Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-11-24
THE PRICE OF NEWSPAPERS.

is made. 1t is fair question and de-
serves a frank answer. We refer, of
course, to country weeklies which in
price can never compete with the city
weeklies, made up of matter paid for
once or twice in dailies or semi-weeklies
before reaching county subscribers. A
few country papers having some special
ty. or located in some particularly favor
able district are offered at less than
$500 year, conditionally, but most of
them are suffering "for want of support"
@qQgs more than is egseaerally. lkEpoMn outside Of
"Patent outsides' or insides have great
ly multiplied the number of newspapers,
because such papers can be furnished
cheaper than "home prints" and yet we
never knew community that did not
prefer home print paper if such could
obtain living support at home. even at
an advanced rate, nor have we ever con-
versed with publisher of one of these
prints who did not express precisely the
same choice, and who did not intend to
make his paper a home print at the
earliest moment it might receive sufficient
home support. Such is the value Of
newspaper to any community. that it is
not strange they prefer such an one to
none at all.
Of all the Vermont papers of to day,
that were printed in 1860, most of them
we think are sold at $500 year, few
little less on conditions, and few at
higher rate, while all were sold twenty
years ago at $l.OO to $1.50. To-day
these same papers cost more than IN
1860, and S1.5O for them then was more
than $500 now. We think there is not
one of the papers alluded to above that
has not been enlarged two or three times
since 1860, and are now giving their
readers five to ten columns more of read
ing matter. The cost of white paper is
, less than formerly by some two cents
o pound, but not equal to the increased
It amount of composition by enlargements.
Z This is doubtless understood and remem-
e bered by the people. Another extra ex-
20 pense is the postage which all publishers
a are required to pay by law, amounting
Of from $50 to 5000 year according to
,lo+1 kxuN
in state may pay more, and those centrally
Sc located, and circulating nearly all in the
ut county, may be little less. Our esti-
~ mate is based on our own business.
e. Again, the editorial work and expense
rs on most country newspapers has been
k. multiplied many times within the past
as fifteen years, more especially on the
ep slocal' departments. The people de-
At mand more work and publishers have
or responded by giving it though at an ad-
1t ditional expense.
ar There has always been competition
ly among newspapers, as in other business,
ter and often with the same ruinous results.
lrs We remember such competition in a
| county in this state. quarter of GEN.
lat tury ago, and the result was the final
mt death or absorption in some form of every
me paper in that place and all but one in
ial the county. The claw of trade" and Of
..cause and effect" is the same to-day as
;. then, and when such competition appears
the Kilkenny cats disappear. Of course
as indicated in the first paragraph o
this article, there may be an occasiona
:, exception, when paper is devoted t
some speciality or has an extra good dis
I trict for his business. The profits of
newspaper. if it has any, is in its adver
- tising patronage While local advertis
ing has been fair to good, though les
than formerly, this department of sur
port from abroad and the agencies ha
49, been greatly reduced during the past 81
:, years, and so far has thrown the suppol
of country newspapers on their subscriI
tion lists.
There are yet other details in the II
creased expenses of publishers, as con
r to pared with 1860, but we will mentio
ugh one only. and that is the increase
edi- amount of capital required in countl
his newspaper Office, as compared with TO
tele- mer times During the past two decad
title the hand press as means of printing
litor newspaper, has almost entirely dlsa
The peared. The cost of one of these W
and from $3.50 to $3.50, and not large enous
II be to print newspapers of the present ave
ate.' age size at that. while the power pre-
you now in general use cost from $1,000
ntle. $4,000. This while there has been
stru- corresponding increase in business
ard: subscription list. Other details cou
,ep a be added but this article has already e
used ceeded the limits intended. Whatey
next may be the merits of modern newspape
nbow however superior some may be to otht
in either price or matter, they are inv
!. - liable in many ways to every family a
community in the land, and it is hare
=. ;, possible for the publisher to make {
:, so poor as not to be worth many tin
its price.-Beltovs Falls Times.
famous horse hreeder of France