Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-12-12

| size of tall Shrubbery, running down
| into potatoes the size of an acorn,
some of our gardeners next year will
condescend to ask a little advice of
ton Landmark
Are Vermont Papers Going to the
Wall?
The failure of the Daily Caledoni-
an, the Wilmington Times, etc., in
| Vermont, is only beginning of what
| is coming, unless the newspapers are
better supported.
The Saturday Evening Post of No
vember 10, had it's leading editorial
on this subject. 1t stated, in brief
that:
"For 20 years the number of news
papers in this country has been
steadily declining while population
has steadily Increased. In Michigan
where the population of the IA larg-
est cities has doubled in the last dec
ade, the number of daily papers has
fallen from AZ to %.
"Whue the population of Chicago
has more than doubled in the same
period, five morning dailies have dis
appeared, and no . end of consolida-
tions have taken place all over the
country.
"The steadily increasing cost of
publishing a paper is the cause. 1t
costs more now to start a daily in
Kalamazoo than it did 20 years ago
in New York City.
"War has greatly increased the
cost of printing newspapers and is
fastening failures, consolida tions, etc.
The new revenue and postage law
hits papers severely and will increase
failures and consultations.
eve believe that two daily papers
in cities of anything less than 100000
population will be the exception, not
the rule. This will give the surviv-
ing paper a lot of political influence,
but be bad for the people, as it will
tend to one-sided discussion of pub
lie affairs"
The above is a cold-blooded state
ment Of facts by the editor of one of
the few really successful and paying
papers of the country
In Vermont it means the ultimate
death or consolidation of dailies in
Rutland and Burlington and in small
er places, and no end of weeklies.
A job printing establishment can
keep up with rising costs of stock, la
Dor, etc., by raising prices.
A newspaper cannot do this.
This explains why the latter are
having such a hard time.
Newspapers can not raise subscrip
ton rates every time paper, ETC., goes
UP. Their publishers must grin and
bear it, consolidate or go under.
That the public does not appreci.
ate this or it would treat the papers
differently is shown by the constantly
increasing demand upon papers for
free space.
By this we do not mean free space
for booming business, but worthy
charitable objects.
AS an Illustration, the papers of
the Messenger-Sentinel Lists last
week printed A inches of free mat
ter, or 352 lines.
This would have cost any business
man or men $500 cold cash.
"But," says a lady, "you must fill
up your paper with something, and
this is more interesting than plate
matter"
eyes, my dear lady, but we have
no room for plates, and, if we did,
they cost 20 cents column, and it
costs in cold cash $3.50 column to
set this free matter"
We are asked and expected to give
this space, and also to subscribe cash
the same as the other business men
who gave nothing from their stocks
or stores.
Other papers throughout the state
were giving as much or more space.
We, and we know other publishers,
were glad to do our part to help on
the good causes for which this space
was used.
But
If there were no papers, how could
this work have been successfully car
ried on?
Circulars could have been mailed,
but Uncle Sam, in whose behalf in
directly the greater part of the space
was used, would not donate even the
postage.
There is matter here for serious
thought.
What will the country do when
there are no newspapers or only a
very few Morrisville Messenger.