Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-03-14

He can buy his four pages of plates for
about eight dollars q week, and can, if he
uses good taste in the selection, give his
readers articles by the very best writer's IL
Illustrated by leading newspaper artists, mat
ter which would cost him twenty-five or
thirty dollars n column if he had to buy it
for himself The fact that the same matter
is used by another paper in another town
does not interfere with its value TO him in the
least, and it enables the plate matter concerns
10 furnish it TO him at surprisingly low
figure.
He will need type enough TO set four pages,
with fair margin for standing matter and
emergencies, or about 215 pounds. This will
cost him, if new, about fiftv-five cents pound
or if purchased second hard about twenty
cents pound. Cases to hold the type, i'm
posing stones, composing sticks, galleys, fur
niture, SiGesticks and all the smaller items
required in the composing room, which are
SO tr1iling iii themselves, bat which mount
mo so III the long run, viii cost him about
SlO0 more His press, il run by hand power
and very good presses some of them are,
toc-can be bought for from $500 to 81 200
All this material can be purchased for com
paratlveiy small cash payments and chattel
mortgages. But it is mere economical in the
long run to buy for cash and get the benefit
OF tue large discounts allowed. Office rent
varies so much in different localities that it
would be impossible 10 take il into conSidera-
ton in = general article.
Roughly speaking, man is very foolish 10
attempt 10 start q country weekly with less
than two thousand dollars capital, and if he
has four thousand his chances of SUCCESS
other things being eouai-are doubled.
For daily, the cost Of the plant, except for
white paper. is not SO much larger as one
would ct first glance suppose. The daily is
not, as a rule. Sc large as the weekly. and
while the Office expenses, conpoSitors. editors
and assistants in every department are largely
increased, not very much more type ana ma
terial viii be required than on a weekly. The
cost of type setting varies in different locali-
ties, but good compositors can Ge had at from
Sl2 TO SIS week. 4 weekly will require two
on three, daily eight or nine. On a weekly
the editor is frequently 4 practical printer
and can take hand at the case or the make
up. he is also his own editor, business manager
md reporter, or he may have one assistant at
an average salary OF SIS week.
The salary list OF a country weekly in a
small town should not go above $40 a week.
1t frequently does not reach SIS. a daily
cannot De run for much less than $50 week
expended in salaries alone. The service Of
one of the press associations viii cost about
$40 or $50 month, and about SIS = week
extra FOR Geographic tolls, varying accord
ing TO the location Of the paper. This ex-
pepse can be avoided by use of news Plates
ii the location of the paper viii admit of such
an arrangement
In the establishment OF either a small daily
or country weekly the arrangements are very
inexpensive and simple III comparison TO those
necessary for the establishment OF a daily in
one of the larger cities. There we have 10
take into the calculation the cost OF CORE
sponGsnts In various points, q large force of
conpositors, editors, prooireaders snd tie
like. The New York World has. for exam
ole. over 600 rsSn.ar employees on its salary
list, and TIE weekly pay ron amo1acs 20 Up
wards OF $1,000
In addition 10 those who are regularly en-
gagged by the paper there are nearly 1000
more correspondents scattered Ill over the
world, who are paid for what they send in.
There are papers in New York which have
been losing anywhere from $50 70 s., 500
week for the last six or seven years and
which are meraiy kent aiire TO Ss.uf.s. tie