THE TIMES AT A PENNY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 284, 4 May 1914, Page 4

THE TIMES AT A PENNY.

1 The London Times has held a great ' and honourable position in the history. | of British journalism, it has not only ' recorded history, but lias made history, and showed the way long years ago m > journalistic enterprise, it was in the early days of journalism that John I Walter (the first John Walter, who died in 1812) kept a light cutter running baefc- \ wards and forwards across the Channel during the war with France, in order , surreptitiously to obtain from local fishermen copies of the French papers, which were contraband in Kngland. rtor was this his only feat of enterprise. , He had determined to get early foreign " news for his paper, and he succeeded, in 180!) The Times published particulars of the capitulation of Flushing a full 24 hours before any other report appeared and before the news reached the Uovernment. This was the sequel to the on-- , fortunate Walcheren expedition, which led Ixird Chath'am to resign his post of .Master-lieiieral of Ordnance in order to prevent further disgrace. The incjftftt • is mentioned only as enterprise of the grant paper. A"third John Walter succeeded the second, audit was during his reign that the acrits ' of articles entitled "I'arnellism and Crime" were published, jind ended ia the exposure of the stupid forgeries by Richard i'iggott of letters supposed to have been written by Charles Stewart l'arnell. it was state'd at the time that t the case put before the Parncll Commission cost the proprietors of The Tirue» £130,000. in 1908 The Times passed into the hands of a limited company* the head of which was Lord Northdiffe... Many interesting changes followed, one. of the most significant of which was thfl reduction of the price to 2d. I', was salt! then that The Times must move with the times, and the present' paper shows that it can do so in a dignified and satisfactory manner. The reduced price of 2U. was extended only to subscribers, and the reader who bought his copv from day to day still had to pay his 3d. 'I o i subscribers and non-subscribers alike the price of the Times is now one penny. ■»] It will be interesting to note, in ways \ other than a reduction in price, '"l&e Thunderer"—the title which (Uarlyle's friend, Sterling, as a leader-writer gave to the paper by using the word "thundernig" in one of his philippics against the Government of the day—will conform to the changed conditions of modern journalism.