New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-31
LONDON NOTES.
.o,TrIS VERSUS SMITHS - A
welcomes CORNER-AUToGkAPH
LETTERS AT AUCTION
SMITHS A
London. July 10.
LETTERS At 4 !

So ,,,f~n AGAINST news-VCnuers mon
rs'N 60 uar,usworths. when they under
60 .,bpcation Of a monthly magazine at
sS ine pa -, ,or The Times" or for Punch
as pr Ave anticipated the opposition wh'oh
rss D.-.,-ise would excite among booksellers
stf en-, Messrs Smith, who control the
sd "Nus Of the railway stations ana else
pas s'' ceiling magazines like The Strand
sssrs' .,,s Monthly" tor sixpence and max
ard from each copy. threepenny
ms wv o-n,ed on superior paper and Illus
maya ,e,ter art might be cheap luxury
trseo w" ~. hut there Would be smaller
for 'h' ~ vendors The Harmsworths
F''"@ cr,i,hs profit Of three farthings on
O. oo,v ard other booksellers TWO la''"'hSS'
saeh '''' - M. SO crcdulous as to imagine
w trade would surrender without a nara
20. r,av prepared themselves Tor maya
ns"' !, which there would pe hrlng all
:" ,ho lire. The campaign Is now IN prog
'"'9 IT,. white fag has not yet been raised
rssS e.u..,ro q, vendors monopoly, but the
''' are in too strong force to be repealed
s.,,,bs foreseeins the destructive effect
Il" -. srccass Of threepenny magazine
VIZ. =. ,,non the circulation OF siXpennN
nj
W.. declined 70 handle the new periodical
,-.-,,svrorths. having control Of thirty
I~' -, o,s weekly publications. had the ma
',...-v for distributing their magazine through
.ha Tinted Kingdom. Retail agents ana
70 ,,e-s employed and The HarmsWorth
-" was sold outside the railway stations
=, xhsrever the Smiths had established
81 mon the new enterprise. An edition of
- hundred thousand copies was disposed OF
:. toytnieht and the resources OF the harms
~,ss. immense printing plant were strained
ting the extraordinary demand for the
- r,orazne. The Smiths. II they had not
sacared war upon the cheap magazine might
hsye sold one hundred thousand copies but the
,Io-msvorths we're not dependent upon them
"a nroNted by the tremendous advertisement
,bich they received from the opposition OF no
..,ors monopolists The new magazine was
.old everywhere and everybody with a hklnS
for fair play was interested in its success
The Smiths being worsted in the first skirinish'
,a,,ed loudly for achievements. They appealed
70 the booksellers and retail dealers to rally
r. their support Th4 solicitude Of the Smiths
., the interests Of the general trade was most
touching. They had been taking the bread out
= he mouths Of the booksellers FOR many years
BY their own book stall monopoly, but being out
ranpuvred and outmatChed themselves they
N back fer moral support upon those whom
b4y had crushed The Harmsworths replied by
Mitigating warfare upon tie monopoilsts' ana
haIenCinc them TO reveal the profits OF their
uSiress dUrlnC the last ten years. The Llptons
rayp4c,4d.v came to the aid Of the Harms
-arths ty suggesting that their teahouses
.sicb are in every town and village Of he
ni-4d KINGDOM. might be converted into book
tails The daily and weekly press was filled
..s leaders. news articles and letters on the
.~eral subject = :he vendors trade ana ;he
.....~y 3.ssot.s.a II the Smiths. Mr. George
-oore AID other writers lad old scores t. settle,
nd they availed themselves Of the opportunity.
is 4 merry var indeed. and meanwhile The
arnswo-ths' Magazine" IS selling by the hun
-ed thousand--the best-advertised literary
arture # modern times.
Ths economic aspects OF the undertaking do
b require serious attention. The advertising
ayes OF the magazine cannot be worth less
an s. U00 for the opening number, and this
lows sufficient margin for profit, even with
e high cost Of good paper and artistic Illus
alton. With an immense circulation and large
,yertsing patronage the threepenny magazine
in easily BE- self-sustaining. especially when
cries and articles are provided mainly by new
riters who cannot command high prices for
eir work The real significance OF the success
this low priced magazine lies in its effect
ION current methods Of distributing periodical
erature This is likely to be far-reaching.
he Smiths n their effort TO protect the six
,nny magazines out Of which they make two
.nce a copy are menaced with the loss Of
'oftable monopoly. II they persist in their
lycott they will be confronted with a new
stem Ct distribution Retail booksellers and