The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-23
STATEPAPERS
RECEIVED AID
FROM insult
Financial Help to Hammond
and Plymouth Firms
Is Listed.
PROBE MAY BE STARTED
Purchase of Stock in 1928
and 1881 Admitted
by Utility.
BIZ Times Special

BIZ imes Special
WASHINGTON. Nov. 23.-Two
newspaper publishing companies in
Indiana received financial assistance
from the Northern Indiana Public
Service Company, an insult firm, it
was revealed today in Washington
probe records.
In 1923, the utility purchased five
shares Of 500 par value stock Of
the Pilot Printing Company of
Plymouth, Ind. and in 1929 the
stock was resOld to the printing
company. The company publishes
the Plymouth Pilot The utility
company bought the stock at par
but the records of the federal trade
commission do not show at what
price it was resOld.
In May. 1881, the utility loaned
1000 to the Lake County Printing
and Publishing Company of Ham
mond, but by Dec 81, 1881. all of the
loan except 81 ,461 had been repaid.
Last Payment Not Listed
It is not recorded whether the
remainder of the loan was later
retired
The Hammond Times is published
by the company.
The federal trade commissions
records on the transactions consist
of answers to missionaries re-
turned to the commission by the
Northern Indiana Public Service
Company. The missionaries were
sent out by the commission to
gather information to determine to
what extent the power companies
of the nation have extended finan-
Cial aid to the public press and
whether the financial aid has had
any influence on the editorial pol
ICY Of the favored newspapers.
Utility Aid Doubled
Following the first disclosure five
years ago, Insults Middle West Utili-
ties Company more than doubled its
contributions to colleges and nearly
doubled its newspaper, movie and
radio advertising fund, the commits
sion reported.
Utilities continue to contribute to
the newspaper editorial service of
F. Hofer and Sons. Portland. Ore.
and the service continues to send
out one or two editorials to news
papers each week denounCing pub
lie power developments, and regula-
ton and taxation of power COM
panies.
The commission also disclosed
financial aid was given five news
papers in Texas by insult subsidia-
ries in the years from 1923 to 1926.
a fact not developed in the earlier
investigation.
Used by 12,7S4 Papers
The Hofer News Service. intended
to give busy small-town editors
material on national and interna-
tional questions for their editorial
columns, was sent to and used by
12.784 newspapers in 1927, the earlier
investigation disclosed.
Papers in every state were on its
circulation lists The trade commits
sion found that some ninety utii-
ties were contributing to support of
the service and were paying about
S84 900 annually.
Today R. M. Hofer reported to
the trade commission that pay
mentS from utilities have been
reduced approximately so per cent
due TO the depression and failure of
some companies that were formerly
subscribers. Otherwise there has
been no change in the list you
have"
A file of releases sent out by the
service, with photostats showing
their use in some Of the papers
which received them. was made
part Of the commission record.