Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-03-20
Evils Of the Credit System.

Among the newspaper publish
ers in this country outside of our
leading cities, there prevails an
almost universal credit system-a
system that is as old as the news.
paper press itself, and a system
that is Taught with disadvantages
and difficulties in every direction.
We believe we hazard nothing in
assuming that no class OF business
men in the community suffers to
80 great an extent from the evils
of extended credits as the news
paper publishers. Instead Of de-
creasing with the rapid growth and
general prosperity Of the whole
country the system appears to be
getting stronger lOOthOld from
year to year, and it would seem
high time that publishers should
take cognizance of the fact, aud
cut loose from its perniciOus innu-
ences and demand from patrons
the same consideration that other
tradesmen receive. The average
country publisher take subscrip.
tions on a years time. When due
perhaps twenty-five to fifty per
cent. pay up promptly, twenty-five
per cent. pay when it suits their
convenience, and the remainder
never pay. In the latter instances
the amounts are SO small and the
chances are 80 slim that the pub
Usher does not care to take the
risk of paying out more in the
effort to force collections than he is
likely to get back again. He en-
dures the imposition until he can
stand it no longer, and finally cuts
off the dead beats and relegates
their worthless Indebtedness to his
profit and loss account. What
greater right has a man who sub
scribes for q newspaper for one
year to ask or expect credit from
the publisher than lie has to ask
his grocer, hardware or dry goods
dealer to trust him one year for
$3.50 or 5000 worth of goods ?
Custom is the only excuse for it,
and We feel fully justified in de-
nominating it an abOminable Gus
tom-the undoubted curse associ-
ated with country newspaper pub
fishing and the one that keeps
many a publishers nose to the
grindstone' year in and year out.
Its baneful efforts are visible leevery-
where in business. He cannot
afford to furnish as much reading
matter, or as large paper as he
would wish, neither can he afford
to make need improvement in the
mechanical department of his Office
to sustain his paper in Topographic
cal Appearance to the standard Of
metropolitan sheets with which he
Is obliged, in a measure to compete.
He buys only what he can not get
along without, and frequently runs
in debt for that, thereby paying
considerable more than he would if
he could go into market with the
cash for his purchase. In short,
he is placed at great diSadvan-
tage, no matter in what direction
he moves, and his lot is discOur-
aging one. Thus also, those who
force him into this position by
asking credit, not only strikes a
blow at their county paper, but at
themselves as we'll and would reap
mart of tho benefits of a refOrma-
ton, Very frequently those who
subscribe for the home paper also
take one from abroad. They never
think of asking for credit from
the foreign publishers The prac-
tice is ono that should no longer be
tolerated, and publishers who have
their own welfare at heart should
lose no time in abolishing it. In
our judgement a list of 500 advance
paying subscribers is of greater ad-
vantage to the publisher than q
list of 1000 on the credit plan. The
adoption of the advance pay sys-
TEN would doubtless result in the
loss of some subscribers, but we
imagine the loss would only be
temporary. Those who subscribe
for the country paper take il, as a
rule, for local news-news that can
not be obtained elsewhere and rs
soon as they learned that the pub.
Usher conducts his business on
business principles, they will fall
into the habit of paying him as
they do the publisher OF foreign
papers. 1t is a correct saying that
if you place low estimate on the
value of your own product (and
crediting subscriptions to Tom,
Dick aud Harry on their own time
is doing just that thing others are
apt to place a lower value. We
could recommend that the press
take some united action to suppress
this growing evil. 1t is old
enough to be placed on the retired
list.-Spring6eld, (Mo.) Tribune.
, Permanent
There are medicines which give
only temporary relief and theI
leave the sufferer worse off thar
before, especially in cases Of dys