The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-08
THE FRENCH PAPERS.
The Richest Papers in the World
Are Probably in Paris.
How The Figaro Divides Els Profits
The Petit Journals Charges
for AdvertisIng-Paid-
for News Items.
THE Journalist. !

y
we have the best of everything that goes
We are, among other things, fond of boast
ing that we have the biggest papers and the
largest circulations, and We charge the
biggest prices for advertising.
Yet the richest papers in the world are
probably in Paris; that is to say, the papers
that pay the biggest profits. We are apt TO
counterfeit anIaZenent when we are told that
The Sun makes 100000 Il year. and that
Dana's own income is III the neighborhood Of
100000 year, But that is nothing COM
pared with the income of the Levys, of The
London Telegraph, and certainly not to be
compared with the income derived by the
proprietor Of The Petit journal, in Paris.
For long time past, the
head man of that concern who
used to be workman at 3
francs day, has made an average of 2,OOO,-
600 francs profit year, or about S400, 900.
His paper is about the size of The Daily
News here and the price is l cent 1t is
claimed that The Petit Journal has circula-
ton Of 100000 copies day. 1t, of course,
goes throughout France
But The Paris Figaro is the most remarka-
Die paper of all as regards the division of its
more than 10000. On some days-Satmday
for instance-the circulation runs up to l2O,-
600 When tine late DR. Nillemessaul the
proprietor of The Figaro died, he left the paper
to the three men who had done the most to
aid him. But there were many old CON
tributors to The Figaro-nen with we'll
known names, who made an cutlery at this
division Of the property. They insisted they
ought to have been consulted, and they
threatened to leave the establishment in
body and found new Figaro. This alarmed
the three principals and they made propo-
sition 10 the recalcitrant gentlemen. 1t was
to the effect that they themselves should take
| each 20 600 out OF tile concern yearly, and
| that the other men should each have Il
salary Of 5000 for the work they were
| to dc. and at the end of the year they should
| draw another 5000 out of the profits, thus
| insuItng them Sl2, 900 a year apiece, a larger
| salary than any editor in America gets to-
| day Mt these meIi 40 not write an average
Of more than half a column 4 iay each-if
indeed, that much, SO that they have q very
| easy time Of it. Ii is one of the conditions
! that when any Of them dies his share goes to
the others, So that the last one who remains
! will have an enormous income, something
| like 100000 Il year Beyond salaries and so
| on out of the profits there Is a large sum put
! by rs a sinking fund. 1t now amounts to
over 81 ,0oD000, and they don't know what to
! do with IT,
! We are apt to consider 80 and 80 cents q
| line for advertising a pretty high price in
| our daily papers. The price The Petit Jour
nal charges per line is Sc and for reading
matter 81 The regular price of The Figaro
| is s. line, and for reading notices IS For
| au article lately published about the Panama
| canal scheme. taking about three-quarters Of
a column on the first page, the company paid
| $4,000. Another popularity Of The Figaro,
and Of most of the French papers, Is that
they rent ont the financial column by the
year to anybody who wants it A we'll
known banking house pays The Figaro 1Go, =
$50 francs q year FOR the use Of their finan-
cial column, aud put, in whatever it pieasas
| They have a ten years contract
But more singular still, from To, American
point Of view, is dat The Figaro VIII not
mention any watering pace in Its columns Us
news. Our papers devote pages duriug a
season Mt Saratoga Long Branch, Newport,
etc, ami consider ii matter Of news Every
line The Figaro publishes about Tronville, or
Dieppe, CT Nice, Is paid for at IS line The
hotel keepers do it, and this source of income
is one of the largest the paper has Nor will
Tho Figaro mention social events of any sort
excepting the very high-placei people, such
as the Comte de Paris, unless they are paid
for There is a man who used to be a stroll
ing actor, who a couple Of years ago had 6
large fortune left. lie bought the title Of al
Italian duke and the estates, and Is very
anxious to shine in Partisan circles. He
gives splendid receptions, and pays S line
in the Figaro to have the accounts published
He has been worth 70 TINT paper for the pas
year about $4,000 in this way All lii
movements are chronicled. As well us we
at present remember the name of this man
is the duke of Campo-Ceuar But he is On,
OF many people who do the same thing.
Thus it will be seen what opportunities th,
French papers have which our own do not
1t is true that in Chicago this system is ex
tensivcly employed, but nowhere else, ana a
nothing like tie prices charged in France,