New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-25
No HERALD NEWS-STANDS.
REPORT OF THE ALpERMENs COMMITTEE.
THE ATTEMPT TO CRUSH TIRE DEALERS NOT TO BE
ENcoURAGED.

THE ATTEMPT TO CRUSH TIE DEALERS NOT TO BE
ENCOURAGED.
The Committee on Streets, Of the Board of Alder
man to which was referred the resolution giving
George +. Williams, of The Herald, the right to
n,aee newsstands ON the sidewalk within fifty feet
of each station of the elevated railways, yesterday
made its report which was laid over one week UNI
der the rules After stating that the Board of Al
dermen has the power to regulate the use OF the
streets and sidewalks for signs, signposts awnings
awning-posts horse troughs, urinals, telegraph
posts. and other purposes" and that permits have
only been given heretofore, where in the Judgment
of the Board. the stands authorized were not an
obstruction to the Streets and were more or less
necessity, the report continues as follows
In every case the permit has been awarded TO
in humble circumstances, and the stand thus useu "
been the only means of their livelihood and support
The present resolution is Of an entirely different
character from any heretofore presented ior tne
Grafton OF your Board. II is general IN us mature NV
sweeping in its provisions II proposes 10 cono uPo
Mr. George T. Williams, acting as the repreSen'N' y
Mr. James Gordon Bennett the proprietor OF A"e NeO
York Herald, the right TO maintain and erect large
number of newsstands for the sale OF MS paper i'll 'hc
city OF New-York.
brief review OF the circumstances leading to- this a
pcation will not be of place in considering this reso
luton. D..
DlrSnp hA
many wears thereafter, The Ne1c- York Herald was
t,r,is,ed IN its readers at the price OF cents
nor co,v The price to the intermediary news
dealer was 8 cents, thus allowing him profit OF
cent Mr. Bennett the father of the present proprietor,
ALWAYS recognized the necessity of the dealer as
medium between the paper and its readers In fac ne
wa. the first newsdealer that sold COPY of The
Srar- York Herald. With newsstand consisting OF
ce of board and an old barrel he pedled the entire
edition of The Herald The location of the first rad
newsstand was the corner of Wall and William sts
TIE TWO REDUCTIONS IN PRICE.
shorly after the present James Gordon Bennett became
its proprietor by inheritance from his father he determined
20 reduce price of the paper both TO the reader ana the
yender Tie fixed the retail price at cents aud reduced
the profit Of the dealer from cent 10 p cent per copy
The dealers first demurred this reduction of their leg
innate profit hat after the lapse OF htte nme sccepeo
the situation Your committee are crodiby informed
that as business overture the reduction was mol Sic
cess No great of circulation followed the e&er
inent and the dealer was obliged 10 submit TO curai
nent Of his profit by increased amount OF labor to at
least maintain the position in which he was
placed before the reduction. A few weeks
ago Mr. Bennett again determined to reduce
the price of The Herald from TO cents Another
rtament in the profit of the dealer from onoha cent
10 onehird Of per copy followed this, the second
reduction.
POSITION OF THE DEALERS.
The dealers again rebeed and determined to resist this
mandate to the last Let your committee for moment
cali your attention the actual facts of the position OF
the dealers There 1900 dealers engaged In the
business selling morning papers in the city OF New
York and vicinity. These 1000 dealers sell M average
of $50 morning papers each If all the papers followed
the liberal and generous policy of The Herald, and
pel7ntted them TO make the profit Of one-third OF
cent per copy, they would, at the end OF the week OF
elk working days. realize the munihccnt sum
of three dollars To earn this amount they would be
compelled only sell every of the 49, but to
receive every penny due for the sale of each paper The
dealer X copced to arise from his bed at two o'clock in
the morning. go from his home TO the newspaper offices,
make his round of the several delivery rooms return 10
his locality fold his papers serve his route by delivery To
the residences of his customers then take the balance or
his papers his stand and there wait until The last paper
is disposed Of The average time Of closing the stand Is
IL o'clock noon This round must be daily one fol-
lowed in sunshine and storm summer and winter IN
health or sickness. Every member Of this body can
testify TO the unceasng regularity and punctaality
of the dealer As a matter of necessity the average
dealer cannot the he derives from the
morning papers alone and he adds the evening papers
and the weeklies and possibly little articles OF
stationery. From careful inquiry your committee
would give the income Of the newsdealer the
sum of $40 per week of working days or about
100 working hours
THEIR REBELLION NATURAL.
Does it extraordinary that the dealers beed and
refused to permit this pttance TO be still further reduoed
They did refuse, and determined 10 make stand
They were told they must submit, and extraordinary
means were taken 60 force them into submission. Even
the powers OF the City Government were in
yoked 10 crush these rcbelous Stands under the
authority Board TO be placed beside theirs
Their business was TO be ruined by opposition in which
the municipal authorities partners Hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars threatened 10 he expended ia
this crusade and this Board IL asked to aid in all this by
the plea few poor people were to lie gwen employ
ent by permitting them to sell papers at poht OF one
third Of a cent a copy.
1t part the history Of all movements OF this charac
ter that when one set people used means to
defeat an opposition, when that object IL ac-
complished they turned adrft as having
wrought the purpose for which their aid was
required II is hardly necessary to apply this argument
10 the present movement No sensible or thinking person
will believe for gle moment that Messrs Williams ana
Bennett are engaged in the prosecution Of gigantic
charitable enterprise for relief Of the needy and the
distressed but are only seeking for means for the in
tiInIdation OF the offending dealers
Your committee does desire TO take up the time OF
your honorable body any extended or elaborate pres
eutation OF any question of abstract principle They
would respectfully report your Board that they have
thoroughly examined the subectmstter contained Ia the
resolution referred to Them and recommend that the re-
opest Of Mr. George r. Williams he denied.
-. mn.