASH IN GTON : 1929 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ACKNOWLEDGMENT This bulletin was prepared by S. Kjaer, of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS C hapter 1.— Summary: Page Trend in labor productivity and labor cost, 1896 to 1926______ _____ 2-8 Composition, stereotyping, and presswork combined____________ 2-4 Composition_____________________________________________________ 4-6 Stereotyping_____________________________________________________ 6, 7 Presswork________________________________________________________ 7, 8 Variations in productivity and labor cost between establishments___ 8-10 Composition___________________________________________________ _ 8, 9 Stereotyping________________________________________ ,_____________ 9, 10 Presswork________________________________________________________ 10 Trend of employment________________________________________________ 10-12 Development of processes____________________________________________ 12, 13 Development of the industry_________________________________________ 13, 14 C hapter 2.— Productivity and labor cost in 1916 and 1926: Importance of clock-time production_________________________________ 15 Comparison of productivity in a representative newspaper establish­ ment in 1916 and 1926_____________________________________________ 15-21 Composition_____________________________________________________ 16, 17 Stereotyping_____________________________________________________ 17, 18 Presswork________________________________________________________ 18, 19 Combined processes_____________________________________________ 19 Relation of processes to total output____________________________ 19-21 Modern average production__________________________________________ 21, 22 Union wage rates in the United States_______________________________ 22 Comparison of labor cost in a representative newspaper establish­ ment in 1916 and 1926_____________________________________________ 22-25 Actual labor costs and union wage rates_________________________ 22 Composition_____________________________________________________ 22, 23 Stereotyping_____________________________________________________ 23 Presswork________________________________________________________ 24 Combined processes_____________________________________________ 24, 25 Modern average labor costs__________________________________________ 25, 26 C hapter 3.— Productivity and labor cost in 1926 as compared with 1896: Productivity and labor cost in composing rooms_____________________ 27-30 Average production of machine operators in a representative composing room during 1926__________________________________ 27 Comparison of man-hours and labor cost for machine operators in representative composing rooms in 1896, 1916, and 1926_____ 27-30 Productivity and labor cost in pressrooms_____________ ______________ 30-32 Comparison of man-hours and labor cost for presswork in a repre­ sentative pressroom in 1896 and 1926_________________________ 30-32 Chapter 4.— Development of composition: Hand composition____________________________________________________ 33-38 Type setting before 1850________________________________ ________ 33 Size and measurement of composition___________________________ 33, 34 Type arrangement of newspapers________________________________ 34, 35 Records of production___________________________________________ 35, 36 Labor cost and working conditions_________________ _____________36-38 Type founding___________________ ____________________________________ 38, 39 Typesetting machines________________________________________________ 39-42 Early inventions_________________________________________________ 39, 40 Empire composing machine______________________________________ 40 Thorne composing machine______________________________________ 40 McMillan composing machine___________________________________ 41 Paige composing machine________________________________________ 41 Other composing machines______________________________________ 41, 42 The Linotype_________________________________________________________ 42-44 The Intertype________________________________________________________ 44 hi Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis IV CONTENTS C hapter 4—Continued. Page. Line-casting machine operation______________________________________ 44, 45 Operators________________________________________________________ 44, 45 Machinists----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45 Production on line-casting machines_________________________________ 45-54 Minimum standard of competency______________________________ 46-50 Average production records______________________________________ 50-52 Effect of improvements in machines and in shop conditions_____52, 53 Speed production records________________________________________ 54 Nondistribution_______________________________________________________ 54, 55 The M onotype________________________________________________________55, 56 M onotype operation__________________________________________________ 56, 57 Production on M onotype machines___________________________________ 57, 58 The keyboard____________________________________________________ 57, 58 The casting machine_____________________________________________ 58 The Ludlow Typograph______________________________________________ 58, 59 Other machines_______________________________________________________59, 60 The Linograph___________________________________________________ 59 Thompson type, lead, and rule caster___________________________ 59 Elrod slug caster_________________________________________________ 59, 60 Rogers Typograph_______________________________________________ 60 Machine accessories__________________________________________________ 60-62 Automatic metal feeders_________________________________________60, 61 Electric metal pots______________________________________________ 61 Trimming attachments__________________________________________ 62 Remelting of used metal_____________________________________________ 62, 63 Division of composing-room workers_________________________________ 63-65 Hand composition in modern plants_____________________________ 63, 64 Proofs and proof reading________________________________________ 64, 65 C hapter 5.— Detailed study of productivity and labor cost for composi­ tion in 1896: Hand method of production__________________________________________66-68 Composing room No. 1__________________________________________ 66 Composing room No. 2__________________________________________ 67 Composing room No. 3__________________________________________ 67 Composing room No. 4 __________________________________________ 67, 68 Composing room No. 5__________________________________________ 68 Machine method of production_______________________________________69-72 Composing room No. 6 __________________________________________ 69 Composing room No. 7 __________________________________________ 69, 70 Composing room No. 8__________________________________________ 70 Composing room No. 9__________________________________________ 70, 71 Composing room No. 10_________________________________________ 71, 72 Average man-hour production and labor cost by hand and by ma­ chine methods in 1896_____________________________________________ 72, 73 C hapter 6.— Detailed study of productivity and labor cost for compo­ sition in 1916 and 1926: Hand method of production__________________________________________ 74, 75 Composing room No. 11_________________________________________74, 75 Machine method of production_______________________________________75-88 Composing room No. 12_________________________________________ 75-77 Composing room No. 8 in 1916__________________________________77-80 Composing room No. 8 in 1926__________________________________80-82 Trend of machine output in composing room No. 8 from 1896 to 1926___________________________________________________________ 82,83 Average production on line-casting machines in composing room No. 8, in 1926_____________________________________________ _ 83 Composing room No. 13______________________________________ _ 83-85 Composing room No. 14_________________________________________ 85, 86 Composing room No. 10 in 1926___________________ ____________ 86-88 Average man-hour production and labor cost by hand and by machine methods in 1916 and 1926__________________________________________ 88, 89 C hapter 7.— Development of stereotyping: Flong preparation____________________________________________________ 90-92 Wet flong______________________________________________________90 Automatic machines_____________________________________________ 91 Dry flong________________________________________________________ 91, 92 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS V C hapter 7— Continued. Page. Matrix molding_______________________________________________________92-95 Brush method___________________________________________________ 92 Rolling-machine method_________________________________________