• Major projects
  • R6132 Laying pipes across the Darling Ranges, c1902
  • R8135 Across the Trans-Continental Railway, c1917: Laying the railway line
• Primary industry
  • R8006 Pacific Islander labourers clearing land, c1895
  • R8179 Chinese farm workers planting cane, Cairns, 1890s
  • R3951 Maize silo stack, Hilltop, Tilba Tilba, c1895
  • R8118 Wheat Harvesting with Reaper and Binder at Jimbour, Qld, 1899
  • M002600 Three men on horseback, droving sheep with dogs, c1910
  • R3595 Shearing by machinery, 1890-1917
• Small business
  • R9150 Living Hawthorn, 1906: Businesses and street life, Hawthorn
  • R6154 Scenes in Hamilton, c1915 - asset 2
• The clothing industry
  • R7338 For Love or Money, 1983: First women's union
• The post office
  • R2997 Telephonists at the Brisbane telephone exchange, 1910
  • R2418 Yorketown Post Office technology
• Newspaper production
  • R2078 Carting paper to the stores
  • R7073 The Sydney Morning Herald, 1911: Stereotyping at Fairfax
  • R7074 The Sydney Morning Herald, 1911: Preparing the printing machine
  • R2080 Newspaper printing press in action
  • R7075 The Sydney Morning Herald, 1911: Folding mechanism of print machine
• Working with haulage animals
  • M000437 Wagon loaded with wheat, 1880-1900
  • M000808 Bullock team moving a road roller, 1880-1900
  • R6160 Scenes in Hamilton, c1915 - asset 8
• Mining
  • R4735 Dryblowing in Coolgardie, c1894
• Logging
  • R3208 'Geeveston Saw Mills and wagon load', 1890s
• Working at home
  • R3222 Washing clothes in an iron tub, c1890s
  • R3377 'Kitchen at the old King Street bakery'

R2080 Newspaper printing press in action

Educational value

This asset gives an insight into the operation of one part of a printing press in the early 1900s and shows how fast and mechanised the process of printing a newspaper was in 1910.

It indicates that quality control was an important part of the printing process - workers can be seen checking the printed papers.

It shows that although the process was highly mechanised, it was still fairly labour intensive as it required a number of workers to maintain the operations of the machine and ensure quality control.

It indicates that the workers were trained for their part of the printing operation and understood the requirements of the machines they operated.

It indicates health and safety regulations were either non-existent or not enforced - men are seen moving between the machines while the rollers are in operation, oiling or perhaps inking the operating mechanism; they show no concern for the fumes from the machines.

It shows that workers' dress was trousers and a dark-coloured shirt with sleeves rolled-up, which suited the environment in which they worked.

It uses intertitles at the beginning of the film segment which help the audience to place the images in context and make sense of the visual information that follows.

Topics

Costume

Manual labour

Newspapers

Occupational health and safety

Printing

Rights

© Education Services Australia Ltd and National Film and Sound Archive, 2011, except where indicated under Acknowledgements