The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-03-02

BSANlfE.O IN HIL III N'''>''
| don't pretend to be a monument
al success in the newspaper business
but | am going to talk shop IN THESE
columns for minute, and the boys
of the press who take the time TO
read it may have it for what it is
worth.
| got a letter from the Western
Newspaper Union, of Chicago, TINS
week. | suppose every paper in the
United States got one. 1t asked me
a lot of confidential questions about
my advertising business that, certain
". was none of it's business, yet am
going to answer the questions puo-
licly. AS most of you know the chi
cago house is a ready-print house.
The Tribune prints all of its page 5
and hence has never done business
with the concern. The letter referred
to is about an advertising deal That
I made year ago with the American
Press Association. The letter asks
how much advertising the American
Press Association has given ME!
How it compares with the amount
got previously from various ageh-
cles? And then goes on to argue ana
comment in an effort to show that
am tied up BY contract to take no ad-
vertising from any agency except the
Association, and that the Association
instead of increasing my business is
actually keeping business from eom-
ing to me by throwing it to preferred
papers of larger towns.
Bah. Every man of any business
Judgment knew when he entered into
an agreement with the American Pres
Association to make it his agent for
foreign business, that he was signing
a declaration of war on every ready
print house and many of the adver-
Using agencies He knew, if he stoppe
to think, that great efforts would be
made to keep the American Press As
ISOLATION from making good. If The
Association makes good all of that
business that has been going to tie
ready-print houses is going TO be
turned over to home print papers-to
the best country papers in the country
Instead of to the cheaper ones. That
will mean that the ready-print Dus-
mess will not be very profitable. lie
knew if he stopped to think that il
advertisers were given an opportuni-
RI Mo thrnriUb hiu
their advertising in all of the best
country weeklies in the country, in
stead of placing it in the same papers
through a dozen different agencies
that they would do it. That means
the death of some of the small agen
cies.
In the first place let me say that
| have absolute confidence in the Anne
lean Press Association. did business
with them several years ago, and
this time | have been doing business
with them for over two wears. Our
relations have been the most pleas
ant. There have not even been the
usual mistakes that occur where you
are doing business every few days
with a concern.
Now then | want to answer the
questions asked by the busy-body I'M
ion:
| made my contract with the Assoc
iation the next day after | got the
blanks to fill out. Three months be-
fore that | had written to the New
York office that | would enter into
contract with them # they would
start the agency.
| have never had a dollars worth
of advertising from the agency.
This amount of advertising COM
pares favorably with that done with
agencies in the past, only it hasn't
been so much trouble.
My contract with the Association
does not prevent me from doing bus
mess with the agencies--it simply
binds me to make them the same
price tor at least no lower price, that
/ made the Association.
In the past year | conducted the
Tribune before making the agreement
with the Association l didn't get n
dollars worth of foreign advertising.
All applicants said my rates were too
high. Several western. agencies tried
to Jew me down on my rates. This
past year l have had few offers of
better rates than l asked before.
simply referred them to the Ameri-
can Press Association. One reason |
did that was that l knew l would
get my money if the Association
placed the advertisement.
To tell the honest truth I had
hardly expected the new agency 10
get in running shape in a years time
and l guess it didn't. | knew, and Of
course its managers knew that it was
up against the biggest advertising
war the country has ever known
But it seems apparent that 1t has bee.
giving the enemy some pretty hard