The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-02-07
LAWS AND CUSTOMS THAT ARE VIC
Gus. COMPARISONS OF PRINT
ING, RAILROADING AND
MANUFACTURING.
COUNTY BOARDS CRITI-
CISED. FUTURE OF PRESS
First News Item Printed in Idaho; First
Advertising in State; First CONNER
cial Club Work. Brief His
tory Of Great Industry.

The printing and publishing bust
ness ranks fifth in the United States
in the number of people employed,
value of products and value added by
manufacture. 1t ranks seventh in
the amount of capital invested in
equipment for carrying on the work.
Skill and Speed Demanded.
The demands upon the business for
skill and speed and accuracy CORES
pom to the demands upon railroad op-
Grafton for skill and speed and safety.
and concentration of energy to Sc
cure speed or quickest delivery, must
be at the racrifice of accuracy in the
one as 1t is # safety in the other
The public is willing to pay the
price If it can secure the desired SER
vice. 1t is always ready to take ad-
vantage of better prices if the price
IS based upon approved principle, bnt
not If based upon a principle that
spells retrogression.
10 make this thought clearer. tho
puollc wants the employee to ba wau
PAID; it wants the equipment TO hA
earning such returns that the be.t
Drains can afford to onerato - ons
MAINTAIN well-organized and Off,
clent working unit. In contrast with
this is the "cut-price" man w,o =
Stalls cheap plant, pays low wayea
anu ae uncertain periods, demoraIiza.
prlces' gets in debt everywhere h.
can' compels his creditors to patron
lze him to get even, and sooner or
later fails, leaving heavy liabilities
and no resources.
This article is designed to dea,
with the subject of public printing
and especially so far as it affects
newspaper printing, but in realatior
TO all classes of printing, the new Of
ficial who lacks experience is dis
posed to ask for bids and deal with
the lowest bidder. Experience teach
es him that this puts him in touch
with the poorer quality of material
and workmanship and it is not salts
factory The printer handles paper
that varies from five cents a pound
to fifty cents, and inks that vary from
ten cents pound to ten dollars a
pound and there is room to adapt the
materials to the prices to be received.
Therefore the experienced official
seeks reliable printing house where
he can order what he wants and know
he will get that quality and at the
time he needs it. These natural
conditions hold competition in res
traint.
Increased Efficiency the Watchword.
The subject of public printing is
worthy Of careful study by our best
men, and because of the rapidly
changing conditions it is unwise to
stick to obsolete methods The
printing business is so rapidly rev.
olutionizing that it offers new posi-
biIities each year. The commercial
value Of the printing business in Am
erica to-day is million dollars every
"a hours. At the beginning of the
present century it was trifle less
than half that. 1t has doubled its
usefulness in less than twelve years,
and appears capable Of repeating
this feat in +he next ten years. 1t is
not doing this by increasing the
number of plants, but by increasing
the efficiency of existing plants
through increased skill Of the hand
and brain and the machines oDerated.
During the year 1912. the number OF
newspapers that failed or went out
Of business was 1850. and 1886 new
ones were established, making net
gain of SO. The percentage Of dali
les to the whole mber now publish
ed in this country is II per cent; tho
weetlies rank 70 percent, and in Ida
ho the percentage Of dailies and
weeklies is slightly higher while the
periodicals and monthlies are fewer,