The Portland daily press., 1892-10-15
RAILWAY ADVERTISING.
It Involves an Immense Expenditure
How 1t Is Managed.
IC,,onial Corresnond anca

OMAHA, Oct. 13.-Have you ever
stopped to think, while you lazily turned
over pile of advertising matter tempt
ingly displayed on the counter of some
railway ticket office, of the time, trouble
and expense involved in its preparation?
The chances are dollars to cents that
YOU have. never given the matter
thought. If you have, the probability
is equally great that you have never
looked into it deeper than to wonder
vaguely if these many hued. startling
posters, these dainty guidebooks. these
cumbersome (and mystifying) time ia
bles are Of any real service; it, after all
the railway companies recoup them
selves for the money they spend in get
| ting them up.
| If some one who knew were to tell
| YOU the exact sum that the railways OF
this country annually invest in adver-
| Using, you would doubtless look upon
your informant as a past grand master
in the art of romancing. What the
amount really is cannot be stated with
any degree of certainty, but it assuredly
exceeds $25, 100000.
Yes, indeed, $4,000, 900 shining dollars
| are expended every year by the railways
| of the United States for the sole purpose
of keeping themselves before the public.
Nowadays every well managed road
has its own advertising department.
Sometimes the head of this department
| is given a title; he is then known as gen
eral advertising agent. More often.
however. he is simply a superior clerk.
who, possessed of originality and lit
erary tendencies, is intrusted under the
supervision of the general passenger
agent with the duty of reaching the
| eve and ear of the outside world, and OF
making known to it the advantages of
his particular line. Very frequently
the advertising man" has had jour-
nalistic experience of greater or less
duration something which, it can cas-
ily be seen, is of almost incalculable
| value to him.
The devices by means Of which rail
road endeavors to secure public atten-
ton are almost past reckoning. Besides
/ the everyday medium of newspaper ad-
vertising (undoubtedly the best method
| of reaching the peoplel they take an
immense variety of forms. At the mo-
ment the writer recalls without trouble
the fact that memorandum books, FANS
watchsafes, buttonhooks, pincushions
paperweights, thermometers, chromos,
calendars, playing cards, checkers and
checker boards, photographs and paper
| cutters have all within the last few
years been issued for free distribution
by one or another railway company.
As to the cost Of railway advertising:
When one considers the item of time
| tables alone the results of Investigation
are astounding. Take, for example,
road of, say, 5000 miles. 1t will issue
every month from $4,000 to 10000 "local
| folders" the number depending, of
course, very largely upon the volume of
travel patronizing it. The cost of local
folders will be roughly about $3.50 a
month OF $4,000 a year. The Through
folder" being intended to favorably I'M
press travellers living at points distant
! from the line issuing it, is more elab-
crate. and expensive affair."; more are
| needed and the cost runs all the way
from 81 900 to $4,000 or $751; 900 a year
Then there's the question of maps
Maps are expensive. A fairly respecta-
BILE one can be had, if purchased in lots
of 5000 or 10000, for about twenty
cents apiece. An energetic company
easily disposes of 10000 in "a year. and
thus go another $4,000.
Guidebooks are another item involv-
ing heavy expenditure. If they are to
be effective they require in their prepa-
ration the finest kind of paper and the
most original designing, all of which
costs money. A thousand dollars is a
mere bagatelle in the first cost of a
.Book of Summer Tours" AS instanc-
ing this, it may be said that certain
western road, less than 500 miles in
length, recently issued a publication
that cost over $4,000. And SO it goes.
AS most people know, the greater part
of railway advertising in country and
city newspapers is paid for in trans
portation. The results, from the rail
ways standpoint, are good. No money is
paid out, and Eye country editor is dis
posed to look kindly upon the road over
whose tracks he rides on a mileage book.
The approach of the Worlds fair has
already called into being very large
amount Of advertising matter, and will
yet be responsible for much more, a very
large percentage of which Will in all
likelihood never be seen in this country,
for the reason that it is being prepared
for the benefit Of the people of other
lands than ours. Europe and South
America are already being besieged by
great quantities of folders, while even
Australia, China, Japan and the South
Sea islands have not escaped.
| Practically the railways Of the coun-
try have taken upon their shoulders the
duty of noising abroad the attractions
of the great fair, and 50 heartily are they
entering upon the performance of their
task that it may well be doubted if they
are not attending to it in better manner
| than could be done by the commissioners
i themselves. .. NJ. CAMPBELL :,
II Modern Realism.
Mrs. Podds-Is that a realistic novel
xyo,, q 30 roodinp?