Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1893. A PRESS CUTTING AGENCY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 3148, 6 December 1893, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1893. A PRESS CUTTING AGENCY.

It will interest many of our readers to know that a large number of people make a living ia London by simply cutting out extracts from the daily papers, to the order of all kinds of people who are intt rested in all sorts of subjects. Durrant's Press cutting Agency in Holborn Viaduct employs an office staff of seventy persons, chiefly young ladies, who cut out, sort, and paste on forms, extracts as required, and pack the parcels for customers. Hundreds of newspapers from all parts of the world, and in all languages, reach the office every day. Matters of interest to clients are regularly translated from foreign newspapers. The day's cuttings amount to over 20,000, and the number of packages sent oub is never less than 2000. Lord Randolph Ohu chill, who had long been a subscriber, received in six years no less than 500,000 cuttings, chiefly abusive and caricature, which in his library fill some twenty or thirty huge scrap books. Packages are not only sent to great men themselves; but to their friends and admirers. For example, when H. M. Stanley returned from his last African expedition, dozens of parcels were sent out to his admirers, who no doubt made them up into albums. The agency has at present a commission from the "Daily Graphic" to collect all press references to M. Zola's visit to England. These will be presented to Madame Zola as a me mento of her husband's visit. When Mr Spurgeon died, the agency received many requests for extracts about him, and no doubt many of his admirers possess Spurgeon albums of peculiar interest and value. Many well-known men are on the list of subscribers, particularly members of Parliament j while cuttings are also supplied to the leading Chambers of Commerce, the Board of Trade, and the Chinese Legation. Great business firms like to be well posted up with references to themselves in the press, and church going people would be surprised if they only knew how many of the leading clergy are on the subscribers' list. There is a contract branch through which the agency communicates with firms who desire notices of land for building purposes, notices of the opening up of new railway districts, and on a smaller scale they have had proprietors of Punch and Tudy shows on their lists, who wanted cuttings of forthcoming garden parties or picnics, at which they might offer to provide entertainment. A well known steeplejack applied for all notices about church spires in a dangerous condition. The maker of a patent baby carriage received in one month 12,000 notices of births, ha in his turn sending 12,000 notices to mothers. Some firms subscribe for all notices of fires, in order that they may recommend their own fire proof material, or their fire-extinguishing appliances. In fact hardly anything in the newspapers comes amiss j it all has its marketable value, and its pupchaser. A fair education is indis? pensable to anyone who wishes to make a living in a press agency. A good general acquaintance witn the events of the day is necessary, as well as much toe!-* and judgment in selecting the cuttings. The wages of employes during apprenticeship are six or seven shilliugs a week, and from this they rise to twenty-five or thirty shillings, according to capacity. The work is light, the hours are usually from nine po four. Considerable training is required before proficiency can be at-tainedinpress-cutting, Aft experienced cutter can put her hand on the re, quired extract with a certainty which an outsider could scarcely credit. The agency charge^ a guinea for 125 notices, and i| anyone will take the trouble fco

calculate the cost of obtaining the same ] number of cuttings from as many newspapers, besides the labor of finding and cutting out, they will admit that the price is not unreasonable. It is gratifying to know that the profits are good, and business prospects most encouraging. Public and persona] curiosity is greater than ever, and t Im-press-cutting agency seems to have quite as useful a mission as the news collecting agencies, A. similar business was started in Wellington some time ago, but we have heard but little of its progress of late. Yet we fancy such an agency skilfully managed should soon pay handsomely ; it would certainly be an immense convenience to many public men and business firms. We used to wonder in our innocence whab became of all the old newspapers. Now we know. Just as the old moons are clipped up to make stars, bo are old newspapers clipped up to shed light on the great world of human ignorance, to inform the perplexed, to enlighten the darkened mind, and to bring help and pleasure and knowledge to all intelligent communities upon this goahead planet.