Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1920-11-25
COMMENT

This is being written two or three
DAYS ahead OF time but it was just
thirty years ago today that the writer
entered a printing Office printers
devil and commenced to stick type
It has so happened, or been or
dained. that for a decidedly the great
er part of that thirty years he has
been on the writing end of the bust
ness and in that time he has learned
many things about people and events
but still sees the possibility of learn
ing much more. People and condi-
lions are always changing and yet the
people are nearly always the same
kind of folks.
Years ago he met the person who
Don't care to have my name IN the
paper and yet whose carburetor inn
a1ediately gets out of order if his or
her name is not mentioned every time
they crank Ford or buy a new rec
ord for the talking machine. OF
course there are some people who real
Iy do not want their name men
toned in newspaper but those
people are very few.
1t is the editors business to pick
up all the news ne can get and to sell
y
He knows the people want news and
if the editor has nose for news
he is poking it in to everything
which looks like a news item. Occa-
sionally a person becomes offended at
questions asked by a newspaper man
but as a decided rule they. do not if
the reporter shows any consideration
for the feeling of the person whom
he is pumping.
Many times an editor is EElet I'M on
a piece of news or information which
is very important to the interests of
| the person furnishing it, but he is
| told to -~say nothing about it, It is
sometimes pretty hard to keep quite
| especially when it is good news
item, but the confidence reposed in
him must not be violated if the editor
| expects to hold the good will of the
people and to be able to get good news
| while it is new and Of the most value
] to the public
An editor must also furnish reli-
/ able news and the only way he can
| get 1t is to be present when the
| thing happens or to pump the infor-
| nation from someone who does know.
And to get the reliable news he must
| get is from three or four different
people who know Each person has
a little different story to tell.
Then, when the editor starts in to
write it up" he must expect to be
interrupted about a dozen times while
he is writing about as much as has
been written on this sheet. Thus he
learns to drop his line OF thought, and
L nm oil 1,
interruption to annoy him. or to break
the line of his story.
The newspaper business is a better
business now than it was thirty years
ago Newspaper men have learnee
some things. They have taken TIA.
business from the charity class O
for the good Of the cause and placed
4 it oa business basis. Tt takes rea
/ money to buy advertising space in :
/ Newspaper now and that is the RICH
/ idea A newspaper man has adver
] Using space for sale and he should no
: be expected to give 1t away for tn
81 good of the cause any more than an,
other mercant would be expected t
d give away his wares.
Another. thing. It cost a whole 10
d ago than 1t does at present At tina
Z time twelve dollars per week wa
6 good wages for foreman Now tn
q same man as a foreman would dray
J thIrty-hve to forty dollars per week
9 IN those days print paper cost from
8 two to three cents per pound and nov
1t costs II ga cents per pound an
some OF the stock used in job printin;
cmes at thirty cents and better whel
We used to get it at eight to ten cents
There are no indications that Their
viii be decline in the price of pape
very soon and printers prices vii
have to remain high until paper an
wages come down
Thirty years ago. er even less.
newspaper man would give ten or IF
teen. dollars worth of advertiser,
space to a public enterprise and wo,1l