Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-25

some Figures About What it Costs
Make Them.
Inferrie,c NTH No. c. A h. Dana in the Dali


Make Them.
IRterCiete acitA Mr.. c. A. Dana IN the Daily
States.
''What does it cost to run tirst-class
New York newspaper
| sit costs a great deal more than it did
| ten or twenty years ago. There is great
Improvement in the intellectual quality
OF the newspapers OF New lork Guy
| They are better furnished with talent in
every department, and spend a great
| deal more money for contributions than
| they used to spend fifteen years
| ago. The cost of white paper formerly
| made up fully one-half of the whole eX-
| pense of the newspaper, now 1t makes up
/ about one-quarter; then paper costs from
| twelve to fifteen cents per pound, now IL
| costs from six to sever cents per pound.
| Owing to this great reduction in the cost
| of paper, the well established papers in
| New York city are ali of them making
money, and even the Tribune, which has
| been weighed down by an immense IN
| Yestment IN real estate, seems at last 10
have got through with the effect OF this
misfortune, and has commenced 10 90
more than pay its expenses.
"a first rate newspaper in New ork
| will require about ten editorial writer's,
| whose daily duty it is to furnish leading
| articles and editorial paragraphs. Many
| of these writer's have their special duties,
| but there must always be i've or SIX men
| who are able to turn their hands to sub
! jects of anv description as they happen to
| come up. A competent writer OF leaders
| will be paid from 500 to 500 per week;
| and no man fit TO supervise them and
\ perform the functions of editOr-in-chief
can be had for less than from $3.50 to 5000
| per week. The reporters are of two
| classes: First, those Oh the regular stan,
who are paid by the week at rates vary
/ - Tbacn
! only the routine duties of reporting, but
are always prepared to be sent off upon
! special service. in which case their rail-
| road fares, carriage hire, hotel bills, and
other expenses are paid by the office.
Then there are a number of reporters
| attached TO each paper VINO are pald ac-
| cOrding to the work they perform, without
/ having any prescribed functions and who
| must hold themselves in readiness to do
whatever 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 writers and editors.
| know men who, without having regular
salaries, average from $50 to $75 a week.
/ Of these two classes of reporters, taken
| together, first-rate paper must employ
/ about fifty. Next there are the CORES
| pondents, both at home and abroad, and
! these are likewise divided into two classes,
| those who are employed upon regular
salaries and those who are paid as their
contributions are printed. In Washing
ton, for instance, each newspaper has
! need both of regular correspondents or
reporters, and of occasional contributors,
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 its
| service, while in the other CAPT
tails of such States as New Jersey,
PENNSYLVANIA, Ohio, and Massachusetts,
the papers are served by occasional cor
respondents, since the news of those more
! distant places is, for the most part, not
| important enough in New York to be con-
stantly reported there. In Europe, also,
every leading paper has its regular staff
| of correspondents in the chief cities.
| There must especially be a correspondent
in London and one in Paris who report
constantly either by post or by cable.
SIN the Sunday edition of most of the
| prominent papers of New York city there
is always a cable dispetch summing up
the news of the week and reporting in
| teresting political, social, artistic or
| literary events on which the reporters of
the Associated Press, whose kilograms
are forwarded every day, do not ordina-
rily 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 in their consumption
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 some
times print $50 columns of advertisements
| alone. so that the amount of white paper
it uses is enormous.
''But apart from this item, the expenses
of one of these papers for the editorial de-
partment, including writer's, reporters,
and correspondents, will be from $4,000 to
$1,000 per week, and its ordinary tele-
graph bills, including the cost of special
cables from EurOpeS will average, per-
haps, from 800 to $1,000 a week;
its composition bills will vary from
$1,000 to $4,000; its publication de-
partment will cost from $1,000 to
$4,000; its stereotyping will be perhaps
$500, and its miscellaneous expenses from
$1,000 to $4,000, making a total of from
$4,000 TO $12, 900 a week. OF course these
| figures will be little less in dull times
when there is little telegraphing and no
occasion for special expenditures than
when there is great public excitement,
such as Presidential canvass or a great
public catastrophe, when it is necessary
to send many men out and spend great
deal of money in obtaining news; but the
general average will be about what have
stated"
Mr. ErapLy Nc o,,e,bIi,, ,,or+ ovr-,,o,. ~