Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-12
TEN BILLION COPIES
Annual Output of Newspapers
and Magazines.
AMERICAS 9TH INDUSTRY
Capital of 1886, oos, eo4 Invested in
Printing.
100000 TONS OF PAPER USED
$1.37 Per Capita Paid Annually for
Subscriptions and $1.7e for
Advertising.
IMERICA'S 9TH INDUSTRY
100000 TONS OF PAPER USED

It required 1886, 0OS, 604 capital to con-
duct the printing and publishing business
Of the United States in 1905, nearly double
the amount invested in 1890, according to
details of the industry just issued by
the bureau Of the census. In bulletin 70.
The number of establishments in 1905 was
6,422
According to the figures of the bureau,
in 1905 amount equal to $1.37 per capita
of the population of the United States was
spent on the purchase Of newspapers and
periodicals. while s1.7s per capita was
spent on advertising.
The bulletin continues:
The total value of products reported in
1905 was 1896. O61. 357. During the brief
period from 1900 to 1905 the increase in
value Of products was nearly double that
from 1890 to 1900, or, in absolute figures,
$149, 006.927. compared with $71,601,915.
Printing Seventh Industry.
Among the ten industries having value
OF products in 1905 exceeding $32o.ooO 900.
printing and publishing ranked seventh.
having advanced to that position from
tenth in 1880. The ten leading industries
were as follows: Strengthening and meat
packing. iron and steel foundries and ma
chine shops, flour and grist mills, clothing,
lumber and timber, printing and publish
ing, cotton manufactures, wooden manu-
features, and boots and shoes.
OF the total number Of establishments
in the entire industry about one third were
exclusively book and job establishments
one sixth exclusive newspaper and perlod1-
cal establishments and over one-half were
combination estabishments-that Is pro-
ducing both book and job printing and
newspapers and periodicals. In value OF
products the exclusive establishments were
practically on even terms, the amount re-
ported for book and job printing being
1886 500 and for newspapers and peri
odicals, 1874, 736,800; but IN the comb1na-
ton establishments the value OF newspaper
and periodical products greatly outweighed
the value of book and job printing. The
entire value of products distributed between
the two general classes was $233. 230, 842
for book and job printing and $256.sl6. 2S2
for newspapers and periodicals. Two-thirds
of the total value Of products Of the In
dustry was contributed by six states-New
York, Pennsylvania, illinois. Massachusetts,
Ohio and Missouri. These states are also
the principal producers in each Of the two
branches. although in unequal proportions
Advance in Advertising.
The value Of products of newspapers
and periodicals arises from two sources
Of Observation-Disclosures and sales and
advertising. At the census OF 1880 the
assets derived from subscriptions and
by almost $11 900. 900. or approximately
one-fourth. In 1890 the products Of both
branches were almost equal. subscrip-
lions and sales, however, being greater
by $1,oOO.0GO. At the census Of 1900 ad-
vertising took the lead, with an excess
of nearly $16,O0O.0O0. Since 1900 this lead
has been further increased. and in 1905
this amounted to nearly $34. 100000. It Is
probable that this change in relative po-
sitions Of these two classes Of assets did
not result from failure on the part Of re-
cefpts from sales to advance generously
in amount, but from the much moro rapid
increase in receipts from advertising; the
1908. but the latter much more than
tripIed. In 1908 the establishments de-
voted exclusively to the production of
newspapers and periodicals were pre-
formed 26.6 per cent of all newspaper and
periodical establishments and contributed
6O6 per cent Of the total newspaper and
periodical product.
100000 Tons Of Paper Used.
No increase in the industry has been
more striking than that reported for the
number Of pounds Of paper used OF the
total amount Of paper manufactured in
1905 more than 100000 tons were used
solely for newspapers and periodicals.
representing almost one-third Of the en-
tire output Of the paper mills Of the
quired the services Of nearly 5000 men
and represented approximately $3.0O00O0
in wages. These mills used as raw ma
terlal 100000 cords OF spruce. poplar
and hemlock logs. representing the tim
Der product Of approximately 100000
acres. exclusive of the logs imported from
Canada. Thus every working day IN the
year the forests Of New England and the
middle states, with scattered areas else
where in the north and northwest. yield
ed approximately 1.765Oo0 feet of timber
to be transformed into the newspapers
and magazines required to supply the
people of the United States.
The great increase in the amount of paper
used Is due as much to the increasing size
of newspapers and periodicals as to increas-
ing circulation. This increase In size results
not only from the constantly extending use
Of tyepsetting machines, but also from in
creasing resources acquired during an I'M
usually hong period of prosperity.
Increase Of Newspapers.
During the twenty-five years from 1880 to
1908 the number OF newspapers and period
icaIs of all classes in the United States
practically doubled. OF the 10000 pubHca-
tons thus added. one-third was contributed
by each OF the first two decades and the re-
naming one-third by the half decade from
1900 to 1908. The increase In number of
publications. therefore. was twice as rapid
during the last flve-year period as during
the two previous decades.
The changes In the proportions of morn
ing and evening newspapers were much less
rapid during the five years from 1900 to
1905 than during the previous decade. Morn
ing newspapers increased IL per cent in
number and evening newspapers n.3 per
cent as compared with GA per cent and $50
per cent during the previous decade. Thus,
while the evening newspapers continued to
increase in number somewhat faster than
the morning newspapers. the excess of the
increase Of the former over the latter was
but LIS In 1905, as compared with 1.0S6
in 1900.
Probably the earliest returns Of any
branch of industrial statistics. possessing
even approximate value, Is the table pub
lished in the Compendium OF the seventh
census, presenting statistics Of aggregate
circulation of all classes of publications N
1910 From this table 1t appears that prac-
tically century ago there were 359 news
papers in the United States. having an ag-
gregate circulation per annum Of q .321 100.
The aggregate number of copies of all
newspapers and periodicals in the United
stat ties published during the census year
1905 was 1925. 143, 1873. This was an in
crease Of 31-4 per cent during the f1ve-year
period. or practically one-third- There were
sixty-eght copies Of daily papers issued In
1900 for every inhabitant OF the United
States, a per capita which rose to eighty