Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-11-28
Advance Payments.

Our readers have noticed the announcement,
OF our determination TO adopt the system Of ad-
vance payments for The Phenir. on and after
the first of January next. The inconvenience
Of having thousands of accounts with hundreds
and thousands OF persons whom we have never
seen, and Of whom We know comparatively moth
ing except that we mail paper 10 their ad-
dress every week. under such change as we
propose Indispensable. AS currelalive change
we shall discontinue sending papers when the
term paid for has expired, unless the subscrip-
tion has been renewed. On the first of jan
uary We shall send no papers from the office ex
cept such as have been paid for. From our
experience in newspaper publishing we believe
this course will prove most satisfactory to our
readers, and profitable to ourselves.
To publish newspaper Of the size and cir
culation of The PHGsrx requires a large an
nual expenditure of money. Our paper-manu-
factnrer, our help aud our rents must all be
paid regularly. They cannot wait until the
end of the year. We cannot furnish the nee
essary capital TO carry on this business and W iii
until the end Of one, Two and sometimes five
years for pay.
The great difficulty and expense attending
the collection Of such small bills scattered over
81 large field, Is anuiher argument in favor of
advance payments. Full twenty per cen, is
lost in collecting the accounts Of those who do
not pay in advance, while ten per cen, more
must be deducted as the expense of collecting
the balance. This leaves us only seventy per
cent of our just dues available. Hence it is we
have always preferred one dollar and fifty cents
in advance 10 two dollars at the end of the year.
Another reason for this change At the be-
ginning of the year we have always experienced
difficulty in determining who of our subscribers
wished the paper sent them another year, and
who wished 1t discontinued. We have sent
many papers 10 persons whom we thought wish
ed to continue their subscriptions, and at the
end Of one, two, three, and sometimes six weeks
or more, received word that the paper was not
taken from the office. Here would he a los.
OF from FIVE TO twenty-five cents on EACH but in
amounts so small that they would not pay the
expense of collection.
If a man wants paper he can as easily nav
his dollar and hasf in advance as at any time
He then has the satisfaction of reading his avn
paper. and Of knowing that there is no bill run.
ming up against him al the printing office. The
city papers have mos Of them adopted the sys-
TEN of advance payments, and they find il TO
work veil. Not one of iheln has gone back to
the credit system. Subscribers like the ar
rangemeni. They do not have to complain, as
those Of some country papers do, that they
" can't stop their papers,"
The PHOENIX will be The first journal pub
lished in Vermont to make this change. How
far we shall succeed depends mainly upon our
subscribers. So far as we have had an oppor
tunity Of conversing with them on The subject,
we are favorably impressed with their convic-
lions. With scarcely an exception they have
advised us 10 pursue this course. We trust all
our friends will aid us in carrying the plan in.
IN pffact