The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-25

dollars Cs1000) invested had declined from S1409 in 1900 to $12SS in 1905. During that period the mechanical cost of output had increased about 30 per cent. For many newspapers the increase in size and the increase in circulation had not been at tenoed by corresponding increase in profit. The tendency toward concentration and consolidation in every other direction has increased the cost of every article sup piled to the newspaper, though it re- ceives less than formerly for the article itself. Considering the care and atten- ton and energy and ability bestowed upon it, the newspaper percentage of profit is less than that of any other manu facturing enterprise.
 Every machine that the publishers-and they have over s1o0, ,000,000 invested in ma chinery-has a tariff on it whereby the manufacturer taxes them unduly Every ounce of paper they buy has a protective tariff behind it to maintain prices. In New York City and elsewhere, the morn ing papers sell practically all of their product to combination known as the American News company. The news papers obtain all their telegraphic news from combination They buy their type setting machinery from the Mergenthaler Linotype company. They buy their ad- vertising type from company formed by a combination of type foundries. In some cities they are confronted by com binations of advertisers which mark down the price per line that the newspapers can obtain for their advertising space. Substantially every mechanic whom they employ is protected by a self-constituted tariff in the form of a labor union and to that species of combination they are paying the largest amount. of tribute.
 Agreements With Labor.
 It should be-understood that the Amer ican Newspaper Publishers association is a voluntary organization of PTS newspa- pers, located in Al cities. It has no power to compel any member to act out side of his own volition. Its national agreements with labor organizations are not labor contracts. They simply pro- vide @ way by which each individual pub fisher may secure arbitration without in- terruption to his business. the national labor organizations guaranteeing the per formance of all the contracts made by the local unions under their jurisdictions; in other words, the national organizations underwrite local agreements. These agreements have stood the practical test of time and of wide application under an extreme range of conditions.
 The Closed Shop.
 In 1901 the newspaper publishers had accepted the idea of the closed shop and of the eight hour day. They had decided to deal with labor representatives rather than with individuals, and thereby they increased the responsibility of the unions. They recognized the fact that the labor question was full of complications and that the leaders of the unions must exer- else great patience and tact in controlling the men who elected them to office. Dur ing six years, ending May l. 1907 arbitra- tion contracts had prevailed whereby the employers and employees arbitrated all differences arising over wages and hours in new scales. A new agreement, which went into operation on May l, 1907, n- cluded working conditions within the scope of arbitration, and also outlined radical departure in the abandonment of the third man, or umpire, in the boards of arbitration. Each side has an equal number of votes.
 With the expiration of the old arrange ment and the inauguration of the new plan the newspapers received an unusual number and variety of demands. Suffi- cient time has not elapsed to test thor oughly the merits of the later methods Only partial returns of the present arbi- tration programme have been made to the association. Thus far, this year, the publishers and the unions have discussed 76 new scales in 55 cities, with the follow ing results:
 Settled by conciliation (which means
 by concessions to the unions) ...... B By arbitration .. .. .. .. .. ............ 9 Under negotiation c. q. ............... 12