HUGE CIRCULATIONS

Evening Star, Issue 22451, 23 September 1936, Page 11

HUGE CIRCULATIONS

• DAILY EXPRESS 1 IK FRONT This is the season of the year when newspapers’ circulation figures are revealed (writes the Fleet street correspondent •of 1 Newspaper News,’ Sydney), For more than three years the ‘ Daily Herald ’ has boasted a daily circulation exceeding two millions. Many people have been waiting for the ‘ Herald’s ’ half-yearly certificate in view of the fact that for some months the ‘ Daily Express,’ previously the ‘ Herald’s ’ nearest rival, has been announcing regularly an increase of several thousands a week. The ‘ Express ’ circulation, declared at regular intervals, now exceeds the two million by more than a hundred thousand, and is going up and up. Both papers have been claiming the world’s greatest daily net sale, but when the ‘ Herald ’ published its halfyearly certificate on July 14 as “ exceeding 2,000,000 daily” it was seen that apparently the ‘ Express ’ has its head well in front with its latest figures, of 2,126,451 copies daily for June. Both papers claim journalistic world records. At the head of the ‘ Herald’s ’ editorial appears the panel: “World record—considerably over 2,000,000 every morning for more than three years.” Claiming to be the “ World’s Greatest Newspaper ” in other respects than its circulation, the ‘Express’ says: “ No other newspaper is as great an employer of labour. But. then, it must be recognised that the ‘ Daily Express ’ is the biggest newspaper undertaking in the long history of journalism, with premises and equipment more extensive than those of any other daily newspaper.” In answer to the ‘ Herald’s ’ claim the ‘ Express ’ also issued the challenge; “One thousand pounds will be paid to the National Advertising Benevolent Society if the ‘ Daily Herald ’ can prove by an audited certificate of net sales, produced in accordance with the formula laid down by British advertisers, that its average daily net sale for the full month of June was in excess of 2,126,451 copies.” Latest declared figures for other “popular” dailies are: ‘Daily Mail,’ 1,649,149; ‘News-Chronicle. 1,300,666. Very much lower down the scale, of course, are the figures of the “ class ” dailies: ‘Daily Telgraoh,’ 491,214 (a hig increase) ; ‘ The Times,’ 191,644 (the greatest ever attained by a national newspaper selling at twopence) ; ‘ Morning Post,’ 119,458.;