Demand forces press changes
WHEN R.W.Robson , took over The Fiji Times he increased the paper’s circulation to 2000 copies a day. Production was a long process and the limit to expansion had been reached. This was demonstrated very forcibly in 1957, when Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna died.
The Fiji Times then established a new record. A 16-page paper was published and the demand was high that 6000 copies were printed. To produce this issue required about 20 hours of printing.
With only a brief spell to enjoy his meals, Peni Bera fed sheet after sheet into the press the whole time.
Following the experience, Mr Robson decided that the whole plant should be modernised to keep up with increasing demands and circulation numbers.
Leonard Usher, who had become executive director of the company in January 1957, conducted a research to help find the type of plant the company needed to purchase.
This meant the need to look for funds so Mr Robson called on his friends in Australia and the Australia and New Zealand Bank Ltd.
He communicated his personal faith in the future of Fiji and in the future of a revitalised The Fiji Times. Any profits made were ploughed back into the business.
Mr Robson bought a Cossar press capable of printing, folding, counting and delivering 16 pages of newspaper in one continuous operation at nearly 4000 an hour.
The first newspaper issue using the Cossar press said: “It should cater for the needs of the two newspapers (The Fiji Times and Shanti Dut) for at least a couple of decades.”
The prediction was wrong. Ten years later, progress was so great that the Cossar press was not able to cope with the demands of four newspapers (Nai Lalakai and Ni Bula Mai added).
So in March 1969, almost a century after its first publication, The Fiji Times “went offset” with the installation of a new Goss Community weboffset press.
The new machine was able to produce up to 32 pages, in more than one colour if required, at 15,000 copies an hour.
At this point a new chapter in the newspaper’s 100-year history was opened.