Seward daily gateway., 1930-04-22
THE TOWNS SHOW WINDOW

With spring upon us, when everything looks rosy, increased business to every branch of endeavOr And in small way, it has to The Gateway With national advertising contracts at hand and increas ed local advertising in the ofng, the fourpage Gateway is too small to for the increase so of necessity we happily forced back to first love- the eight page daily which is continual source of surprise to strangers here; surprised because town of less than l,OOO m habtants has daily paper we'll as 16page weekly
 Which leads to comment again on the New York statistical report issued last year when 1t an nounced that to Seward Alaska, goes the distinction of being the smallest town the continent of North America publishing eght-page daily paper and large weekly paper in addition.
 In rational contest conducted two years ago by the National Editorial Association, the Gateway cap tured first honors; last year we made no entry out this wear the Gateway has been entered in three con- tests and word is momentarily expected as to the out come It may also be recalled that for the second time in two years the Gateway received honorable mention as producing of the six ranking editorials of the month n a national survey
 And for the second time m two years Stewards FOy, the official organ of the Seward High School has car 1ied off first honors in contest embracing all schools in the Territorial possessions of the United states Something to boast about!
 A town or a citys newspapers can be compared as the show windows of the city n which It IS pub shed If papers columns filled with advertls7 ing you can bet your bottom dollar there Will pc 1ouno wide awake and an up and a-comng town. oh Vhe other hand paper carrying few advertisements, re- veals poor town financially and a bunch or dead ones Much too often personal matters enter into busl- ness; fellow will bite off his nose to spite his face We're human and we have done 1t; and so have you, if the truth be known Politics raises considerable ennity at times and months and years roll by be1ore breaches are healed Poppy-cock!
 For some unknown reason, perhaps because 1all- ilarity is said to breed contempt practically every newspaper in every town is said by many ot It's lnhao- itants to be rotten sheet; nothing III It tonight ana So on Most people forget that small town papers nave not the income to play around like its larger ana more fortunate compatrots that the small town paper must constantly watch the overhead or go hay-wire There fore publisher judges how well his paper IS getting over bv watching the circulation totals.
 Tn little better than four years the Gateway circulation has quadrupled It is also interesting to note that it has been the outoftown resident who has brought this figure up. There at least 200 more people in Seward who should be subscribers of the Gateway We have 30 per cent 1t is, but we should have
 National advertising has been slow to increase but it is increasing annually. Locally, consistent ad- vertising has been forthcoming from business houses for which we are grateful. And we get most of the printing business Some while preaching to the public to buy at home send out for their printing because they can save dollar or two. That's their business of course but every dollar sent outside for anything is dollar gone which might have helped Seward reach its ultimate destiny.
 It may be that the above few words may cost us
 local advertiser two; if so 1t is too bad, that's all Tn any case, a towns newspaper IS the show window as to the prosperity of community And the more advertising in a paper, the better that paper can carry on to tell the wide world what fine toW1 have.