Rogers Typograph

[Mechanic]

I read the articles on the Rogers Typograph on the Metaltype photo pages and it reminded me of a humorous event that happened to me at the Sydney Morning Herald, back in the mid 1970s.

www.metaltype.co.uk/photos/photo40.shtml

One of the chief executives returned from a trip to the highlands of New Guinea. He came and saw me and said that he had found this historic typesetting machine, called a Rogers Typograph, and had arranged to have it shipped back to Sydney and that he would like to have it rebuilt. I went and relayed the request to the head Linotype mechanic. He told me the machine had arrived and he was wondering what it was about.

A Lino mechanic, with a bent for restoring old machines, was assigned to do the job and a month or so later the machine was gleaming like new. I congratulated the mechanic on the job he was doing. He shook his head and said, "I've stopped work on it. I started making enquires to get some parts, and it turns out it is a relatively modern machine and is still in use in a number of small print shops."

I relayed this information to the  executive involved and he agreed that the restoration should be stopped. What happened to the machine, I don't know, but I do know it did not form the basis of an historical museum.