Evening star., 1949-05-31
by Jack Torver


best. Of course. Is La Prensa, it,
longtime reputation further en-.
hanced by its courageous course
during the last several years.
The worst are the sycophantis
sheets. owned or intimidated b,
the government, which daily I'll
their columns with stories s(
f1agrantly slanted as to libel tht
intelligence Of their readers. Ths
manner in which a majority of a
once-independent press could thu.
be brought to heel makes an inter
esting and alarming study.
Take. for instance, the case oil
La Razon, respected afternoon
publication Of etter-than-aver-
age financial success but without
any considerable reserve capital
It was able to pay the high sal
aries decreed by the government
in December Of 1946; to raise them
40 per cent by government order
last year; to give the government
10 per cent Of its paper supply; to
pay government agency 8 per
cent commission on newsprint
which the paper itself buys d.
rect from the manufacturer.
Paper Finally Yields.
But it was not able to resist
ruthless persecution from every
possible angle. It's trucks, hurry
ing to make trains, were stopped
at every corner by policemen who
took their time checking the driv-
er's license, the motor number and
o hundred other details. It's bum
dies Of papers for Mendoza some
how were sent to Tucuman and
those for Tucuman to Mar del
Plata.
Municipal inspectors said the
elevators had to be replaced. the
pressroom ceiling raised and q
35,000-peso water pump installed.
One day q Welfare Department
inspector decided the ventilation
system was inadequate. La Razon
took down its fans to swap for
larger ones. While they were be-
ing exchanged. another inspector
levied a 5,000-peso fine because
there were no fans. Finally. La
Razon gave up. Today 1t carries
no editorial page.
Only two papers. La Presna and
La Nacion, were able to resist such
tactics. La Nacion. although 1t
has been just as outspoken in its
opposition to the rising tide OF
totalitarianisn in Argentina, has
not been harassed as violently as
La Prensa, which not only epito-
mizes the articulate opposition but
also is right of the Plaza de Mayo,
where government rallies are held,
Because of. this proximity to- the
scene of balcony oratory. La0Pren-
"a has been forced to spend many
thousand pesos installing auto
matte steel barricades behind
every window and door. Buenos
Aires boasts the worlds. largest
police force and 1t is undeniably
q competent one. But it always
lacked the orders. If not the abil-
ity, to cope with the mobs who
came to hurl cobblestones and
scrap iron through La Prensa's
windows after being whipped to
fury by one Of the Peronista spell
binders.
Despite the many restrictions,
La Prensa continues to prosper.
Its daily circulation has risen
from $685. to 426.000 in the
past year. Its classified ads. which
provide much Of the papers rev.
enue, are limited to one line OF
agate type now. But it still car
ries more than all the rest of the
13 papers in Buenos Aires put
together. It's display advertising
is limited to two columns, 50 CEN
timeters (about IL inches), and
that only for the largest depart
ment stores. But. even at the
grealy increased rates, advertisers
are fighting for space. 9,
La Prensa has dropped many
of its features and the only two
comic strips it ever carried. The
crossword puzzle has been cut to
twice a week. But 1t still finds
room in its Ia pages for amaz-
ingly comprehensive wire-service
reports, complete weather fore
cast from its own meteorological
observatory and such "informaci-
ones utiles" as the date by Gre
gorian, Orthodox, Mohammedan
and Israelite calendars. More
over. it maintains its public-as-
sistance program whereby 30-odd
specialists give free medical, legal
and agricultural advice, its free
music school, its lectures and for.
ums and its 100,000-volume pub
lie library.
In March, the government ex-
propriated all stocks Of newsprint
s'to stabilize the market and In
sure the publication Of all papers"
This amounted, In effect. to taking
La Prensa's and La Nacion's stock
of 1900 and 1000 tons. respec-
lively, and dividing 1t among the
government papers, none OF
which had any appreciable sup-
ply. The government now allots
newsprint on the basis Of 10 pages
daily, except that an increase Is
allowed s'to compensate" for space
occupied by news, speeches and
photos Of government oflcials.
Distribution inefficient.
As might be expected. govern
ment handling Of newsprint has
not been efficient. One newspaper
has had inquiries from eight separ-
ate government departments about
its newsprint requirements In the
three months since the govern
ment took over. And the month
before last La Prensa. which hai
the nations largest supply Of
newsprint In the same building q
its presses, was allocated its sup
ply from the stock of La Nacion!