From the Andover News, July 14, 1916.
Transcribed by Karen Meisenheimer.
A STATEMENT OF THE NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS OF ALLEGANY COUNTY
To the Public:
The tremendous increase in the cost of everything entering into the making of a newspaper in recent years is so well known as to need no repetition here. The price of paper has advanced from 50 to 75 per cent, and is still going up; printing inks, from 10 to 500 per cent; type metal, 50 to 80 per cent; printers’ rollers, 20 to 30 per cent – and so on down the line.
To consider the serious problem thus created, which threaten the very existence of country newspapers, a meeting of the publishers of Allegany County was held a few weeks since. Eleven of the county’s fourteen newspapers were represented by the owners, and communications were received from the others. Ti was found that of the eleven papers personally represented, eight had been published during the past year at an actual loss. Communication with the paper manufacturers of the country brought the reply that, while the close of the present war might bring some temporary relief, a return to anything like former prices was not to be expected, since the increase was really due to a natural shortage of raw material and had only been hastened slightly by the European conflict; higher, rather than lower prices, were to be expected in the future.
In this situation, the only alternative to going out of business on the part of the publishers was an increase of price of their product in cases where it was selling below cost. The following agreement was therefore entered into by every newspaper publisher in Allegany County.
AGREEMENT EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 1916.
We, the undersigned, publishers of Allegany County, N.Y., hereby agree, one with the other, that, beginning October 1, 1916, we will charge the following rates for our respective publication:
One year ……………………………………………………………$1.50
Six months …………………………………………………………0.80
Three months ……………………………………………………0.40
Single copies ……………………………………………………..0.05
Futhermore, it is mutually agreed that we will not only advertise the above rates, but will absolutely collect these rates from all our subscribers without exception.
FRANK A. CRUMB, Alfred Sun,
GLENN J. ROBBINS, Whitesville News,
FRANK A. HERRICK, Bolivar Breeze,
HARLAN H. WOODS, Rushford Spectator,
E.W. BARNES, Mgr. Allegany County Reporter,
ELMER E. CONRATH, Cuba Patriot
D. M. AND M. H. TODD, Friendship Register,
R. E. PEIRSON, Belmont Dispatch,
EDWIN P. MILLS, Angelica Advocate,
E. C. BRISTOL, Belfast Blaze,
JUDSON HOWDEN, Fillmore Observer,
1. E. COWLES, Allegany County Democrat,
FRANK S. MILLER, Canaseraga Times,
J. HARVEY BACKUS, Andover News,