The Mena weekly star., 1916-08-10
THE PRlNT pApER CRIsIs.

"+RAAffAtF
 THE PRINT PAPER CRISIS.
 The print paper situation is near ing a crisis. New York daily news paper publishers last week got to- gether and made a reduction in the size Of their papers amounting to a total of about 20i tons per week.
 Within the past week members of the AmericaH Newspaper Pub fishers Association, an organization of the leading daily newspapers Of the United States. have been noti- fled hy it's officials that unless con- sumption is greatly reduced the suspension Qf a considerable num- Der of publications is Inevitable. Publishers are, in many instances, already paying such high prices as eliminates all profits or ineufs heavy loss.
 Publishers are heinz urged and admpnished by all newspaper or ganizatiOns to curtail consumption ---fD cut it to the bone The eX- change waste, and the return waste have practically been done away with and delinquent subscribers are being dropped from the lists of such newspapers as have hereto fore carried them for limited . The Southwest American has been notified hy the mills that sup ply it with print paper that they are now down to the point where they will have 10 begin pro rating their output among their regular customers, and consequently we will be obliged to eurtaTl at every point. For the time being fewer pages will be printed. free reading notices will be eliminated. delin- quents will not be carried and ev- cry other economy 0i consumption
 Subscription and Advertising rates are being advanced sflv many of the newspapers. While the Southwest American has bepn pay ing a much higher rate for print paper. and a much higher freight rate as well, for the ~ past six months, without making a corre- spending raise in rates, the end IS practically in sight and an increase appears to be impeFafiNa<~~South west American.
 And what is true of the south- west American is true of every oth- CT paper. big and little. The great big metropolitan papers figure the added cost to them in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. The. way they offset this is by raising advertising rates and materially re- dueing the numhr of pages. Some paens also raise subscription rates.
 But paper situated as is The Star cannot raise advertising rates because the business fleld< Is not such as will justify that course. And it is hardly practical either, to attempt to add to the sllhscrip- tion price. The only way to meet the difficulty, and then hut as small per cent of it. is to reduce the size of the paper, and this will doubt less have to come if conditions do not soon change
 The paper that is least affected. perhaps. is one that is small to be- gin with and has small oircula- ton. therefore using but little pa- per.
 The Star usually buys it's print paper in orders of from 10 to 20 tons at time The, price in re- cent years has been from S2.35 to S250 per hundred pounds, with freight and drayage added The present quotations in St Louis is around s6o0, and s6.50 is expected by the end Of the month eonsidera- bly, more than doubling the cost
 The star is fighting b keep up to the standard set and maintained but to do so it needs the support of it's readers and friends. If you are one of these. at least look up your subscription date and keep paid up. In Polk county there are many dol lars due that will help if brought in promptly.
 Keep these facts in mind