The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-06-15
MAGAZINES MERGE
FOR COOPERATION
(New York Times, June 3.)

A merger of magazines, said to be
one of the largest ever effected in that
field, was closed yesterday when
Hampton s, the Columbian, the Home,
the Sterling, Orff . Farm Review and
the American Woman's Review were
brought under the same control The
purpose of the merger is to extend and
develop the principle of cooperation
between publishers and readers
This principle of cooperation, -
said Roy Long, who is to be the edi-
torial executive of the associated mag
azines yesterday, is as old as the
English cooperative stores, but is of
very recent development as a business
plan in the magazine field. Other mag
azines have sold stock to their readers,
but usually with the simple purpose of
raising capital. Mr.. Hampton has done
the same thing with the object of OBJ
tanning popular support for his
policies of civic and political better
ment. The Columbian Magazine was
the first to take up the plan as an out
| and out matter of business.
81. B. Haynes is the man who work
ed out the plan. He was never mag
azine man and is now out of the bust
ness, but he laid out the plan on which
the Columbian was started. 1t diff
fered from the stock-selling done by
others, including Hampton s, in the i'm
portant particular that they were
started with plenty of capital and were
established before any stock was sold.
The Columbian was started with prac-
tically no capital, and $4,000 worth of
stock was sold in small lots before
the first issue of the magazine was
published. This was done chiefly by
personal solicitation among the mass
of the people on the strength of
prospectus showing the advantages of
given to un lerstand that the value of
their stock and the prospect of divid
ends depended entirely on their eff
forts to extend its circulation, and es-
pecially in the direction of patronizing
firms that advertised in it and recon-
mending them to their friends
1.-The result has been that the Co
lumbian, two years after it was start
ed, has circulation of 100000, no in
debtedness and 1000 stockholders,
moust of whom are on the alert
in its interest all the time. 1t has paid
10 per cent IN dividends.
year ago the same plan was tax
en- up by the Western Magazine Pub
fishing company of st Louis, which
publishes the Sterling Magazine.
Orff's Farm Review and the Ameri
can Woman IS Review. 1t has achieved
the same success and now has 5000
stockholders Hampton IS, through its
/ own plan, has distributed it's stock
among 5000 stockholders. Thus. by
tne combination effected today, we
have $4,000 stockholders for the asso-
ciated magazines, all of whom are field
agents for circulation and advertising
work
The newer magazines in the combi-
nation have had from the start.
through this cooperative plan, an eff
feetive value to advertisers equivalent
to large circulation, which they did
not have or pretend to have, and
which it taes years to establish. The
stockholders have kept in touch with
the advertisers and have insisted on
their local merchants carrying goods
| advertised in these magazines Now
they all have big eirculations and
Hampton s in four years has grown
TO 450,000'
The new company which takes over
the three concerns is the Columbian
Sterling Publishing company. Its
headquarters will be in New York,
where Hampton and the Columbian
will continue to be published. Others
will be printed at the western office in
st. Louis, where the western company
has large plant 1t is expected that
eventually a building will be erected
in New York where all the publications
will be manufactured.
In the new company Frank Orff will
be president and general manager.
Ray Haller, who has been associated
with him in st. Louis, will be the man.
ager there. Mr.. Orff will be new
man in the eastern field, but he has
been in the printing and publishing
business in st. Louis for twenty years.
He has also published magazines and
newspapers in Fort Worth and Omaha.
Benjamin B. Hampton will be the
editor of Hampton's Magazine. He
was formerly a newspaper publisher
and advertising agent. Ray Long,
heretofore associate editor of Hamp-
ton s, has been in the magazine field
less than a year. He was formerly
managing editor of the Cleveland
Press and the Cincinnati Post.
4 Albert L-lery Bergh, managing edit
or of the Columbian, will be managing
editor of all the publications Thos.
! Jones, vice-presdent of the new com
pany, will be the circulation director.
tie was formerly with the Review of
Reviews and Mcclure s. A. l.. Schmidt,
secretary, will be in charge of the
business management in st. Louis. Lee
Sidwell, treasurer of the Columbian
company, becomes treasurer of the new
concern.