The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-30
Burdens Of War IRE Hitting Small
Publishers First
ARE ONLY PRODUCERS NOT PAID
Government is Even Proposing to
Raise Newspaper Postage Rate to
Add to Federal Income.

/ severe strain OF tle war is DelHS len
by the newspapers and particularly
by the small country newspapers like
The Banner and other Vermont
papers.
The newspapers, or at least most
of them are willing to do their share
and more than their share. but are
being asked to do not only more than
their fair share, but many times more.
The burden which has been large is
being added to daily.
Every department and subdivision
of the United States government is
the country and asking them to print
it as a patriotic duay Not mail
arrives in Bennington that does not
bring to The Banner Office from on to
a dozen of these articles from some
part of the federal government.
Then comes the state activities fol-
lowed by the local. The State Com
mittee of Public Safety and its seven
or eight branches, the educational de-
partment, the agricultural depart
ment. the university extension course,
the Red Cross. the militia department,
the medical department, the local
school efforts, the effort to raise and
equip troops. the first aid sections,
and many more too numerous to men
ti0n
The government and the state pay
for everything to equip and supply
troops and at a big margin of profit
but ask the newspapers TO give their
space free though space is a news
papers stock on trade and only
source of profit.
The following letter from Arthur
Brisbane and editorial from the New
York Journal give fair picture OF
the war burden that the newspapers
are already carrying.
Mr. Courtland Smith. President of
the American Press association:
My Dear Mr.. Smith, thought you
might like to reproduce an editorial
printed in the Hearst newspapers on
the subject of free advertising space
for the government.
You have noticed, probably, that the
managers of the copper trQst have
been called patriots because they con-
sented to sell copper to the govern
ment for 16 to II cents a pound. The
annual report of one of the biggest
copper companies shows it costs them
5 cents pound to produce it.
Copper men, steel men and others
are called patriots" because they get
only from 300 10 1900 per cent profit
from the government and at the same
time the small editors of the country
who really represent the government
69d ;ij whatever is done to protect
the people against such eXtOrtion are
expected to give to the government
free the only thing that they have for
sale. The proposition is too pre-
posterous to bear discussion.
But here is something. in my opin-
ion, that ought to be discussed
The government is going to spend
thousands of millions for the allies.
This country gives the money to the
allies. and the allies will spend it
with our ammunition makers and var
ious raw material trusts, copper, steel,
etc
The first little loan will be $1,000 |
00C ,00C
Washington is discussing the advis |
ability of increasing the postoffice
charge for carrying newspapers
through the mails and incidentally
the withdrawal of the very wise pro-
vision which enables. not the editor,
but the reader, to have his local news
paper carried free in the county.
ernment 81 in this way you could get
several dollars by cutting off the
exorbitant profits Of the trusts in
their sales to the allies.
As long as the United States is 60
ing to furnish the money through tax
alton to pay these trusts for goods
supplied to the allies, why should not
the United States government regu-
late the prices at which the goods
shall be bought and act as purchas-
ing agent?
In other words, instead of taxing
the people $7000,000000 in order TO
enable the allies to buy of our trusts
at 500 per cent profit, why not cut
450 per cent off that profit and save
the money that way?
| think editors throughout the coun-
try would find it worth while to write
to their congressman and senators on
that subject And l have no doubt
that the president himself, busy as he
is, would be interested If his mail in
cluded many letters from local edi
tors, suggesting that under his direc
tion the United States government
(Hnntin11nd 1r pnnn n