The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-02-18
NEWSPAPER PRICES.

NEWSPAPER PRICES.
The CHICAGO T,mss, with its cha.
rac!eristic ahrewdness. is t1e first
Journal to discover that It made
mistake in raising the prics Of the
paper. 1t held to the higher price
only q few days, having returned to
the old figures on Monday. The
natural inference is that it loet money
by the frst change. Other newspapers
that have increased their subscription
and selling rates because of the recent
advance in the price OF white
paper, will not fail to discover
later what the Times has been go
ea'ly in detecting, namely, that
they have erred. Whereas, the
price of the imprinted sheets has sd-
vanced perhaps 80 per cent. within
the past six months, the increase is
hardly sufficient to justify a publisher
in raising the price OF the printed
sheets. 1t will be difficult matter
to make the newspaper patrons be-
lieve that the publishers are not
taxing advantage of them and prey
ing upon their good nature and
credulity. To continue AZ the old
figures may result in reducing the
publishers profits, but the HERALD
reasons otherwise and proposes to
leave, for the present at least, its
rates as they are. Indeed. the pub
fishers OF this journal, nolWithstand |
ing the growing price OF printing
paper, have decided 10 reduce, on the
Let proximo, the price OF the semi
wei ky edition from $40 to $3.50 a !
year-a reduction OF about II per
cent. The price Of THE WEEKLY
HERALD, soon 10 be Issued from this
Office, has also been placed st the
uuprecedentedly low figure for far
west paper, of s. a year-s reduction
Of about so psr cent. as compared
with the usual prices OF sheets Of
similar dimensions to the forth coming
weekly. We do not think that We
have blundered IN fixing these low
figures, Notwithstanding the contrary
policy is being adopted by so many
publishers throughout the county.
1t is true that at the present price Of
the white sheets The margin for the
publishers is very narrow, and
slight advance might make it abso,
luteIy necessary to increase the rates
on the printed ,heet3. But the
HERALD argues q a. rise 10 prices Is
indicative OF more money IN ci!ccl3- |
ton and OF prosperity, and prosperity
aids every industry. The increase IL
prices h Is been gate genersl. though
printing paper mas advanced more
suddenly, and higher perhaps, in p. o.
portion than other articles. While
the profits from the single subscrip-I
ton will be reduced to correspond
with lha advance il tue price of the
white paper, We hlIl that the in.
creased number OF papers sold at the
usual rates will make good the loss. /
At any Fa'e we shall continue under
that supposition until it has been
demonstrated to be fallacious and un-
I'll there is a considerable advance
beyond even the present price ofplaiu
paper.
Recalling the history of paper
prices for the past ten years, we fail
to understand why the little squirt of
the past few mouths can so seriously
alarm publishers, and cause them to
increase their rates. White paper,
such as the HERALD uses, costs, laid !,
down in the press room, a fraction
less than 13c. per pound. The same
quality during the year or Two before
the lale advance, cost about 1Oc. Der
pound. It previously ranged in price, b
since the HsaALD has been in
existence, from lie. to16s. per pound.
Daring The days OF the highes. price
which WaJ three cents higher than
the present price, the subscription
rates were the same ss they are now,
and publishers did not contemplate +
any raise. The prices OF papers all {
over the coantry we're no higher than 7
they are now, and yet 70 increase !
was proposed. Besides the high price +
for paper in those days, the price of q
compOsition-the chief item Of news y
Dsper expenses--Wss about "A per II
cent. above what it is now, thus :
making the actual cost to the pub d
isher of the printed sheets nearly 80 t
yer cent. greater than it Is today. 1
'hen how do publishers justify the :,
in rates at this time? Is it I,
ecause subscription isis have fallen "
q. and they expect the fewer readers tl'
contribute more, so as to keep the a. a.
Tofls at the same cid figure? It il
slta;nly has that appearance. til