New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-30
NEmSpIpER PRICES.

Recent Il, ductions in the price of some
NewYork newspapers do not proceed upon
the theory that NEWCOMERS want different
kind of paper, but only that they will buy
vastly more of the present kind, IT sold
cheaper. Some journals accordingly under
take 10 furnish the old article at just
half the old price. Does this leave
their business on sound basis The
whole notion of selling first-class
New-YOrk newspaper at 2 cents springs
from the belief that it can be done here,
because something like it is done in Lon
don. Let us see:
The London penny (2-cent) papers are
great journals. But they 90 not average as
much reading-matter as the eight-page papers
of New-Y York; do not give anything like an
equal amount and variety of Geographic news,
and with the single exception of their Par
liamentary repOyts) do not give half as much
local news
Nearly every item in the manufacture of the
newspaper costs less in London than in New
York The white paper on which it is printed
still costs an average OF twelve to fifteen per
cent. less. The type-settiug costs from shil-
ling to "A shilling and half per thousand in
London, against forty-fye cents in New York.
The mechanical labor is all cheaper. Average
reporters can be engaged az two to t11ee
a,iineas a week there, against twenty to tNcA-
ty-five dollars here.
London. counting suburbs and speaking
roughly, is three times the size of New York.
But in London the population is sub
stant1ally all English. Inside New-IOrk
we have one of the largest German
cities in the world, sustaining one of
the most widely circulated German neWa-
papers in the world; and one Of the
largest Irish cities. with inhabtinls furnish
ing comparatively few readers for the eight
page papers. For the purposes of Il newspaper
in the English language, therefore, London
becomes five times as big ms New York.
But London is a capital, as well as the bus
mess metropolis of the world and has the
great concourse OF transient newspaper buy>
ers, drawn by political as well as business
centre. New-York is not even State capital
And again, London is the heart OF a
compact population of thirty odd mill
lions massed on little island, near
" all easily reached within the few
bours that constitute the lifetime of a morning
PAPER, and Ill accustomed Tor generations
to look to London for news ana newspapers.
New-YOrk is on the edge of continent,
tbree-Gourths of whose scattered population
carnot be reached by its papers before their
news has become h0pelessly stale. New York,
IN fact is met at distances of thirty to sixty
miles in every direction by competing
papers, which have been built up through
liberal access to the facilities of It's
Associated Pr So and really has for an as
hon
Englsh-reading population than Philadelphia
and It's dependencies.
The reduction from four to two cents throws
away Just three-fourths of the profit on cir
cuation above the bare cost Of the white
paper. At the reduced rate, then .h'
circulation must be quadruped to g,
back to the very spot just left.
The World Times aud Herald under
take this task. Are there, in and about New
York, four times many people rs have here
tofore read these three papers, waiting, eager
and ready to read just these kinds of papers, rs
soon as they can buy them at half-pricef
If not. they must be sold below tine cost of
manufacture, unless. on IA smaller increase IN
circulation, an immensely greater revenue Can
be derived from advertisements. In that case
the proposition becomes one TO distribute
newspapers below cost, and saddle the
loss on the business community 1t Is
a gift enterprise, to be supported by en-
ticing unwary advertisers TO pay for the
papers that are given away. That is an expert
ment which has once or twice before been tried
on "A pretty large scale in NewYork We were
not tempted by it then, and we have no dis
position to follow our neighbOrs pellmell into
it now. Satisfied with the generous support we
have been receiving, We shall embark III no
gambling ventures, but continue to do business
Oh a solvent basis.