The Parker post., 1914-12-12
OLD LONDON JOURNAL
GAZETTE Is MOST VENERABLE
BRITISH NEWSPAPER.
Publication Has for Two Hundred and
Fifty Years Officially ChronicIed
the History of the Island
Empire.

Modern newspaper enterprise has
somewhat dwarfed the Importance OF
the London Gazette, Britain's oldest
newspaper, which for 250 years has
officially chronicled the history of the
country. Today it is practically only
used for such announcements as the
kings birthday honors list and legal
notices. Time was, however, when the
Gazette was the only medium through
which the public could learn any for
eign news or any public announcement
which royalty and statesmen had to
make.
Nowadays such announcements,
while being sent to the London Ca
zette, are simultaneously communi
Gated to the more important newspa
pers. But even today the London Ga
zette is controlled by the government
and a particularly watchful eye is kept
on the advertisements in it's pages
which are regulated by law. These
advertisements are mostly Of an official
or legal character, of which it is nec
essary to keep a record, and earn fol
the nation about 100000 year. Nc
great manufacturer could obtain puff
in it's pages, even though he were will
ing to pay $4,000 line for it. Alto
gether, the Gazette yields the country
a profit Of about 100000 year, al
though practically the only people
who buy it are government officials
and lawyers.
One of the most curious facts regard
ing the London Gazette is that while il
is Britain's oldest newspaper, it is also
one of the youngest, in the sense thai
it was not until 1908 that it was regis
tered at the general post Office fol
transmission by inland post as q
newspaper. Previously it had been re
garded as government publication
only, and was dispatched 20. H. M
SIN this way escaping postal
charges altogether. But apparently the
government saw way to reap a few
extra halfpence by having it regis
tered.
The Gazette varies in size very con
siderably. Sometimes it consists mere
ly Of one page, and sometimes of be
tween four and five hundred, but the
price always remains the same, viz
one shilling. There was one memor
able week in 1847, which was known
as the Railway Year." when so many
parliamentary notices had to be pub
lished that the Gazette for the weeH
totaled about three thousand pages.
One of the most interesting numbers
of the Gazette ever published was the
Diamond Jubilee number, the whole
paper being devoted to an official rec
ord Of that historic celebration.
AS an illustration of the Importance
Of the Gazette in the old days, il
might be mentioned that as recently
as the Crimean war the Gazette was
the first to publish that important item
of news, the victory of Alma. At one
time the London newspapers had tc
wait for the publication Of the Gazette
in order to secure such news of public
Importance as the list Of casualties
which the war Office in those days sent
direct to Fleet street.
1t is the proud boast of Messrs
Harrison, who for more than one hun
dred and thirty years published the
London Gazette, that although kings
and cabinet ministers contributed to
it's pages during the time they pub
lished the paper, and although thou
sands Of employees were engaged on
the work of producing the Gazette, nc
official secrets sent to them for publ
cation have ever leaked out.
The Gazette is probably the only pa
per which returns the original copy te
it's authors along with the proof This
is done in the case of communications
from sovereigns and cabinet ministers
Activities of Women.