PRICE OF NEWSPAPERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14234, 28 February 1917, Page 7

PRICE OF NEWSPAPERS.

INCREASE IN APRIL

HEAVY COST OF PRODUCTION,

ler tJPress Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. In the course of his presidential address; at the annual conference of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association, Mr P. Selij* said newspaper owners had grave reaaonsj for concern regarding future paper jsuppliesi. The first shock of the New "Sfear was the failure of essential shipments from the Powell River, which were not now. expected till March. Contracts made for 1917, and 1918 were "freight ,at i.buyers' risk." Twelve months ago he had referred to the fact that the cost of' the output of news-papers had gone up ,by leaps and bounds, and all materials that'eiiter into the production of a newspaper had continued to increase m price. . Tlie principal", offices had had to face an. increase m the price of news print paper of nearly 125 per cent, as eonopared with pre-war figures, and metal, ink, and pther materials, and also wages and the* Cost Of cable service and telegrams had ialso largely increased. All oyer the .world^somewhat similar conditions prevailed, and we must face them here as elsewhere. ' .

The question 'of 7 raising the selling price of papers to" the public to m some measure recoup these, heavy . additional expenses m production was brought, up, and, after, very full discussion by the largest meeting of newspaper . proprietors hekLin the ]>o*flQrlni<m-foivTnany i 'ygars, it was ■-'■ unanimously resolved : ''That this meeting of members of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association of New Zelaland is of opinion that m view of the enormous increase m the price of news printing paper and the increased cost of material and of working expenses m practically all departments of newspaper production, the time has arrived when an increase m the selling price of N"ew Zealand newspapers can no longer be avoided, such charge to come into force on April 2,"