Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-06-08
OUR NEW SP,tpERS
Advancement Of Pacific t"a-t Papers and
the Cost of Running Il Great Metrnroii-
IAN Daily.

the Cost of Running Great Metropolis
fan Daily.
The excellence Of the Pacific Coast
newspapers is not appreciated by the
thousands of readers. who watch for
their coming with expectation and
pleasure On this coast We are
hemmed in on all sides from the out
side world, and our boundaries are al
most insurmountable barriers. Not
withstanding the fact that there are
only three avenues through which
outside news can be obtained on this
coast, the papers will compare favor
ably with any published east of the
Rockies. And, indeed. our country
papers surpass those Of any locality
in the United States. They are
bright, prosperous, powerful. replete
with news and anecdotes. and fill the
void which intervenes between per
sons living in remote districts and the
world at large Few people have an
adequate idea of the cost and work
encountered in the production of a
newspaper. Of course. metropolitan
papers are more extended in their
operations, nevertheless, the details
are just the same on the country
paper, and when they are taken into
proper cosideration, the subscribers
of country papers cannot fail to give
liberal support toward retaining the
insignia of their district before all vino
desire to keep up with the rapid adj
vancement of the present century.
"a tirst-rate newspaper will require
about ten editorial writer's, whose
duty daily is to furnish leading arti
cles and editorial paragraphs. Many
of these writer's will have their special
duties, and there must always be five
or six men who are able to turn their
hands to subjects of any description,
as they happen to come up. n COM
petent writer of leaders will be paid
from 500 to $50 per week; and no
man tit to supervise them, and per
form the functions of editor in chief,
can be had for less than from $50 to
5000 per week. The reporters are of
two classes: first, those of the regu-
lar staff, who are paid by the week,
at rates varying from $50 to $50
These perform not only the routine
duties of reporting, but are always
prepared to be sent off upon special
service, in which case their railroad
fares, carriage hire, hotel bills. and
other expenses are paid by the office.
Then, there are a number of re-
porters who are attached to each pa
per. who are paid according to the
work they perform, and without hav
ing any prescribed functions, and
should be in readiness to do what
ever may be necessary. Some of
these gentlemen are men of talent
and learning, and in time will make
their way into the front rank as
writer's and editors. I know several
men who, without having regular
salaries, will average from $50 to S75
a week. Of these two classes of re-
porters, q tirst-rate paper must en-
ploy about fifty. Next, there are the
correspondents, both at home and
abroad, and these are likewise divided
into two classes. those who are en-
ployed upon regular salaries, and
those who are paid as their contribu
tions are printed. In Washington,
for instance, each newspaper has
need of regular correspondents or re-
porters, and of occasional contribu-
tors; and the different papers differ
as to the respective numbers of these
two classes. In Albany, each New
York paper must have its regular
staff devoted to this service; in the
other capitals, of States they are
served by occasional correspondents.
since the news of these more distant
places is. for the most part, not i'm
portant enough in New York to be
constantly reported there. In Eu-
rope, also, every leading paper has its
regular staff of correspondents.
There must be a correspondent in
London, and one in Paris, who re-
port constantly, either by post or by
cable.
"In the Sunday editions of most
prominent papers of New York city,
there is always a cable dispatch, sum-
ming up the news of the week, and
reporting interesting political, social,
artistic or literary events, on which
the reporters of the associated press,
whose kilograms are forwarded every
day, do not ordinarily dwell. Thus
the expenses Of the sort of papers we
are considering vary, for the most
part, mainly, according as they print
large or small editions, the chief
difference being made in their con-
sumption of white paper. Of this,
the Herald uses more than any other
journal. On Sunday, especially, its
advertising sheets are many, and on
that day it will sometimes print one
hundred and thirty columns of ad-
vertisements alone, so that the
amount of white paper it uses is
enormous.
"But, aside from this item, the ex-
penses of one of these papers will be,
for the editorial department., includ-
ing writer's, reporters, and CORE
spondents, from four to FIVE thousand
dollars per week, and its telegraph
bills, including the cost of special
cables from Europe, will average,
perhaps, from seven hundred to one
thousand dollars week; it's compost
ton bills will vary from one to two
thousand dollars; its publication de-
partment will cost from one to two
thousand; its stereotype will be, per-
haps, five hundred dollars, and its
miscellaneous expenses from one to