Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-10-01
Something for Nothing

Notices of meetings, dinners, bake
sales, s~ocials, concerts, dances and
everything of this nature when a
charge of admission is made will be
inserted at the rate of five cents per
line. Heretofore no charge has been
made for this kind of advertising, and
the public has naturally fallen into the
habit that they 'think they can get
something for nothing" We are not
blaming the public; we are blaming
this office. Now, we venture to say
that there is not a store or any other
place of business in this city where
they give away anything. We have to
pay for everything we get, and we
want to. If you buy a dress, does the
merchant throw the buttons and thread
in ? No, he does not. Then why should
the newspaper be expected to give a
free write-up when he gets an order
for a couple of dollars worth of print
ing? In many cases the free write-up
amounts to many times more than the
job of printing. Dill the pub ic ever
think that the lines of type set in the
newspaper office is the printers bread
aud butter? It's what we pay our help
with. We know if they were to think
a little that they would not object in
the slightest to paying for the 'but
tons and thread" They will ask for a
free notice when they expect and know
that the very notice will bring them in
a few more dollars, and they don't
like paying a few cents for it. The
fault is the prlnter's-not the public's.
Then we will remedy the fault, and
charge every religious body as well as
everybody else, then there will be no
"kick.n We believe there is no person
in Manistique who expects the printer
to give them something for nothing; if
there is, they had better figure out the
cost of producing a newspaper, and
they'll change their mind. The news
paper gives hundreds of dollars worth
of free advertising away every year,
and doesn't even get a pleasant smile
for it. Every time a business mans
name gets in the paper it is a free adj
vertisement. Who does more free adj
vertisiug for the public than the news-
paper and gets less thanks? About
the only time a newspaper man gets a
rest is when he gets his s'six feet of
earth,n like all the people, rich and
poor, those with automobiles, and those
with silks and broadcloths, and those
wearing ive-cent a yard goods-will
all pay for what they get. Funny
world this, isn't it? We poor printers
believe in the old adage: alive and
let live.n And we think VI are about
as broad minded as anyone. May be
we are not; but we believe in paying
for what we get, anyway. If all the
people in Manistique paid for what
they received, the merchants would
be thousands of dollars ahead, if all
they say is trus, aud we have no rea-
son to disbelieve it. But this is get
ting away from the point of a1veltis-
ing. We believe if everyone were to
pay for what they get that they would
feel better, and they could look their
fellow beings in the face and say; 81
don't owe that party"
Although the announcement created
considerable talk, every fair-minded
man was able to see the Justice of the
stand and many of the business men
have commended Mr.. French upon it.
There is no copyright on the scheme,
Mr.. Publisher. If you have been up
against the same proposition, plan a
statement along similar lines for an
early issue. Go over your files for the
past year; at say five cents a line for
all the free notices printed you would
have been able to buy several more
gallons of gasoline for your auto.-Pub-
lishers' Auxiliary.
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