Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-12-05

$50
UP AGAINST TT.

meant by the irony of fate. The,
have TO contend with a situation il
which both ends are working agains
the middle. With expenses constant,
increasing and the source Of iacomr
forcibly decreasing, no one a pre6le
what the outcome viii be. For som'
publishers It means ruin. Many news
papers have been compelled TO sus-
pend publication during the past year
and many more will have TO so nj o.
business within The next few months
There seems to be no solution TO the
problem.
The cause Of the trouble IS the In
ability to make enough print paper to
supply the demand. It is estimated
that the consumption of paper today
is ten per cent greater than the sup
ply. This means that one or later
somebody has got to go without, and
without print paper it is impossible to
publish a newspaper.
In ordinary times the paper mills
have been abIe to pile up a surplus of
paper during the slack season in sum-
mer so as to meet the abnormal de-
mand in busy season. But this year
The demand for print PAPER was such
that not only were the mills unable to
pile up a surplus during the summer,
hand was drawn upon to meet the Sit
uation. The warning was given at
that time that there would be a print
paper shortage In the winter unless
the demand let up.
Instead OF letting up, however, 1t
went on increasing. Newspapers all
over the country, particularly the
large metropolitan journals, kept
printing more and more pages until
thirty and forty pages for a regular
weekday issue became common.
At the same time the expense of
publishing, including wage and sup
plies, jumped so that the cost Of pub
fishing of a newspaper today is 100
per emit greater than 1t was a few
years ago. Naturally, the only way
the publishers could meet this in
creased expense. was to increase the
amount OF advertising, but to carry
more advertising meant to use more
print paper.
Today the situation is such that
print paper that ordinarily sold for
three and a half cents a pound is cost
ing the publishers seven and eight
cents a pound. When the amount OF
a used runs up into the hundreds
and thousands of tons some idea OF
what this means to the publisher car
be had.
The EVENING NEWS, last year
used over $50 tons of print paper
With the increased expenses it was
Fl AlNN1910AI y N"NV w DhS SAShG
Il could get. But the great metropol-
itan newspapers were the ones that
made the greatest demands and sc
greedy did they become that they wen
into the market and bid up the price
SO that many of the smaller publisher!
We're literally crowded out of business
being unable to pay the high price
demanded for paper. Many were no
able to secure any paper at any price
The EVENING NEWS has just beef
notified that for next yea the mil
from which 1t has secured it's suppl,
Will be able to furnish only 275 ton
Of paper instead of the $50 tons useC
last year. This in spite of increasing
demand for space by advertisers anC
q growing circulation. The EVENING
NEWS actually needs 400 tons for it!
normal business mex year. Natural,
with only 275 tons of paper at its dis
posal-S0 per cent. of what 1t re
ceived last year. to say nothing of {
normal increase in business for mex
year-there has got to be curtailmen
all along the line in order to get by
But not only is our supply to be Gu
from $50 to 275 tons, but the 275 tom
arc going to cost as much If not NOR,
thar the $50 tons did last year anC
other expenses are going to inereasI
also. Yet advertising space, the onl!
commodity that the newspaper has t
sell in order to get the money to NEE
these expenses, has to be cut down.
Radical changes will have to b,
made by all newspapers to meet tn
situation. Publishers everywhere hav,
agreed to go back to a war time basi
and cur;ail fifteen per 9 Thi
means something has got to be lief
out. The regular users Of space will
be given preference and 1t stands t.
season that stated positions for adver
Using cannot be guaranteed under tn,
circumstances.
Space will have to be conserved ii
the news department as well as in ad