THE PRICE OF NEWSPAPERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3015, 28 February 1917, Page 4

THE PRICE OF NEWSPAPERS

The unanimous decision of the New Zealand Newspaper Proprietors' Association yesterday that an more/tse in the selling price of their .•publications could be no longer avoided will surprise no one. It has been foreshadowed for some time past by events hero and abroad. In all parts of the world printing establishments have been seriously affected by the high price of paper and the shortage of freights, and in New Zealand newspaper owners for many months past have found tho cost of producing their -journals steadily and substantially mounting up. Recently there has been a very marked jump, and the latest contracts entered into havo involved a very heavy addition to working costs. Not only has paper increased in price until it now ranges from 100 to 150 per cent, above pre-war prices, but ink, metals, type, machinery replacements, railway charges, cable services, telegraph and postal rates, wages, etc., have all been increasod, in some cases more than. doubled.. And overshadowing all has been and still continues the uncertainty of supplies owing to the disorganisation of shipping freights. In England, in' South Africa, in America, in Canada, and in other parts of tho world many newspapers havo already increased their selling prices as tho result of tho effects of'the war on tho cost of production, but up to tho present, so far as we are aware, tho only newspaper in Now Zealand to adopt this course has been tho Labour-Socialist publication, the Maoriland Worher, which some time ago doubled its price, and now sells at twopence a copy. It is proposed that so far as tho daily Press of New Zealand is concerned the increased price will come into operation at the beginning of April. How lone it will bo necessary to mainthe higher figure proposed will depend on circumstances arising out of the war; but judging by the manner in which paper and materi* .ftjfi connected with the production of newspapers continue to soar in price there seems little likelihood of an early reversion' to pre-war rates.