The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-12-11
Taxing Intelligence.


called to the evident injustice of
taxing gross receiptssin trade "a
system which, in dullseasons, con-
verts, profit into a loss, and drags
down. q merchant by making him
pay a heavy tax, even when there
has been a positive loss upon the
business ofthe year. But, if tax
upon the gross amount of business
done falls with a crushing force
upon, the merchant, broker or gen
eral dealer, it. strikes with, addi-
tional strength at newspaper pro-
prietors, and imposes upon thema
burden which: it is di ifieuItto bear.
Newspaper publishing in the
South has never been a very lu-
c,ratiWe business. During the war
it was conducted at a loss, because
the price of subscription and rate
of advertising could not be in
creased sufficiently to- bring them
to the level Of enhanced rates,
paid for paper, and manual and
clerical labor. After thewar there.
was a feverish rush of, business !,
and for the time, newspapers pros;
pered, But, since the spring of
1866, trade of every kind have
been languishing, and newspapers,
which depend on their advertising
| patronage to save them from loss:
have. shared in J the general, de-
preston This arose from several
causes. Subscriptions do not;much
more sthan}pay the cost of the blank:
paper upon which a newspaper is.
printed but even subscriptions
were checked by the .-irregularity
of the mails and the difficulties of.
internal communication. AS, St.
4alroutes were4re-opened, and sub.
seription lists were filed, theprice.
( of cotton fell and theprice. Of pro
visions rose. Subscribers received
their papers but .Eere,5u unable to.
pay 6r, them; debts? aceuE ulated,
and but few country collections.
could d7he made. In theseity; trade
was, fat and staghant. Il AdHerti-.
@sers could not advertise as:liberal-s
Efy as they wished to do; !. and, at
T the Very time that the secondary
assistance of receipts from sub.
;seriptions was cut, off, the, news.
papers Of this City, and State were,
deprived of that advertising pat
ronage whichEis the backbone Of.
fall newspaper enterprise: Debts
I due to newspapers cannot well be
pressed, to. payment. A doctors
bill, a. tailor's= bill, and a; newspa-<
per bill are usually. the last tosbe
tspaid; and mosta indulgence is ex-
!. .pected where. most has usually
been granted. -. - r. = pr
This then was the position of
The. daily newspaper. It was re-
ceiving but little from subscribers,
its advertising was dull, and ar
|rears could not be collected. Pa.
7 per, the: greatest. item, in news
l. paper expenditure, hasrisen great
Ely In price; salaries. were higher
than before the war; composiFors'
wages, ink, material, gas; and the
general expense Of living had, one
and all, advanced. But there was
no increase in the charges of the
newspaper, either for advertising
!>or, Subscriptions commensurate
with it's additional: cost. There
was, on every side, an increase of
expense; there was nowhere an in
crease in revenue to meetit. More
than this, the work: on newspa-
per must be paid for in cash.
There is no such thing as putting
off compositor's- bills, and paper
and ink bills, or. obtaining that de-
gree of forbearanee from the cred
itor of q newspaper which always
is given to it's debtor. The bills
Of each week must be met as Satur-
day comes, round ; a newspaper
pays cash, and trusts to timo for
returns. -..~ - - Il,
= In addition to all other charges
upon a newspaper, there is, in this
State, an onerous State and City
tax. The State tax is two dollars
upon every one hundred dollars Of
gross receipts, the City tax is
;scventy-fve cents upon every one
hundred dollars Of gross receipts;
making in all tax of two and
.three-quarters per cent. A news:
paper which, upon a business OF
one hundred thousand dollars for
the year ending June Both, 1867;
made profit, after paying work
ing expenses, Of ten thousand dol
lars, did remarkably well. But
then came the taxes on gross re-
ceipts of one hundred thousand
dollars, viz: State tax, at two dol
lars per hundred, $4,000; City tax,
at seventy-fvc cents per hundred, |
$3.50, makings2750. This, deduct
ed from the $4,000 gross profits, |
left $3.50 as the profit to the pro
prietors for one year of labor, one
Years interest of capital, and one
years wear end tear Of machinery.
The tax was, ON it's face, about
thirty per cent. Of the profits, and,
in reality, it was nearly one-hcT.
This is q n1ain and unyarniShed |