TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND ORGANIZED LABOR IN COMMERCIAL PRINTING.

The great printing centers of the country are New York City and Chicago. New York produces largely under union agreements and Chicago largely without union agreements. Competition for long-run printing is keen between New York City and other localities where rentals and transportation expenses are lower and trade unions are weaker. This results In migration of printing from New York. Competition is also keen between union and non-union printeries within New York City. But In all cases, while lower wage scales and complement of men and a larger adoption of new-model presses, appear to make non-union printing more profitable, final evidence Is elusive as to whether It Is more profitable, and also as to whether organised labor materially retards technological progress. Obversely, however, the life of the press assistants' union is endangered as a result of the vestigial character of the hand press-feeding occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]