Getting It Right For His Majesty: The Royal Paper

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 5, 8 October 1948, Page 5

Getting It Right For His Majesty: The Royal Paper

An illustration of the value of imagination is given from the “Reader’s Digest.” The King of England receives a fancy edition of. the London “Daily Mail” every morning. It is the first copy run off the presses, and is printed on the most expensive glazed paper. A London reporter visiting America explained it as follows: “Lord Rothermere wanted to boast that his paper was absolutely without error. He offered bonuses, prizes, rewards and various other inducements, including dismissal of everyone responsible for errors; but stated his staff could not bat 100 per cent perfect. “Then he suddenly had an idea. He called his staff together and said, “Gentlemen, hereafter we will print the first copy of the “Mail” on a special paper and send it to His Majesty. That will be the Royal copy, and the million and a half other copies will be exactly like it, except for the printing paper. And, gentlemen, His Majesty’s Royal copy must be errorless.” “They will tell you in Fleet Street that the errors dropped 90 per cent in the “Daily Mail,” and that Rothermere comes within a hair’s breadth of making good his boast of accuracy.”