The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-04-01
THREE HUNDRED
PAPERS In DISTRESS
Six Difficulties in Way
of Existence; Pro-
tect Deserving Ones
HUGE PROBLEMS

A committee is organizing to meet
at Chicago next month to extend
control so far as possible, over the
emergencies that are arising. in the
organization will extend it's power
not only to national but interna-
tional matters. -
The marked shortage of print
paper that exists. the tendency of
foreign countries to buy up and ship
any stock they can find, and the de-
mand for 1t to sustain home con-
sumption, bring about a bunch of
problems more intense than existed
during the war.
A paper published at Chicago for
the information of publishers, and
widely circulated among those Of
the United States and Canada, car
ries advertising of the wants of the
printing trades. and is good
barometer of conditions. Their is
sue of March % shows the worst
strained condition the industry has
ever shown. In its columns 1870
firms are advertising for skilled
help only fifty-two persons are
advertising for positions. A perusal
of these fifty-two advertisements in
dicates that most of them have good
positions, but are putting out feel
ers to see if they can get something
better or more profitable.
Besides the 1870 firms calling for
skilled help, there are forty-nine
newspapers advertised for sale,
forty-two are advertising outfits for
sale indicating that they have closed
shop or inted to or are closing part
of their activities. Nineteen news
papers are advertised for lease or
sale, indicating that the owners are
determined to unload their burden,
and four others are advertising for
partners who have some cash to
put in. Nine are advertising ma:
terials for sale land six are trying to
sell printing plants, as where firm
has gone out of business and wants
to cash in on the machines to get
what they can out of them.
The men facing these problems
are confronted with these facts:
The supply of print paper made
scarce during the war may become
harder to get
The skilled newspaper men and
printers who went to war have not
generally returned alive or in con-
dition to resume tteir work, or have
chosen to go into other lines CT
activity.
Very few apprentices were learn
ing the trade during the war, and
the number who were working at it,
very few became proficient and stuck
to the work.
Morality among newspaper men
due to influenza, was very high, and
it takes from ten to twenty years to
develop writer's of any marked abil-
ity to fill their places.
Unless man has unusual ability
and many years of active work in
the profession, he cannot hope to
produce newspaper that will have
sufficient force Of character to sur
vive the stress of the times and the
high expenses Of everything that
goes to make up newspaper in the
present crisis.
The crisis that~has been develop
AAS Luz d lung IlMc,. Is llhcly u Keep
on tightening for another year or
SO, and the labor shortage can only
be relieved by taking apprentices
into the work and teaching and test
ing until new workers are developed
and installed in place of the missing
ones.
In the case of most newspapers
that are looking for skilled help,
they are taking anything they can
get, and II they have persons avail
able who are capable of doing the
work at all, they are kept on the
job, generally at prices that spell
unless business is brisk
and prices high.
Many publishers who kept their
papers flourishing by donations and
stock subscriptions from politicians
or corporations with interests to
serve or by selling stock to people
''for the good of the cause" who do
mated their investments to the pub
Usher, have found this kind of thing
is no longer practical or legal and
is frowned down by the public, and
when they appeal to those with