Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-08-15
ISSUES OF THE PRESS.
Great Increase From 1900 to 1905
by Census Figures.
Enormous Increase in Production rs
Well ms in Revenue and Expenses
Facts and Figures From the
Census Bureau,

announces the publication Of Bulletin 70,
presenting the detailed statistics of the
printing and publishing industry in the
census of manufactures OF 1905. This bull
lctn was prepared by william Rossiter,
chief clerk OF tho census
Tho printing industry possesses nm i'm
portance which cannot /. measured by
capital invested or by TIE volume and
value OF product. AnaySs of the print
"r's calling has become 10 a noteworthy
degree an analysis OF the general pros
perlty OF the nation. Therefore interest
In the progress and p- sperity OF print
Ing liz not confined to those who are con-
nected with the industry. as is frequently
the case with other ca ''inEs but is shared
by the entire community.
The value Of products Of newspapers
and periodicals arises from two sources
OF 'ncomo-subscript .ors and sales and
advertising. BY the census Of 1850 the
assets derived from subscriptions and
sales exceeded those from advertising by
almost Nlhoono, or approximately one
fourth In 1890 tho products of both
branches were % almost equal value,
subscriptions and sales. however. being
greater hv 81 no0.O CO.. by tho census Of 1900
advertising took tho lesc, with an OK
cess Of nearly $50 900. Since 1900 this
lead has been further increased ana in
1905 amounted e. nearly s3tHnnO0. 1t is
probable that this change in relative
positions Of these two classes of assets
did not result rom failure on the part
OF receipts fro0 salos to advance gener-
ouslv IN amour. but from the much moro
rapid increaso in receipts from adver-
Using; the former moro than doubled
from 1880 to l9'5. but tho latter much
moro than = poi IN 1859 the total value
Of advertisir = was equivalent to the OK
penditure of 3 cents per capita IN 1890
81 r.; in 1910 = 26. and in 1908. s1.79, on the
basis NJ estimated population juno l.
1904. The ror capita value Of advertising
thus more 'nan doubled from 1880 10 1905
on tho o'hor hand the per capita value
| Of subscr,otions and sales increased much
less rapidly, rising from 20 cents in 1880
to .1s7 ~ 1905
The statistics relating to newspapers
and periodicals indicate q rema rkable in
crease from 1000 to 1905. The increase in
value &C sales in tho five years from 1900
to l9f6 was so great by comparison that
the Increase in the previous ton year
period appears INSIGNIFICANT only eight
States show percentage Of increase for
| the Rod from 1890 to 1870 equal to or
| exce-ling that for tho entire United
| Stat from 1900 to 1905. IN 1900, with the
| exec 1tion of Idaho and Montana, no
| Stat reported as great an increase as
30 cent. Yet in the half decade cover
ed Ivy this report fifteen States reached
| or Exceeded 20 per cent increase.
No increase in the industry has been
more striking than that reported for
| IT, number OF pounds or paper used. OF
| tta total amount of paper manufactured
ir 1aN5 more than 900,ocl tons We're used
| solely for newspapers snd periodicals.
presenting almost one-third of the en-
| tire output of the paper mills Of the
/ nited States To make this paper re-
CURED the services of nearly 1900 men
and represented approximately 100000
IN wages. These mills used as raw ma
terial 100000 cords of spruce, poplar and
/ hemlock logs. representing tho timber
product of approximately 10000 acres.
exclusive of the logs imported from Cam
| ada 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
cd approximately 1,765 400 feet Of timber,
to he transformed into trc newspapers
and magazines required Ia supply the
people OF the United States.
| The great increase In the amount Of
paper used Is due as much TO the in
| creasinG size Of newspapers and period
tcals as to Increasing circulation, The
| increase IN sizo results not only from the
| constantly extending use Of typcsettina
machines but also from increasing re
sources acquired In the unusually long
period Of prosperity. Upon the basis OF
the size and weight previously specified,
the newspapers and periodicals issued in
| 1890 averaged 81 pages -rch: IN 1000, &C
pages. and in 1905. SIS pages. In 1900 tho
| influence OF the typesotting machine up
on tho size OF publications was Just be-
| ginning 10 he felt. but by 1905 the effect
! OF this revolution in newspaper typog
| -aphy had become very marked.
In the twenty-five years from 1850 "a
1905 the number Of newspapers and peri
odicals Of all classes IN the United States
practically doubled. or the ten thousand
| publications thus added, one-thrd was
contributed by each of the first two de-
cades and the remaining onethird by
the half decade from 1900 TO 1905. Tho
| increase IN number Of puoT'cations. there
fore was twice as rapid during the las,
| fve-year period a during the two pre-.
| vious decades,
The aggregate number Of copies OF al
| newspa pers and periodicals in the United
states published during the census year
1905 was 10, 325, 1878. This was an IN
! crease OF 3l4 per cent during the Ave
year period, or practically one-third
| From the nature Of the case tho greater
part Of this circulation is contributed by
the daily, since tho circulation per issue
of that class of publications. which mus
be multiplied ny 313 or 365, ms the cas-,
may be- naturally yields much tho larg
err product It represents practically
seven-tenths Of the total. The percen
tage ~ increase. however, IS much tn
greatest In the monthly class. being 60
per cent, during the fve-year period, a.
compared with 3s,7 per cenr. for the daily
| and practically stationary condition IL
the weekly class. There We're 6S copie!
OF daily papers issued In 1900 for every
inhabitnn Of the United states. a pc
capita which rose to So copies in 1906
for the weekly the corresponding pc
capita was % In 1900 and "a In 1905. anC
for the monthly & and Q, respectively.
The aggregate circulation per issue .
all publications more than quadruple'
from 1880 to 1906, an increase which ap
| peared with noteworthy uniformity II
all geographic divisions, the total reach
| to- ~