St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-07-27
Old Rate Continues Until October
and Subscriber Can Take
Advantage Up to Then
PAPER, INK. POSTAGE, POWER
EVERYTHING HAS ADVANCED
Change Made With Reluctance bit
No Other Course Was Open Ea
cept to Continue Publication
at Actual Loss

beginning OcI0Rer next, ERaFF
two opeIousas newspapers, The Class
ion and the tar-Progress, win aa
vance the rate of subscription froaa
the old rate of one dollar per yea1
to two dollars per year, This change
was not made hastily but after due
thought and is strickly in keeping
with the times. otherwise it would
not have been made. Up to October
subscribers, both new and Did
viii be accepted at the old rate III
enc dollar per annum. but no SUB
scription will be received at that
rate for more than one year. anal
subscribers, old and new. can tahe
advantage of the dollar rate Tor one
year more.
Nov, the advance Ii easily
plainable. Paper has mounted
price time and time again
the war nlahlishesA 81 hs
gas Df nes pFint aor b0u
cents peF pound aeliy cred
81 course Wers
many publishers used sh
grades in preference to ne bett
quality. The Clarion has always
except in q few i1stances. used the
better grade and viii continue To a
SO as long as that grade can be rFtI
chased. Just a few days ago
were notified Of another advance g
the price OF news print. We were
not shocked at the announcement fOt
we had been expecting It for SON
time. Other advances are liable 81
occur without any previous warning
to the upblishers and they win hava
to accept such advance, pay tsIe
higher cost or quit publication.
Recently the Opelousas board ok
aldermen, acting after mature delih
Grafton, advanced the price Of elee
tric current from ten cents per Big
owatt to twelve cents per kiIowatt
or twenty per cent increase ii TIE
price. It is obvious that without tAa
current we cannot operate either
typesetting machine, printing pres
or folder. II we don't pay the pTic
Of current we don't get 1t and hence
we are forced to suspend publication.
Gasoline, used in every printing og-
flee in great or small quantities, II
another item which costs a pretty
penny and The Clarion has To have
this essential item for many imp0E
tant purposes. No gasoline. and q
would be iiay ossible to keep the met
al ii the l.1s .ype melted. nor could
we clean the ink from the type
pages with satisfaction Gasoline
costs twenty-four cents d gallon asss
may advance to higher figures.
Then, as the last straw to bFeak
the cameps back, came the recent
advance in seeond-cIass postage
rates and the adoption Of the zone
system by the postoffice department
The newspapers did not object 81
riously 10 an increase Of postage
rate for they realized that 1t was q
wartime necessity and they were
willing 10 shoulder their share Of the
burden. But the zone system II aEl
abon1ination and nuisance and has
entailed extra labor and expense IA
order to comply with the depart
ment's demands. However, slight as
the added expense OF postage Is 70
country weekly, it has added 70 the
burden Of publication and neceasaFs
| ny must be footed up with the sun
total of newspapers cost.
II must be understood that this
il no apology for the increased sub
scripsion. When a merchant has to
nav more fore merchandise he natl1.
rally increases his price to the con-
surner. So II Is with the publisher,
lbut the latter bears the brllnt o
higher cost long time before ne