Semi-weekly herald., 1914-05-11

parsimonous only where he is con-
cerned and boost the enterprises and
hobbies of every committee or organ
ization which claims a desire to help
mankind
Then He Wakes Up.
The latter is the good fellows def
milton of the newspaper which he
owns until that day when it dawns
upon him that space is cash. There's
a lesson that he ought to have learn
ed in the primary class. He may be
senior before he gets it into his
head, and he may get to have sat
isfactory bank account, an automobile
and the smile that won't come off
after he learns it, but never before.
If space is cash, then what? Give
it for the towns good, for the boost
ing of home trade, to beneficent gov
ernment, 20 worthy organizations
just as you would give cash from
your pocketbook. Be generous, but
be just to yourself and your family.
Give it the proportion that liberal
men of your acquaintance give and
when you give of your space let it
be known that it represents cash.
This for the higher education of the
public-as good fellow you have
been teaching your townsmen that
space was worth little or nothing.
How? By giving it away. / wonder
sometimes that we have ever been
able to sell any space at any sort
of an adycrtising rate. How could
any one lelieve that there was any
value to q thing which, we fairly
threw away?
1t Appears More Valuable.
A special effort is now being made
to convince the general advertiser of
the superior value of country news
paper space. / am sometimes almost,
convinced that the chief result of the
effort has been an increase in the
number of requests for free space.
They were always sufficiently numer-
Gus and astonishingly brazen, but
never in my experience have ! seen
so many as in the last few months.
One railroad which pays us bare
$50 for space in a year has within
three months requested the free pub
lication Of press agent stuff for
which at regular rates we would
charge $50. This railroad is one of
the best paying in the country, but.
asks country publishers to tell the
public free of charge that it wants
to hire men, that it has maps to give
away, that it is quoting excursion
rates for farmers week and that the
interstate commerce commission must
authorize higher freight rates if the
road is to continue to pay dividends.
We would be more interested in this
latter allegation if we owned stock
in the road.
The United States government asks
for free notices of civil service exami-
nations (merely help wanted adj
and of parcel post rates. The great
state of New York, somewhat notori-
Gus as spendthrift, wants free
book ad., while the agricultural de-
partment fairly deluges us with mat
ters of various kinds.
Perhaps you think that the latter
is in all cases legitimate news mat
ter. l thought so, too, until | read in
the Saturday Evening Post that
manufacturers, fearing a shortage of
raw material, were financing the larg-
er crops propaganda of certain state
agricultural department.
The state can pay instructors to
go about telling the farmers how to
farm it, but has no money with which
to pay the newspapers for doing the
same kind of work. The State Chari-
ties Aid association asks for much
free space. | am informed that it
pays good salaries to its employees,
high rent for handsome office quar-
ters, but has no appropriation for
publicity. In giving space to this and
kindred organizations the publisher
should consider it as cash contribu-
ton to the cause. effs
The Proper System.
What can you afford to give in
cash? Give no more in space.
A Buffalo college asked this week
for a free notice of play to be CIV
en- for its benefit. don't know the
college, and the appreciation OF the
president and faculty, promised In
payment for the ad., will not be &C
repted in payment of my paper bill.
A school principal, conducting
students excursion to Washington,
asks me to advertise the fact that
,thers beside students may enjoy the
privileges of the trip. He naively
,ays, "If this were money making
scheme Of mine l would ask your
rates, but | am giving everybody the
benefit of low rates and have to guar