The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-03-07
NEWSPAPERS TRYING TO SURVIVE
REGARDLESS OF DESTROYING ELEMENTS
Long List of Losses Bring Them, Together in Coun
Gil. Friendly Conference With Farm Bureau
Executives to Right Some Wrongs
CUTTING OUT MISTAKES AND WASTE

.
There was a sitting of press re-
presentatives Tuesday afternoon with
the executive board of the farm
bureau, to talk over matters of bet
ter service for the bureau and the
farmers and to- ask that the bureau
modify some practices that, are de-
stroying the newspapers.
New Executive Board
A new executive board began its
administration on that date, and the
men of the press said they came to
renew their offers of free and better
service to the bureau that had been
rendered to preceding boards and
treated with kindly indulgence and
apparently forgotten as soon as the
men of the quill quit talking.
The matter dated back to the day
the bureau was organized, when it
was mentioned that there should be
some means of conveying the plans
and messages of the county agent
quickly to the public and the free use
OF the press was rendered, but not
accepted. The bureau said it wanted
medium of its own, bearing a name
or It's own, and further stated that
the government recommended print
ing circular or bulletin at stated
periods of about once a month,
pretty much as the weather bureau
does.
Bureau Starts in Newspaper Business
This plan was followed, and much
of the news in it ceased to be news
by the time the month rolled around
and the circular was printed and
mailed. Then the circular was
changed into bulletin or magazine
form and it took on advertising like
the newspapers do. This increased
the work and expense and the county
agent asked for clerk to take part
of his work off of his hands and to
handle the proposed labor or employ
ment office for him. When half a
dozen of the local business men as
sembled at the city hall in February,
1918 to raise the $2400 or guarantee
its payment for paying the extra ex-
pense Of the labor office for the
farmers, Editors Jones and Trego
were among the number, and Mr..
Trego sounded note of warning,
saying that If the farm bureau was
going to 60 on hiring help at public
expense to engage in the newspaper
business 1t would tend to destroy
private enterprises already estab-
Hshed, because they had to pay their
own office help out of the income of
the business rather than out of the
public treasury or from funds raised
by popular subscription or the
guarantee of public spirited men
such as were at that moment asked
to guarantee this $4,000. He said he
was willing to shoulder his $500 or
whatever his share might be, but
he was not satisfied to pay 1t to q
competitor for clerk hire to enable
the farm bureau to 90 out and take
his own business partly away from
him. He wanted the farm bureau
money used to advance the interests
Of agriculture and not to hire help
to 90 into the newspaper business
or the milling business or the mer-
camille business in competition with
firms that stood on their own re-
sources and paid their own expenses
out Of the revenues of the business.
Newspapers Gradually Crippled
w. G .Sollenberger was present,
and said he saw the unfairness of
what was developing, and recognized
the merits of Mr.. Trego's attitude,
and said he, as county commissioner
and Amember of the farm bureau
board, would see that consideration
was given to the matter. Whatever
was done in that line did not adjust
the matters complained Of, for the
farm bureau kept on enlarging the
scope Of its Newspaper activities.
taking on more and more advertising
and making 1t harder all the time
for the newspapers, for as the farm
bureau publication received more Of
tho local advertising, there was less
left for the newspapers, and as their
revenues were cut of they had to cut
down the news service. The Idaho
Repub blican cut down from twenty