, 1857-09-11
Material Growth Of the Pres.


There is no department Of business, say.
the New York Times, and no profession, in
which greater progress has been made du.
ring the past ten years than in Journalism
and this is still to go on. l4>he public
taste demands better newspapers than j,
did ten years go,-papcrS cSHtnning more
news, better writing, higher aGA fairer
views of all topics OF pubic interest, and =
greater variety of intelligence, correspond.
encc, and editorial matter The FIRST re-
suit of this has been en- enormous Increase
in the expense Of publishing a successful
newspaper. Fifteen years ago the aggre.
gate expenses Of no newspaper establish.
ment in this city reached $1,000 there
are now three whose average expenses
probably exceed $350,00O The next re-
suit has been to decrease the number Of
competing journals, and render those which
are strong enough to keep the field the
more profitable and permanent Fifteen
years ago newspaper which cleared $30,.
600 was miracle Of success now there
are at least half dozen which do it, and
three which probably average net incomes
of $75 900 each. The demand for ncwspa-
pers has increased steadily and rapidly )
and those which have supplied it best-at
whatever cost-have prospered accordingly.
One great element in the success Of
newspapers has been the increase in adycr-
tising-not only in quantity, but in price.
Fifteen years ago, advertising was done by
the year or month, at prices which were
mo hn
that immense blanket sheets were filed
with cheap advertisements and as their
circulation was very limited, and the cost
of the paper on which they were printed
triaing, nearly all they did receive was
profit. Now the circulation of the leading
organs Of publicity is enormous, and the
prices of advertising have increased ac-
cordingly, though it is actually cheaper to
the advertiser than it used to be, because
where he found one reader for his an
then, he finds ten now. Moth
ing proves this more conclusycly than the
steady increase in the amount of advert.
sing, in spite Of its increased expensiveness
All the papers Of large circulation are
crowded to their utmost capacity with ad-
vertsements, and the pressure every year
grows more and more severe.
The ultimate result of this tendency it is
not difficult TO foresee. The public will not
bc content with so serious a curtailment of
the amount Of reading matter as the in
crease of advertising renders unavoidable.
Every year the news from every quarter
becomes more voluminous the CONNER
cial, financial, and political developments
in all parts Of the world afford increased
matter for announcement and for comment
and the public taste grows more and more
eXactng in regard TO the character and
Of the Public Press.
Our journals will be driven into enlargement
They must follow the example of the Lon
don Times, and issue, as it did for some
years, an occasional supplement, as the
pressure of advertisements rendered ncceS-
sary, or q daily sheet of ttocirc pagcs-or
even Of sirtcsn, as the London Times from
the same necessity does now. Nothing
short of such movement will satisfy the
public demand.
The practical difficulty in the way 0! do
ing it now is the low price Of our neUspa-
lIcio' uollouVIo Ol Tue tHICC leuulIiS pa
pers receive only Il cent and a half for each
copy Of their respective journals, aud this
barely covers the cost of the white paper
on which they are printed. Increase the
size one-half or one-quarter, and the white
paper will cost more than the printed sheet.
The larger the circulation, under such a
state of things, the heavier the loss. The
difficulty could only be met by increasing
the price Of the newspaper, so as TO cover
the cost of ihe white paper used. We
have no doubt that this will lie the next
step in the progress of the Newspaper
Press Of New York. Some one or more of
the established journals will increase its
price, and make a corresponding increase in
the variety and quality Of its contents.
And that the advanced taste Of the com
munity would abundaniy SUSTAIN such a
step, on the part Of at least one daily jour
nal, we have no doubt. There are at
least fifty thousand newspaper readers who
want o journal fifty per cent. better than
at present prices any of the city newspa-
pers can be made and they would gladly
pay the difference in cost, in view of such
a difference in quality.
CALCULATION BY MAcHINERY.-TheL Lon
don Atheneum has u long notice Of some