The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-06-08

would be the best thing that could hap
pen. to the newspapers themselves, and
the best thing that could happen to the
reading public. There is no common sense
and no business sense IN a dozen news
papers fighting for life and supremacy IN
field that would be overcrowded with
half dozen newspapers.
Such consolidation would remove all
this useless competition and save the com
munity millions of dollars that every little
while are lost in unsuccessful newspa-
pers-nOt necessarily new ventures, but
great newspapers that prove unequal to
the whitehead pace of the day As an
illustration, let me say that there is one
newspaper property IN Boston that has
shown an approximate depreciation Of
three millions Of dollars during the last
half-dOzen years, and this depreciation IL
due solely to present conditions and to
ruinOus competition rather than TO in
efficient management.
Of course, mistakes have been made.
They are made IN my Office, and In other
newspaper Offices. With a receding bust
ness, and the cause Of the recession a
mystery, the manager Of a newspaper Is
compelled 70 make changes, compelled TO
experiment. Whatever mistakes have
been made in this particular case mean
little as compared with the well-nigh in
sUrmOuntable difficulties Of the situation
the dimculties the management has had TO
face.
Another newspaper here in Boston has
recently been In the public eye in connee-
ton with Its heavy financial losses within
the last few years. And In this case, as
IN the other, the management comes In for
criticism on the part Of the people who
don't know-whO don't know what Jour
nalism means here in Boston. Such crit
eisn counts for little in the higher courts
Of judgment.
But it is difficult TO get newspaper OWL
ers TO the point Of applying common sense
business principles 10 newspaper proper
ties. So l fancy that for the most part
any Improvements In this journalistic sit
uation viii come by way Of determination
instead of consolidation
j
VII come out in this struggle for life.
But 1 do know that If you ike ny ideas
Of journalism, and VIII cooperate with
me, VIII give you clean newspaper,
better newspaper better rounded out
and more complete newspaper IN all that
Is worth while In iournalism-than YOU
have ever had, a newspaper that viii fit
New England, and with which New Eng
land should be satisfied
For every bit of interest you take In
this matter, for every dollars worth Of
effort you put into It, 1 VIII match YOUR
dollar with my dollar, be the amount a
million dollars OF more. l don't care how
much money / spend on this newspaper, If
1t Is well spent, and so spent that IL viii
earn an honest return on the investment.
/ have no des;-e to make a fortune out of
The Boston journal. 1t is not necessary
that l do so, but newspaper that Is not
self-suPpOrting Is not self-respecting, and
a newspaper that is not self-respecting Is
not worth while.
Boston Is big enough to support two
frst-rate morning newspapers, and two or
three evening newspapers more.
This statement presUppOses the one-cent
price, which is now the normal price of a
newspaper. As a matter of fact, a one
cent newspaper today must be quite as
good as a twO-cent or three-eent paper if
1t expects to get anywhere.
The one-cent newspaper has chance
for life: the higher-Driced Da,vr-rsvar -
dead, or slated for death-a slow death
perhaps, hut certain death when in com
petition with one-eent newspapers of ap-
prOXimately equal merit. Such iiFeren-
tal would kill any property.
FRANK A. MUNSEY.