Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1910-08-26
TROUBLE FOR
NEWSPAPERS
Editors Getting Into Trouble Because
They Send Paper to Subscribers
Who Are in Arrears.

OF late 1t is becoming not
infrequent occurrence to read in
our exchanges Of some poor devil
Of country editor who is feeling
the lash and sting of Uncle Sam
uePs regulation requiring the
prompter payment Of newspaper
subscriptions.
1t has been very thoroughly ad-
vertised that no subscriber is al
lowed to become more than one
year in arrears on his subscrip-
tion, and if the management ex-
tends credit for these small &C.
counts for longer period, he is
running the risk of serious trou.
BILE with the postal authorities.
1t is understood that the inspec-
tors are travelling around the
country and covering the terri
tory as rapidly as possible, sever
al papers in Iowa being reported
as being Fin trouble. The Des
Moines Capital says:
Editor Fay Of LYONS, Ia, has
been called to Washington city
because his subscription list is
not as we'll paid up as the law
requires. He will have to ex.
plain to the government officials
why he has not compelled his sub
scribers to pay up according to the
postal rule. An inspector had Wis
tied him two months previously
and his list was said to be pretty
thoroughly paid up, but evidently
it was not sufficiently so. 1t
seems little tough for country
editors to be hauled up before
the government under the charge
Of violating federal law. just
because they do not eternally
keep dunning their subscribers
for the small sums they owe on
subscription, but it is like the
end of the world, no one knows
when it cometh, and no editor
knows what day an inspector may
pop in and ask to see your sub.
scription list, and if too many
subscribers are behind on their
paper it means trouble with the
government. 1t puts an editor in
such shape that he is compelled
to force his collections, unless he
has an unusually prompt paying list
of subscribers.
The Bee, a newspaper published
at Jefferson has also been jerked
up. This is what the editor says
about it:
''The Bee this morning re-
ceived its official summons from
the postoffice department to con-
form with the ruling which re-
quires subscribers to keep their
subscriptions paid up. We can no
longer send the paper to delin-
quents, no matter how willing we
may be to accommodate them. We
sometimes question the rightfof
Uncle Sam to interfere in the
conduct of a legitimate business
snd say we shall not extend credit
if we wish to, but whether right
or wrong, we must conform to the
regulation. 1t will distress us
greatly to cut off a lot of good
and longtime patrons who we
know intend to pay but are care
less about the matter, and if such
want The Bee we know they will
come to our assistance and relieve
us from this embarrassment.
There is no doubt but what the
government means business, and
as the penalty is to be deprived
the second-class mailing privilege
if the ruling is not complied
with, it would naturally put
newspaper out Of business, as the
expense of putting one.cent
stamp on every paper would be
more than the profits of the en-
tire subscription busin ,ss, not
considering the extra labor.
We dislike to drop any of our
old subscribers from our list, as
we feel that the paper is wanted,
but carelessness on their part in
not paying up would not excuse
US. 1t is therefore urgently re-