The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-11
BOY RIJNSPAPER
 NEAREST TO PAL
Pioneer Scout Conducted By Youngster Of Sev-
 enteen Years

is Teller. Alaska. In Teller is the Pio- neer Scout, the northernmost newspa- per and printing shop in the world. Its editor is a 17-year-old boy, Walter J. Marx.
 Walters paper is devoted to mining, reindeer news, shipping and personal items. He has written the following account of how he gets it out
 My composing room is situated in ;, my bedroom, together with two presses, dresser and large cupboard, all in an Sx10 room with only one window.
 On Typewriter First
 T started my newspaper, the Pioneer Scout, July 24, 1920, at time when 1 was very much interested in that part of the Boy Scout organization known as the Pioneer Scouts. So one day when I had nothing else to do : wrote ea page newspaper on the type writer with a front page of shipping news. second page of local and adver- tisements and a third page devoted to news concerning the Scout organization.
 After writing the first issue my mother subscribed and on the next mail my uncle, San Francisco lawyer, sent in his subscription. published it weekly and charged 50 cents a month. With few steady subscribers l was en- couraged to keep it going, being only 12 years old at the time. In the winter l was forced to cut it down Co bi-week- ly, as I could not scrape up enough news to fill it, but in issuing 1t at longer intervals cut the subscription rate in half, making it 25 cents a month.
 II then got few more subscribers, the local store keepers and school teach CTS Using carbon paper l could make six copies at a time on the typewriter. After one years existence l had eight subscribers, but the following summer and winter I got sixteen, making It necessary for me to typewrite each page three times and, as l worked at 1t on Saturday morning, had quite a time squeezing in nine sheets of solid type writing.
 Duplicat0r As A Gift
 My father gave me gelatine dupli- cator the following winter for Christ mas and with it I could make thirty five copies. In cold weather the dupll- eator would not work unless warmed it over the stove and several times 1t be- came too hot and melted, running all over. used the duplicator two years my subscription list meanwhile mcreas- ing to thirty three subscribers.
 ''In the spring of 1922, my father and I went to Nome by dog team and while there I witnessed the composing and printing of the Nome Nugget, learning something about the printing business from the publisher and employees.
 After returning to Teller my father told me that Dr. H. W. Greist of Cape Prince of Wales had presented me small printing press and type, formerly used at Wales in 1904 to get out j. page. 2-column paper called the Mid night Sun. That same spring my father made the 70-mile trip to Wales over the ice and returned with the whole outfit. As 1 had no ink and as the rollers were, worn out l could not print any copies on 1t.
 Father Frozen To Death
 Ut was over year before l could get new rollers cast on my cores. In the spring of 1923 my father was frozen to death returning from Teller from East Mountain over an unmarked trall I continued my paper and in the spring received new rollers and quite little new type. July fl, 1923, got ous the first printed edition. This was almost "a failure because I did not know how to apply the thick ink to the ink table and thinned it with turpentine.
 ..The Rev. E. H. Dahle of the Luther An Mission, came over and, as he used to work in q printing shop, showed me how to spread the ink and handle the type. Even though poorly printed IS, sue, it made a hit with everybody, and the July 28 edition was big success: I went to Nome to get some dental
 mnIQ comics along. While there l got some more advertising, besides qulte Ie" more subscribers.
 "Returning to Teller, then got out A 4-page, 8 column, bi-weekly paper, using 1O-point roman, which l secured from the Nome Nugget, for all the body matter. until November, when l cut if down to 3-page and finally, on De- cember 1, made it 2-page weekly, which it has been ever since, although, in the summer, intend to return to the 4-page edition.
 | Small Amount Of News
 Some of the difficulties l have to overcome in getting out the Pioneer Scout are the few local subscribers and the small amount of news. Teller has no wireless nor custom house, conse- uuently we get no telegraphic items. Al though almost every person in town and in the surrounding precinct is sub scriber, they only number less than fourth of the total, the people of Nome numbering almost half and the rest be- ing in the states and other Alaskan towns.
 "Another drawback is the slow mail service, it generally taking four months to get an answer to a letter from Se- attie. I get two hours every morning for my newspaper, and begin Monday morning tearing down last weeks pa per, distributing and setting up the date lines for the next. On Tuesday do any job work have on hand: On Wednesday I cut my paper, address my mailing list and write the body matter for the next paper. On Thurs day and Friday I set type and Saturday arrange it in the chases and print. ,also deliver my local papers myself.
 Clerk In A Store
 "When I am away from town my mother and sister keep track of the news and attend to the business end of the paper. Last fall my mother and m A DaEareoy of fha local G0hfera Re