The Robesonian., 1918-09-02
THEIR WORK ESSENTIAL.
Newspaper Publishing Industry is
Necessary War Work.
Washington Cor. Baltimore Sun.

washington Cor. Baltimore sun.
When the War Industries Board,
that Governmental agency which was
created to put all domestic business
upon a war basis. declared newspaper
publishing to be an essential war in
dustry, it gave definite war status
to every line of labor which news
paper requires in the assembling or
manufacture of newspaper materials
and in the composition and printing of
it's finished product.
This board did not start at the top
and go down the line. It started at
the bottom by placing the manufacture
of news print paper, without which no
newspaper could exist, upon priority
basis. 1t authorized sufficient dis
tribution of coal to the paper manu-
facturers to assure an adequate sup
ply of this material and arranged with
the Railroad Administration to deliver
the paper to the publishers.
The second step was to recognize
the newspaper as necessity by pro-
viding it with facilities for distribu-
tion that is, to granting it full mail
privileges, on the one hand, and move
ment upon the railroads, upon the
other.
Finally the Government has given
the newspaper publishing industry a
war standing by classifying it's per-
sonnel as engaged in a needful occu.
patton. This phase of the matter was
dealt with by the War Department in
issuing the work-or-fight regulations
lander the Selective Service Law. This
Fegriation does not apply only to
aoafers. 1t applies to men engaged in
what the War Industries Board has
declared to be useless business.
And i'll placing the newspaper per
'sonnel outside the range of the work
.or-flght rule, the Government has not
concerned itself merely with e,l;tors
and reporters and advertising men. It
mas included the skilled labor which
every newspaper must depend upon in
ats composing room, it's press room
and elsewhere. The newspaper COM
posltor and pressman are regarded as
just as essential to business as the
editor Or auditor or any other trained
member Of newspapers staff
AS matter of fact, when the Iowa
draft board, through an error of judg-
IncUI, ScHt OuL uOtlCcS W NeWSpl-S1
men within it's jurisdiction recently
cdvising them that they We're within
the work-cr-f;ght regulation. this no.
tice went only to the newspaper writ
ers. This Board in it's ruling took tho
pc sitior tGat the compositor, ths
prassr.en and the other skilled work
ers on newspapers were not affected
by the work k-or-fight ruling becaus,
they were indispensable to their re
spective papers. The notice to tn
reporters as later withdrawn with tn
explanation that blunder had bee
committed.
The status which the Government
has given the newspaper, it might b
added, is different from that give
the compositor in a private printin
establishment, job Office or othe
plant not yet recognized by the Go,
eminent as essential to the condut
of the war. Each individual line {
business must stand upon it's own bo
tom in this matter. It must make i
own case. The newspaper has dor
this, and the recognition of it's val,
to the nation in war has been give
No such recognition has been accor
ed printing establishments general
Their standing is matter yet to
determined.