In Sydney I was first met by my old and esteemed friend the Honourable
George Alfred Lloyd, who, besides many other attentions, took me to Sir
Henry Parkes, with whom I enjoyed some interesting political and
financial conversation. I afterwards met the Honourable Mr. Burns, the
Treasurer, and discussed with him the prospects for consolidated
Australasian three per cents--a prospect which, as he said, he feared
might be still far off; owing to the perverse fancy of the other
colonies to enter upon special protective systems of their own, which,
after being established, they, or the interests protected, might not be
disposed to give up even for the sake of a federated Australasia; next
we called for one of our fellow-passengers per "Coptic", Mr. Sidman, at
the grand offices of the "Evening News" and the "Town and Country
Journal", for one or other of which he had been editorially engaged.
This happily led to our introduction to the proprietor, Mr. Bennett, and
to our being shown the wonders of the Press of our Southern Empire. And,
here, again, I had to notice that all the latest steps of progress are
taken up so promptly and so thoroughly. The time of our visit was
between one and two o'clock, and the work of throwing off the "Evening
News" of that day had begun. The machines, we were told, embodied the
very latest improvements, and when we alluded to that of "The Argus",
just then being fitted up, with every latest appliance, at the Melbourne
Exhibition, Mr. Bennett assured us that the machinery before us
comprised them all. We saw first the stereotyping process, by which
copies of the one type-setting of the paper can be multiplied
indefinitely. Then three machines were set in action, delivering 10,000
copies each per hour. A fourth machine was added shortly after, which
delivered somewhat more; and this latter appeared to us the exact
counterpart of "The Argus" machine, as already seen by us in London.
I recall a joke of many years back when mechanical contrivance was
attracting much general attention, and arousing great hopes, to the
effect that a sheep would some day enter the machine of the future at
one end, and be delivered at the other as ready cooked food and broad
cloth. What we saw was not a whit less wonderful. The great roll of
paper unrolled itself into one end of the machine, and, even more
quickly than one could walk the half-dozen yards of distance, it emerged
in separate papers, dropped, as I said, at ten to twelve thousand an
hour, printed, folded, cut, and numbered to the dispersing hand which
received them. The circulation of the "Evening News" is 60,000 daily.
That of "The Age", as I learnt on arrival at Melbourne, has now advanced
in its inspiring career to 76,000. These are the papers of greatest
circulation in the Southern Hemisphere. Such is already the Press of the
infant Hercules of Australasia.
Another stirring sight next greeted our eyes ere we quitted the "Evening
News" office, namely, the crowd of eager little newsboys waiting for
their trade stock. Pressing to the small open window, where their tiny
sums were paid to the cashier, they received their check, and forthwith
proceeded to the fountains which were dropping out their supplies at the
rate of four copies per second, all ready for delivery. They received
twelve of the penny papers for ninepence. These poor little fellows
would begin, perhaps, with ninepence as all their capital. They get
their dozen papers, and, if smart, sell them possibly in not many more
minutes. Then they are back with their increased capital, and so by
quick degrees they get to be quite large dealers. We saw one little
fellow, already a great capitalist in his way, with a load of papers
which one would have thought he could hardly carry, but which,
nevertheless, he managed with well-practised adroitness.