The 21st annual meeting of the stockholders of the Pacific Press Publishing Company was held at the office of the company, 12th and Castro Streets, Oakland, Cal., on Wednesday, May 13, 1896. The balance sheet shows the net gains for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1896, to be as follows: Home office, $2,112.18; eastern branch, $1,330.61; central branch, $737.40, making a total net gain of $4,180.19.
On account of the rapid increase in the volume of business, especially in the circulation of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, it was found necessary to make some changes in the machinery plant. To meet the demand in the press-room two large four-roller, two-revolution, front-delivery, Cottrell cylinder presses were added. These presses have all modern improvements and are first class in every particular. The bed of the largest press is 46x60 inches, and was purchased especially for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. The whole sixteen pages of the SIGNS can be locked in the bed and every impression of the cylinder turns out a complete paper. Heretofore it has required two presses to do this work.
Since the above presses were purchased, two more of the same style and make have been added. Eighteen steam power presses are now in operation, using from two to four tons of paper per day.
The home office is divided into four departments, as follows: Manufacturing department, embracing the bookbindery, book composing-room, job composing-room, press-room, and electrotype and stereotype foundry; book and stationery department; periodical department; and counter check-book department. Every department is well equipped with modern machinery, and as a whole constitutes one of the largest and best-equipped printing and publishing houses west of Chicago. From 125 to 150 hands are employed, and the total investment is over $400,000.
The circulation of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has more than doubled during the year. Over 1,000,000 copies have been printed, making the average weekly circulation over 20,000. This is an evidence that the paper is appreciated, and from the many letters of commendation received, we have reason to hope that during the coming year the circulation will again be more than doubled. We would call especial attention to the resolution in regard to the circulation of the SIGNS adopted at the stockholders meeting, which appears in this paper (page 12), and we trust that there will be a hearty response from all the friends of this our pioneer missionary journal.
