"STRIKE EDITIONS."

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 147, 23 June 1926, Page 10

"STRIKE EDITIONS."

HOW THE PAPERS CAME OUf, A ROMANCE OF LONDON. DEFYING THE TRADE UNIONISTS Copies are coming to hand by the En» lish mails of the '"strike editions" of "■ number of leading London daily news . papers, who defeated the attempts at complete suppression by trade unionist on their staffs, and brought out "boiled down" editions. For the most part, these consisted of single sheets, with concise but clear accounts of the day's news. Londoners, used to 20 or so full a day, had to satisfy themselves with these midget edition;, and they served their purpose well. Incidentally, they did more than provide news in brief They proved the papers - rights to eW ished independence and their defiance of interference by '"new autocrats." who borke their agreements with those who paid them. Probably one of the most interesting of the strike papers was the small sheet) printed on both sides, which was printed in London on Saturday. May 13. It as the 'Times Weekly Edition," a lar»e paper at ordinary times, containing \ wealth of news and several pages of illustrations. The small sheet, about t foot in length by six inches wide, contained a diary of event- from May 8 to the end of the strike, which was declared off on May 12, the news arriving toe late for the preparation of the ordlnan issue of the "Times Weekly Edition." It was even found possible, on the small space available, to put in an eight-line "Literary Supplement," mentioning thai practically no books had been published since the strike began, and recording the death of Mr. J. M. Dent, the pul> lisher. An equally brief "Educational Supplement" was also printed. "The Daily Mail." A larger one-page edition, abont the size of one of its ordinary pases, was biought out by the "Daily Mail" on May 5. It was on rough paper, typewritten, and with its chief heading roughlyprinted by hand. This edition is exceptionally interesting, in that it containr the paper's denunciation of the printers •who endeavoured to censor part of ai editorial and then refused to print the paper because their absurd demands were not agreed to. The editorial opens with the quotation from Wordsworth, "We must be free or die, who speafc tli» tongue That Shakespeare spoke; the faith gci morals hold Which Milton held." It goes on to point out that right through the period of its existence bl thirty years, it had resolutely maintained its independence. "On Sunday night," it continues, "the leadinu article which appeared yesterday in the editions published in Manchester and Paris, was written and set up. When it was in type a number of trade unionists in our London office demanded the right,to exercise a censorship over the contents of the paper. Certain passages of the leading article, they said, must be omitted before they would print it. Let it be remarked that they were paid by the ' Daily Mail' for the work of printing and not for the business of editing, for which, indeed, they have no qualification. The trade unionists were bound by agreement; to this paper and that agreement "they broke."' This edition, was published in three columns on each side of the page, and, besides the strike news, contained racing results, stock exchange figures, and a, short description of "How London Went to Work." Larger Editions. Xear the end of the strike, several of the papers, including the "Daily Chronicle" and the "Daily News," published special editions of two full pages, well printed and set up. A noticeable feature was, of course, the absence of advertisements. In the case 'of the ordinary edition of the '"Times." complete sized sheets were used for the twopaged papers, and the usual classified advertisements appeared on the front pages. "The British Worker."' the official strike news bulletin, published by the general council of the Trades Union Congress, was published regularly, with replies to criticism in the House and of the other papers. " Punch." It was ever a difficult task to put anything "across" "Punch." and "Punch" did not let the strike stay its regular flow of wit and fun. ""Punch" came out during strike week without any advertisements, white empty spaces appearing where they should have been, and with its print looking a little different than usual. But it had almost the usual number of pictures and articles. In a short apology at the head of the famous Charivaria column, the editor stated that it was the desire of the proprietors to preserve if possible, the continuity of the paper. '"In the present circumstances, Mr. Punch has to ask the indulgence of his readers, and to beg them to overlook the reduced size of the present issue and its imperfection?." You may be sure that Mr. Puach thrust deep at the strike on more than a few occasions. The first picture in the edition shows a gentleman in a barbers chair being asked by the man with the scissors how he would like his hair cut. The reply is. "Without the slighest reference to the strike."' In Charivaria, it says that, with reference to the stoppage of the aewspapers. an old lady had written urging "Punch" to use its influence to get those Natsopas sent back to Natsopaland. Our old friend. A. PHerbert, writes an article on Milk, and the Press,' and says that if any good thing comes out of the strike it will be that we shall learn to .appreciate many things of which we have not thought much; for example, the poor despised newspapers. A new vice has already sprung up." he writes, "which I ma., c-ail news —cadging or bulletin —tegy ging. Having from my youth up kep* myself unspotted from wireless. I now find myself under the humiliating necessity of crawling to my neighbours for news four or five times a day. And 1 know few things more tsntali.-ing than watching my neighbours' faces while they sit with the ''phones' on their heads drinking in the news > if &nr) and not telling it to rue."