The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.63/No.5           February 8, 1999 
 
 
Pathfinder Capital Fund Scores Victory
With more than $350,000 raised for new equipment supporters now seek additional $200,000 for printshop  

BY DAVE PRINCE
The Pathfinder Capital Fund registered a big victory this week. Contributors brought the fund total to $354,700, going over the $350,000 needed to pay for the new Agfa Galileo computer-to-plate equipment now on line in Pathfinder's printshop. This tremendous response to the appeal made it possible to make a $114,000 payment on the equipment due at the end of January. Outstanding pledges will need to be collected in the next two weeks to make the final payment of $114,000, which is due in mid February. So far $224,000 of the funds pledged have been collected. The new equipment is essential to maintain Pathfinder's printshop - making it possible to use new technology to sharply reduce the costs of producing books.

The members of the Capital Fund Committee, a group of seven socialist workers across the United States, are now turning their attention to raising the additional $200,000 in capital toward the total of $550,000 needed. Achieving this as soon as possible is also crucial to carry through the transformation of how Pathfinder books are produced.

For now, the use of this $200,000 for capital needs must be deferred. But it is essential as a bridge to help the printshop cover a serious conjunctural short fall in sales to meet operating expenses, while workers in the shop reverse the drop in sales, increase productivity, and reduce scrap on Pathfinder and other work -sharply cutting costs, increasing margins, and regenerating the capital.

To achieve this goal two components of the fund are needed. The successes to date have been led by socialist workers who have made contributions ranging from $1,000 to several thousand from special circumstances and windfalls, as well as by those in a position to give larger contributions from bequests, accident settlements, and job-related buyouts.

Contributions between $1,000 and several thousand will continue to be a central part of the fund. At the same time, more large contributions are needed to meet the goal, from larger assets - bigger blocks from capital sources. In response to this special appeal, one longtime capital fund contributor put together a $65,000 package to help meet immediate and long-term needs.

The Capital Fund Committee is stepping up its efforts to organize this stage of the fund. Members of the committee made presentations on what the fund has achieved and the goals before the printshop today to individuals and at meetings in Greensboro and Denver. A trip is planned to Vancouver January 30-31 to raise funds, and more are in the works for the coming weeks.

The socialist workers in the printshop have produced three Pathfinder books and six pamphlets from digital files in January, including The Changing Face of U.S. Politics by Jack Barnes and By Any Means Necessary by Malcolm X. More than 100 volunteers internationally are expanding their efforts in scanning, proofing, formatting, and digitizing the graphics for the 350-plus titles that Pathfinder keeps in print, to keep this production flowing.

As soon as the books and pamphlets are produced they are shipped to fill outstanding orders. In January, 700 books produced from the newly prepared digital files sold for more than $5,000, and at substantially lower costs because of the new equipment. In addition to eliminating the highly labor- intensive and skilled task of stripping of film - the method used before acquiring the CTP equipment - press operators are starting to utilize the higher quality plates to make significant cuts in costs and time on printing the books.

Heidelberg press operator Nell Wheeler reported that in running Leon Trotsky Speaks with the new plates she was able to cut the printing time in half compared to using plates from hand-stripped film. Each signature of several hundred sheets took about 10 minutes to set up and print, compared to 20 minutes with the old method, because the greater accuracy of the plates virtually eliminated the need for adjustments on the press. Scrap was reduced by 50 percent for the same reason. The cost and time savings in printing will be substantial when multiplied by the more than 10 books a month the printshop will produce to keep Pathfinder's full back list in stock to meet increasing need by workers and farmers in struggle.

To find out how you can make a contribution, write to the Capital Fund Committee, 410 West St., New York, NY 10014.

 
 
 
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