Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-08-11
FREE PRESS FILES CONTRACT

FREE PRESS FILES CONTRACT
Agreement Between J. NJ. Stewart
4 Son and Publishers Service Bu-
reau Executed in July, 1919, Just
! Filed For Record.
Purchase Price Set at So, 500, of Which
| $500 Was Paid. Stewart Sup
| posed to Draw Salary of $l7O Per
Month.
| On Thursday, August 4th, a con-
tract between J. M. Stewart & Son
and the Publishers Service Bureau was
filed for record in the Office of the
register of deeds. This contract has
been in existence since July %, 1919,
about four days before the Free Press
was appointed official paper for 1919
and 1920 by the state printing COM
mission. Walter W. Light shows
as the signer for the service bureau,
and there is every evidence that the
deal was hurried so that the service
bureau would have the business tied
up before allowing the paper to be-
come the county official sheet under
the terms of the law the league had
then passed.
The contract provides that Stewart
should receive $4,000 for the Free
Press, including equipment, good will,
ETC., 5000 to, be paid at date of con-
tract, 81 900 to be paid Nov. Is, 1919,
and $4,000 to be paid Nov. 1, 1920.
The contract further provides that
Stewart should be retained as mana
ger of the paper at salary of $40
PER month until such time as all pay
ments on the contract have been
made. 1t is understood that no
further payments have been made by
the service bureau. Also, since the
Free Press ceased to be the legal
newspaper, the total monthly earnings
of the plant would not meet salary
of $170, it being therefore evident
that back salary in a considerable
mount must be due somebody. This
does not include salary supposed to
be paid to other employees of the
office.
When, in connection with the above,
one considers that an additional in
debtedness of some $4,000 was con-
tracted when the Free Press took
over the old Hazelton Republican. it
can readily be seen what horrible
mess has been made Of the farmers
efforts to blossom out as newspaper
men. As near as the Record has
been able to learn, the money that
was used to purchase the Republican
some $5,O00-was secured from two
Emmons county banks on notes
signed by Messrs. T. E.. Lawler,
Anton Larson, Roy Yeater, Fay
Harding and Steve Kraft. These
have not yet been paid.
It is safe to assume that an in
debtedness of some $4,000 has been
contracted to date on this league.
newspaper venture. It is also safe
to assume that the paper is not now
making twenty per cent of its month
ly running expense, considering sal
aries due the manager and other en-
ployes. At the time the venture was
undertaken small blocks of stock were
sold to little groups of farmers,
nearly all Of them buying their stock
! with notes only. The total amount
of this sort of paper, including 1906
from Lynn & Lynn, the largest indi-
vidual account, probably exceeded
$4,000 by only a very little. The
Republican plant was purchased at a
sum at least $4,000 above reason
able price for same. Hence, it is not
surprising that stockholders in the
corporation show little inerest in it's
corporation show little interest in it's
affairs, practically no one of them be-
ing except those gentlemen whose
names appear on the large notes.
Of these, it is said Mr.. Lawler appears
to be the likely possibility financially.
The filing of Stewards contract
more than two years after it was ex-
ecuted was coincident with the ar
rival of the man, Miller, who former
ly acted as league county manager.
It has been rumored that some of the
hackers of the Free Press have
longing to divorce Stewart from the
plant and to put Miller in charge.
That Miller came here expecting to
run the Free Press is indicated by the
fact that the Record man lately re-
ceived a letter from Garrison citi-
zen, the town in which Miller has re-
Gently been employed stating that.
Miller had gone to Linton to manage
the league paper there at salary Of
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