Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-07-14
IS THE GASHsIN S VS..
TEN. THE BEST FOR The
COUNTRY w WEEKLY

TEN Tie BES | TUX ! f1E
COUNTRY WEEKLY
|, ByJAs, WATKINS, OF The Gastonia
Ila,,soooo~ec.c-cSS SessSs; -~-r-c-c--c.cs
The following interesting paper
was read at the recent meeting of the
North Carolina Press Association at
Hendersonville:
rs the cash-in-advance system
the best for the country: weekly, is
a question which has been debated
pro and con, I dare say, by nearly
every owner and editor of a country
weekly in North Carolina, the same
being no less true Of every other
State in the nation. One of the
most vexing problems of all the
knotty tangles the country newspa-
per man has to deal with at all.
| it has frosted the temples and krink-
! led the faces OF more than one OF
that vast army of men and women
who are devoting their lives to their
country's good-the editors and ed
itresses, the owners and managers of
the weekly and semi-weekly papers
over the land. Some few of these,
it is pleasant to note, have ceased to
debate the question. They have
pigeon-holded tor more appropri-
ately-have -basketed it for ali.
time to come. They are still few in
number but tile list is lengthening
and will, I hope, continue to do SO,
not only steadily but rapidly. These
are the ones who have decided the
question once and for all in the af-
frmative and are steadfastly abiding
by the results.
| From the foregoing you will read
lily and easily gather that l take the
affirmative side Of this question.
Looking at it by and largely, Il: the
light of ten years experience as a
country editor, I do not hesitate to
! answer the question with a eyes"
/ that can be heard by all who are in
terested. The reasons why, I think,
are plenty and sufficient and ! shaN
endeavor to present them to you
briefly. Before doing so, however,
I beg leave to forestall possible
questions and criticisms of myself
i by stating that not all the subscribers
4 on my list are paid in advance. l
can say, however, and that truthfully
this not by editorial or poetical
license, either-that during the three
years I have actually been an own
er and manager Of country weekly
IL have largely increased the percent
age of my paid-in-advance subscrib-
ers and have at the same time, con-
siderably increased the number of
my actual subscribers. And ] con-
fidently expect, before the lapse of
any very considerable length of time,
to finally dispose forever of that gen
tleman so we'll known to US all, "the
subscriber in arrears"
In the first place / will say that
the cash -in-advance system is the
best for country weekly because it
requires cash to operate newspaper.
With employees to pay every Satur-
day afternoon, rent, paper and sup
ply bills-to say nothing of grocery
bills-to meet every thirty days, the
4 editor must have money. Where is
! the cash to come from? Once in a
great while, it may be, one runs
across man with money to burn
running newspaper for the fun OF
the thing, but such cases are SO rare
that this gentleman I leave out OF
the argument. Such a one can, it is
tktrue, operate a newspaper and let his
Subscribers pay when they please.
4 but such is not true of the great ma
jority Of Us. 81,
i Under ordinary conditions the
country newspaper has three sources
of revenue subscriptions, advertis-
ing and job printing department
My experience has been that the ad-
vertiser and the patron Of your jot
department pays his bills at the end
of the month-every thirty days
just as he does his grocery, meat
/. clothing or church account. Why
should not the subscriber pay as he
goes, which means, in effect, In ad'
vance?
So far as my observation has e1
tended the newspaper is the only in
stitution or enterprise in all th'
land which extends credit for twelv'
months. The grocer doesn't do it
the butcher doesn't do it, the DIR,
goods man doesn't do it-no busi
ness concern does it. Ask them VIII.
and the prompt reply is that the,
cannot afford it because they hav
to pay the wholesale man or the job
her for their goods as they get them
The same applies to the newspape-
If there is paper, type, ink or sup
ply house that habitually extend
credit for twelve months / would lik
to have their addresses. They sa
it is not business-like. If not busi
ness-like for them, how can it be s
for the newspaper man7
Again, the cash-in-advance syster
is the best because if you do not sc
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