The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1922-01-07
NEWS TRIBUNE FALLS DOWN
:. IN SCHEME TO BLK COUNTY
New Building Reception Frost Subscription Drive Is
Falme-Some Mesaba Range Stmts-Bg Windy
CITY Syndicate Seeks Option on the BunneEan Sheet


Gently saved $l,744 of the taxpayers
money by keeping watchful eye OF
the SLY old News Tribune.
The News Tribune, as told in the
previous issue of the Rip-saw, tried te
charge the new rate for legal printing
when billing the county for publishing
the proceedings Of the board of county
commissioners.
Purchasing agent Bennett, a practi
cal and experienced printer, measured
up the space and his figures did not
agree with those of the poor morning
paper.
The matter was reported to the
county auditor and he refused to pass
the bills. The matter next was reported
to the county commissioners and they
asked Charles E. Adams to write an
opinion as to the legality of the bill.
Special county attorney Adams de-
iivered scholarly opinion that it was
not lawful for the News Tribune to
charge 80 cents folio for the first
insertion. As cents for subsequent in
sertions and 25 per cent additional for
tabulated matter, as new state law
permits publishers to charge for legal
printing since July>1, 1921.
Mr.. Adams pointed out that early in
1921, the News Tribune offered to do
the work for IS cents a folio for the
first insertion and 35 cents folio for
subsequent insertions. The old law
SLOWED nothing extra for tsbulated
matter. .a-...
In keeping with the offer, the board
of county commissioners accepted the
News Tribune 8 bid and entered into a
contract for one year. Mr.. Adams
opinion also was to the effect that all
bills during the life of the contract
must be at the old rate, under the old
law. The new law, in fact, provided
that existing contracts should not be
affected by the new and increased rate.
The News Tribune, despite that new
law and the old contract, tried to slip
something over on the taxpayers and
their servants in the marble-lined court
house. The News Tribune was baked
in its attempt 10 blk the public treas
ury. The News Tribune failed to grab
$1,744 and the taxpayers were saved
that much of loss. 49, - a-.,r~..
The county board, after receipt of
Mr.. Adams opinion, voted not to allow
the News Tribune's padded bill.
The only possible excuse for the at
tempted skin game seems to be that the
poor old morning paper was 50 hard up
and needed the money so badly that its
owners and employees could not resist
the temptation to reap where they had
not sown and tp gather where they had
not .strewn.- ID 80. g-azs.,.ss .-,..-.-,, 81
Nothing seems to break right for the
News Trbmne any more. Most Of its
political ambitions have, been frus.
trated. Within The past two weeks
even, President Harding ignored the
preachments of the poor old morning
paper by letting Debs put of federal
prison. Thus it goes, from bad to
worse.
The opening of the re-modeled News
Tribune building, most creditable and
worthy structure, by the way, although
twenty years late in coming, was very
much Of q frost. It cost $500 for flow.
ers, but the cigars did not go so well
Only about so out of 1000 were smoked
and most of them were pinehed out and
puffed up by employees.
Only about a dozen merchants OF
any consequence showed up. Where
advertisers were expected to turn out
by the hundred, they fell short of a
score. A great percentage of those
present were people of no social, finan'
cial or commercial consequence and
they were melted to come through com
mon curiosity. Despite the News Tri
bune's many sins Of omission and com
mission, it merited bigger and better
"lopening night" for the handsome new
quarters.
The late subscription drive was q
frost. During the ninety days that the
drive was ON, fully twenty-five sohci
tors were tried out and only handful
brought in sheaves worthy Of the har.
vest. One trouble was that benighted
chappie named Knight had charge. He
may know the English way to carry on
a subscription drive for an aenemic
daily paper, but he certainly was not
equal to the task that faced the News
Tribune and fell on him, the said be-
nighted Knight, the so-ealled oliver,
pool Lad.''
Another trouble was that, just as
soon as solicitor showed signs of max
ing $50 q week, his commissions were re-
duced and the conditions changed. The
reason for that seems to be that the
News Tribune needed money so badly
and had seen so little Of the kind that
goes on the right side of the ledger,
that, uneonsciously, the owners and EN-,
ployes of the paper hated to see some
seductive solicitor bringing in the
sheaves.
The News Tribune seems to be a sort
Of slave-ship or mad-house where they
muzzle the OK that treadeth the mas
ter's corn. ~
. The last subscription drive wa:
backed, based on and stimulated by &
$1,000 accident insurance policy.
The poor old morning paper had tt
contract for 5000 policies, at so cent.
each, an aggregate of $500, SO it i
reported. ~. -.s,.r ~.
The subscription solicitors, during 1
90-day drive, got rid of only about S0(
policies and about 400 of those went tt
old subscribers, as renewals.
Even new subscribers who took tn,
insurance policy were informed by tn
solicitors that they did not have to pa.
anything in advance on the subscrip
ton unless the subscriber insisted.
g Anything to get rid of a paper