Evening star., 1939-12-31
DAY STAR WASHINGTON C., DECEMBER 3d. 1eae-PART ONE

Rising Costs, Declining
Revenues Blamed for
81 Suspensions
The year 1899, one of continued
mounting expenses and declining
revenues for publishers generally,
took a heavy toll of daily newspapers
in the United States.
Due to rising labor costs and
newsprint prices, the burden of
heavy taxation and other expenses
involved in newspaper economic
problems over which the publishers
have little control, it was reported
81 dailies had suspended publica-
ton, through mergers or otherwise,
during the year. A survey made by
Editor and Publisher disclosed that
Is of these affected dailies clung
to existence by entering the weekly
publishing field and six were
changed to semi-Weeklies.
Conditions in the newspaper pub
Using field are growing steadily
worse, with no promise Of imme-
diate relief, as indicated by the
studies of experts. A similar Editor
and Publisher survey covering the
l5-month period. June, 1937-Octo-
ber, 1888, showed al daily papers
suspended publication, through mer-
gers or otherwise, six of these be-
coming weeklieS. From November
l, 1898. when that survey ended,
until the end of that year. six more
dailies suspended publication. two
of them entering the weekly field.
From these figures it is seen that
SO daily newspapers suspended dur
ing the 80 months from June. 1887,
to nova casualty list believed to be
the largest for comparable period
in newspaper history in recent
decades.
5000 Employees Affected.
Looking at the picture from the
labor angle. figures computed by
Editor and Publisher place the num-
ber of employees affected by the sus-
pensions since June, 1887, between
5000 and 10000
Some of the publishers, as in the
case of Spokane (WashD Press,
Scripps League newspaper, frankly
stated their reasons for suspension
as due to prevailing costs of oper-
alton over which we have no con-
troll, which in addition to the burden
of taxation. make it impossible to
operate without facing continued
losses" The suspension of the
Press left Spokane, city Of lis 900,
with one morning and Sunday paper
and one evening daily,
At least one paper, the Well-known
Chattanooga News, which suspended
December l6, attributed the cause in
part, at least, to 1.-The determination
of certain interests that the News
must not carry on and succeed"
rather than to any Worsening of
business conditions. The paper had
published for 81 years. George Fort
Milton, president and general man
ager, said that one important ele-
ment arose from the News leading
a successful campaign that brought
T. v. A. electric power to the Chat
tanooga area. which at that time
was served by the Tennessee Elec-
trio Power Co.
Small Town Suspension High.
The day after the News suspended,
another casualty occurred in At
lanta, when the prominent Georgian
and Sunday American. a Hearst
paper. passed from the picture. The
Georgian was founded in 1906 and
acquired by William Randolph
Hearst in 1912.
While strikes of employees, neces-
sary payment of severance pay un-
der union contracts and rising news
print costs took their toll of many
of the larger city dailies during the
year, the casualties in the small
towns were pronounced On Janu-
ary % last. the Ballston Spa On. "
Daily Journal. weekly or daily for
l40 years. ceased publication as
daily. 1t is back now in the weekly
field. The Shamrock (TeXD Texan,
discontinued as daily to become
weekly. Others moving from the
daily to the weekly field included
such as the Webb City tMo) Leader,
the Jefferson (TeX) Jimplecute, the
Yoakum (TexD Daily. the Barstow
(FlaD Polk County Record and the
Florence (Colo) Citizen, to mention
the best known. Many others sus-
pended publication entirely.
Scripps- Howard Changes.
The Oklahoma News. published for
more than 80 years in Oklahoma
City, folded up on February "a, the
suspension affecting 200 employees
on this Scripps-H Howard evening
paper. Most recent in the Scripps-
Howard group prior to the News
demise was on August %, 1898, when
the Akron Times-Press was acquired
by the Akron Beacon-Journal. Other
changes included the suspension Of
the Toledo NeWs-Bee, August 2,
1888, and the sale of the Buffalo
Times on July %. 1888 The San
Diego News, another Scripps-H
publication, was suspended Novem-
ber 25.
Consolidation of the Milwaukee
News, Hearst afternoon paper, with
his morning Sentinel in Milwaukee
became effective on January 16 and