IAGENWeb ~ Cerro Gordo County ~ <i>Globe Gazette</i>, 1931

The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
May 7, 1931

$20,000 Spent In Composing Room Equipment
of Globe-Gazette
LATEST TYPE OF MACHINERY USED IN LOCAL PLANT
Places Newspaper in Step
With Most Progressive of Country.

The Globe-Gazette's battery of eight linotype machines and part of the composing room force is shown in the picture above. Reading from left to right are: Charles MULLAN, Ralph CRAWFORD, Art O'GREEN, Jack WHIPPLE, L. C. SCHMIDT, Bera IGOU, Glen SCOTT, Fritz PENSKE, Charles COMINSKY, Lyle McCAULEY, Bob LAURIE, Leo CARLE - composing romm foreman, and A. HOWARD. The picture [by WRIGHT] shows the east side of the spacious composing room which now occupied the hall formerly used as a Chamber of Commerce auditorium.

The installation of the composing room in the spacious auditorium formerly occupied by the Chamber of Commerce together with the recent purchase of new equipment concludes an expansion program in this department that has continued over the past two years. New equipment in this department alone has cost the Globe-Gazette in the neighborhood of $20,000.

The new equipment placed the Globe-Gazette in step with the most progressive newspapers of the country and brot (sic) about the elimination of the old method of getting up the composition of a daily newspaper. The new equipment includes the following:

Ludlow Machines Obtained.

First, the display type, which formerly was of the individual character form, has been replaced with two Ludlow type csting machines. These machines supply the composing room with an unlimited supply of type for headlines and ad work. This type has a new clear face which always gives the best results in printing.

Second, the demand for borders and spacing material was so great that an all-electric Elrod material making machine was installed. This machine casts in one continuous strip of metal, slugs, leads and bordered used in the making up of ads, as well as news matter. When the old system was in vogue, there was a rush to get the type and spacing material back to the cases after the paper went to press so as to be able to start the next day's work with working materials. Not so now. The composing room can get out any number of pages without experiencing any delay on this score.

Ad Dumps Procured.

Third, individual ad dumps were procured. Each ad man, of which there are six, is supplied with a work bench in which all ads are set with the necessary spacing material at his finger tips. No time is lost in searching for material and no inference with other men results.

Fourth, a new proof press was installed at a cost of $750. Into this equipment the newly made up pages are placed for proofs.

Fifth, new distributors were placed on the linotype machines, speeding up the production. They distributors are the bars that carry the mats back to the magainzes after they have beenused in making a slug of type. This new installation increased the speed of the distribution 100 per cent.

Dump Installed.

Sixth a new all-steel dump was installed for the dumping of type for dumping of type for the linotype machines. A storage bank also was obtained in which type matter set in advance can be stored conveniently.

Seventh, a machinist's work bench was added to the composing room equipment. In this all machine materials, tools and supplies are kept for emergency.

Eighth, two steel proof-reader's desks were installed for the the four proof-readers who read and correct the proofs taken off the type as it is set up.

Submission by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2011