GENERAL ITEMS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 29 May 1917, Page 3

GENERAL ITEMS.

A cable message from London says: Newspaper is selling in London at 2i|d per lb. Some firms are paying 3d. An advance towards 4d is anticipated by the end of 1917. Newspapers are economising, pruning the free lists and voucher copies, eliminating waste in machine rooms, such as cutting down the centre margins to a quarter of an inch. The “Daily Mail” has reduced its returns to 2 per cent. The “Telegraph” has reduced its size from 24 pages to 12 daily, and 16 on Saturday. The “Morning Post” has eight pages daily and ten on Saturday, the “Daily Mail” six and eight, the “Daily News” and “Express’ invariably six, while the evening papers have made between 33 and 50 per cent, reductions. Fifty-two provincial paprs have increased the price.

According to the New York Journal of April 15, factories and business houses throughout the United States are circula'ting amongst their employees a petition, in the following form “As an American, faithful to American ideals of justice, liberty, and humanity, and confident that the Government has exerted its most earnest efforts to keep us at peace with the world I hereby declare my absolute and unconditional loyalty to the Government of the United States and pledge my support to it in protecting American rights against unlawful violence upon land and sea, in guarding the nation against Hostile ttacks, and in upholding international rights.” The publication from which the foregoing was taken makes it known that the Statutes that are being passed by the various States provide for the registration of male citizens from 16 to 45 years of age.

A Palmerston business man bad an unusual experience ,on a train journey to Wellington the other day, and it emphasises the necessity of an eligible person carrying his registration papers with him at all times. As the train was nearing Wellington a military officer entered the carriage and asked the Palmerstonian to show his registration papers. Being unable to do so, he was remined that he was liable to be handed over to the police. Luckily another Palmerston citizen was on the train, and was able ot identify his fellow-townsman to the satisfaction of the officer, who informed the travellers that no less than three passengers had been apprehended the previous day for not being able to produce their papers.

Questioned as to the stocks of paper held by the Government Printing Office, Sir James Allen replied that he had no information ,on the subject, but last year the Government had cut down the amount of printing, especially in regard to Parliamentary papers, and this year there would be a further reduction. Hansard would have to be dealt with this year, not by cutting it out altogether, but by reducing the number of each issue printed. Asked if it were proposed to condense the reports of Parliamentary speeches in Hansard, Sir James said that there had been no discussion on those lines, and he thought it would be rather a difficult matter to give effect to, but the limitation of the number of copies for distribution had been practically agreed to.