The Oskaloosa herald., 1903-11-26


in the first place by the introduction
of type-setting machines and the in
staliation Of fast presses. The move
ment was a logical one, In keeping
with the lessened cost OF production
and in line with progress in other.
lines of industry. Meantime, howev-
er, especially within the past year
or two, there has been a notable in
crease in the cost of certain other
factors which enter into the produc-
ton of newspapers, and evidence is
not wanting that the limit OF cheap
ness has, in Some cases at least, been
exceeded Not few papers which
have been offered at exceedingly low
price are now advancing their rates.
The cost of printing material, paper,
wages and everything else has in
creased very materially of late, and
the publishers of phenomenally
"cheap" papers are face to face with
the alternative of either raising their
subscription rates or publishing their
papers at considerable loss, with the
inevitable result. In this situation
they are wisely demanding better
price for their product. A DesMoines
| paper which Wanted itself for a
time as "the only dollar daily in
Iowa." first increased its price to
$1.50 a year and has now given no
tice that after December Is the year
| ly rate will be $2-an advance OF
80 1-3 per cent over the present price
and of so per cent over the price a
year or so ago. Another iowa paper
| has given notice that it will discon-
tinue its weekly edition at an early
date. The weekly in question was
offered at a nominal price, below the
cost of production at present quota
lions for labor and material, and was
of course a losing venture.
Coincident with these changes in
| the home field the news comes from
San Francisco that the five daily pa
pers published in that city have unit
ed upon a general advance of twenty
| five per cent in their subscription
price, giving as their reason the
largely increased cost of white paper
and the great advance in wages Of
the men employed in producing 6
newspaper. Doubtless similar ad
vances have been or will be made II
other cities and towns throughout the
country. A point has been reached
where it is absolutely impossible tt
produce newspapers at the price a
which some of them have been pub
lished except at great loss. 1t is thu
policy Of not few papers to maxi
the advertiser pay he freight
!. That is to say, he is asked to bear thu
expense of producing the paper will
the loss on subscription account add
ed. Even in cases in which this al
rangement is worked successful,
there comes time when increasing
: circulation puts more of a burden o.
:, the revenue-yielding columns of tn
+ paper than the traffic will bear" t
r employ a phrase familiar to railroa
men. The larger the circulation tn
greater the expense for print pape
! and postage, and the local advertise
is in consequence shut out of the pa
3 per by the high advertising rate
a necessary to be charged in order t
| make ends meet.
The better plan, in the view Of tn
Gate-City, and the one it has unifarn
3 ly pursued, is to charge fair sui
d scription price and produce as goo
: a paper as possible with the mean
at command. AS rule a cheap p;
: per means a poor paper-certainly
e paper inferior to what it would b
possible to produce for better prize
In the case of newspapers as of OIL
!. er commodities the purchaser gene
ally gets what he pays for. If h
pays a fair price he may expect
fair article. If he gets daily pape
Z for 81 or $3.50 or SO a year he can NJ
expect a newspaper that will con
Il pare with one published at bette
price. Only inferior newspaper rea,
T ears care for an inferior newspape
Such readers are of practically \
e value to advertisers as prospectiy
g patrons. They buy only the cheape'
. goods, as a rule, from the same CO..
siderations that influence them in ii
L choice of newspaper. Howeve
+ such papers are not without a mi
y sion in the world. They are res
a for a time by people who could nj
Q be induced to buy and read bettt
1 papers. The habit on reading TIL
IS acquired grows and later demand
g better pabulum than the cheap ar
q, inferior papers afford. These are
sense kindergarten institution fl
such as have not been educated
better things in the newspaper lin
IN A really good paper costs money
Of produce and must be paid for in
rs measure commensurate with its me
s. its.