Arizona republican., 1922-01-18
When a Newspaper s!ips

Nearly fifty years ago there began to come
about such consultations of business that few
years later alarmed people, They looked upon these
consultations the forming Of monooes, and some
OF them doubtless But generally they were IN
recognition Of changed conditions, the result of a
rapidly increasing population requiring means Of
production and distribution. The old methods had
become too costly and inefficient Populations could
no longer be served by them.
These enterprises could have gone along sngly
and have multiplied meet the needs Of the people,
In place merchant factory there would have
been two doubling the overhead expense More trav-
cling men would have been paralelng one anothers
paths throughout the country and the would
have paid This consolidation not forced but
invited.
Within the last twenty years a newspaper con-
soiidaton and elimination have been going
throughout the country--though from a cause quite
different that which brought about other busi-
ness consolidation. Newspaper consolidation has
been forced by circumstances which the newspapers
themselves created, the cost Of running.
AS late thirty years ago the cost of publishing
of the great metropolitan dailies was not as
great the present Of running first class daily
in any one of Of small cities and towns The
linotype which expected to reduce the cost OF
production was probably the prime Of in
crease Of expense. 1t quickly resulted in larger pa
pers, more employment, and threw the papers into
for the installation of new and costly features
There had Heretofore been enough business to
meet the modest needs Of the papers already estab-
ished. Take st. Louis for instance; there then
two morning papers and two or three large evening
papers all making money. But fierce became the
competition that there not enough business in
any city to support many papers in the style to
came the of the fittest The people and
the advertisers decided which should survive and the
advertisers could only carry out the popular
date The papers which the people favored went
to the wall absorbed by their successful
rivals So many great newspapers in the east great
at least in tradition, absorbed by famous pub
Usher that the following humorous catechetical
versation invented: ''Where do all good
papers go?" "To Frank A. Munsey"
None Of these absorptons or elminatons
Cured until the doomed paper had sustained long
and constant losses and until their con-
vinced that they had been helpessy distanced. In
the old days when the running of a newspaper
small compared With the present cost. if it fell be-
hind in the race by little squirt. it could catch up.
But now when it is passed the may be regarded
as lost.
Its subscribers who have been with it for long
time and bound to 1t by Of those afectonate ties
which time may not admit notice
that it is falling behind. But newspaper thrive
only constant replenishment Of it's subscription
list and there be replenishment for tagging
newspaper
Within the last week two the New York Even
ing Post has been sold. At one time it was the
most newspaper in the country There clung about
it the halowed memory of William Cullen Bryant
lief ad IN he hril
but rather bitter Godkin. But many years ago the
Post began slipping. 1t maintained though to the
last high grade clientele but it takes numbers rath
er than grade to maintain a newspaper that for
years it's had been frightfu until last they
became too heavy to be borne.