Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-10-01
The Publishing Business
Burlington News)

One hundred and fifty two New
York publishers including some OF
the greatest magazine publishers are
seriously considering suspending
publication for a time or moving to
other cities as result of demands
made upon them by printers which
are considered impossible in the face
of the general situation which con-
fronts the publisher today.
When war conditions created de.
pressing circumstances for the pup
Usher to labor against he was opti-
mistic enough to see the rainbow at
the end of the war but the cessation
relief in publishing conditions but
Of hostilities while creating greater
volume of advertising has brought no
irather has increased the burden and
we're it not for the rather unusually
good business which has prevailed
fora number of months the publish
ers' graveyard would be considerably
larger than it is.
However it is a fact that many
publications having their homes in
New York may presently suspend
publication temporarily at least,
while a number of them are already
seeking new locations.
Some of the publications which
may be affected are Golfers,
Hearsts, Literary Digest. Harper's
Scribrer's, Life, Pictorial Review,
Delineator and many others The
Literary Digest published an ener-
gency edition last week with its adj
vertising omitted as result of
strike of printers.
The demand of the New York
printers is for a AZ hour working
week and wage increase Of IA a
week.
The labor situation while not 50
acute in other cities as in New York
shows increasing gravity elsewhere
and coupled with the very high price
Of print paper makes publishing a
problem.
S. S. Carvalho, one of the best
known newspaper men in the United
States and formerly in the general
manager of all the Hearst publica-
lions, stated in recent interview
that newspapers are facing the great
est crisis in the history of the indus
Try. He said that 20 per cent more
paper is being used than is manu-
featured; that high prices are newt
able, and that paper stocks are al
ready at the danger line.
Mr.. Carvalho bases the increased
price of paper on the four following
things:
"First-The labor cost per ton on
white paper is now $50 against $40
four years ago.
"Second---lt takes one ton of coal
TO make one ton of paper and coal at
the mill has practically doubled in
price.
"Third-The haul on pulp wood is
growing greater each year; likewise
frei"ht charges.
"Fourth-The six to nine cent
markets of Europe, South America
and Australia are now asking for
Canada and United States paper."
Before the war the price of paper
was given little consideration by
publishers in figuring publication
costs. Today it is a very important
item.
What is true of paper is true of
nearly all the other supplies that ed
into the making of paper or mara-
zine so that all in all Mr.. Carvalho
does not magnify the seriousness Of
the situation. 1
The remedy he suggests is of
course. greatly increased rates for
both advertising rates and subscrip-
tons which form the only two sourc-
es of revenue publications have. !
With payrolls and supplies soaring
conditions are worse at this time
than at anv period of the war so that
the salvation of the publishing in
dnstry seems to lie in constantly re-
visine rates upward instead of down.
ward rs hoped when the Huns laid
down their arms