Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 288, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 December 1919 — ADVANCING COSTS HASTEN DOOM OF TWO-CENT PAPER. [ARTICLE]

ADVANCING COSTS HASTEN DOOM OF TWO-CENT PAPER.

Alarm over the scarcity of news print paper and its increasing cost, has brought , about a nation-wide movement among publishers to take steps to meet the situation. The standard contract price for print stock during the early months of 1920 will be so. high that the white paper alope in a single copy of usual size will cost two and a half cents. This figure does not take into consideration any of the other mechanical costs, such as printing and distributing. Publishers hold that it is manifestly impossible to sell two and a half cents worth of white paper for two cents and live. Early increases to three cents daily and ten cents Sunday are urged by the American Newspaper Publishers association. An increase in price would, remedy only one phase of the trouble, it is heldf The scarcity of stock, and the greatly increased costs of production in all departments, will require increased advertising rates. The publishers at a recent meeting, decided that as a matter of necessity they would be forced to charge more, and suggest the Use ,of less space to advertisers. Thus for the same revenue > they could print smaller papers, ’ and. conserve the supply. The situation has become so grave that big and little newspapers are working together to make the stock of paper go around. It has become a common matter for a publisher not to know whether he would have paper for next week’s use.—