Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1919-02-21
WHAT DOES 1T MEAN

Asst week the back page of The Record was
- blank save for this paragraph, which was Civ
en- central position:
what do you think of the merchants in
town as large as Cedar City when space
like this In the local paper goes begging? Can
they complain If you send your money to mail
order houses?"
This week two or three of the merchants have
appeared little miffed, and one of them, who has
done very little advertising in the past, asked our
solicitor what we meant by this full page adver-
tisement
We will endeavor to explain:
In the first place, the advertising patronage
accorded The Record by local merchants is ex-
tremely meagre showing one or both of two
things: First, that they are ignorant or unmind-
full OF the Importance of publicity in connection
with the merchandising business and second that
while they are appealing to the public for patron
age and support for their business they are care
less and Indifferent as to the support they give
to other local concerns which are dependent upon
them for patronage.
1t also means that the patronage given this
paper is of such transient, fuctuating character
that we never know where we are at, or what kind
OF a paper to publish to accommodate the demands
and conditions. One week we have number of
large advs. taxing our space that has been esti-
mated and provided to the limit, and perhaps the
next leaving flat, with nothing to fill our col
umns, unless we have generous quantity of "boil-
er plate on hand" which we did not chance to have
last issue, and we are forced to resort to some
such expediency to fill our columns, it being an
impossibility to provide enough copy and set the
necessary amount of type to fill this extra space
at the last moment and get the paper out on the
publication day
1t means, further that we have reached a point
where it is time the merchants and the people of
the community generally understood the facts as
they exist. AS long as we permit ourselves to be
brow-beaten into silence this state of affairs will
exist We realize that in speaking out we will fur
nish an excuse for those fellows who don't believe
in advertising, who are too cose-fsted to re-
fuse the little support they have given but it is
so infintismal that we will never miss it. On the
other hand, we wish to give credit, where credit
is due, and we have several business houses that
are fairly generous in their appropriations, and
perhaps remarkably so, in view of the negative
influence exercised by others But we believe that
nearly all could consistently and conservativey
increase their patronage little
In most country districts where newspapers
are published, the local business houses enter into
contracts for specified amount of space, to be
used within certain time, which enables the pub
Usher to estimate his requirements and provide
for them But here for some reason, they arr
unwilling to do this.
AS we have already mentioned a number OF
times the receipts from subscription alone viii
net support newspaper The sale of advertis
ing space is absolutely essential to the life ant
prosperity of the paper. The business done il