Questions Concerning Cost by E. R. PALMER

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 2, 1916

Questions Concerning Cost

By E. R. PALMER

DURING the past few months, since the cost of printing materials has brought a serious crisis in our publishing work, many of our workers have kindly written us suggestions as to the best means of reducing the cost of both books and periodicals. For the benefit of all who take an interest in such matters, I will reply through the REVIEW to several of the most common questions and suggestions on this point.

1. Could not a cheaper quality of paper be used in our subscription books?

This would be impractical in nearly every case. Our subscription books are printed from plates made at great expense. The illustrations are printed from fine screen engravings which would not print well on a cheaper quality of paper.

Besides, there is not very much difference between the cost of cheap paper used in periodicals and the better-finished paper used in printing illustrated books. Usually the difference is less than one cent a pound between the machine-finished paper, such as is used in the printing of the Present Truth Series, and the heavy book paper used in “Bible Readings for the Home Circle” or “The Desire of Ages.”

At the present time we are paying for paper for the Present Truth Series just double what we have previously paid for our best book paper.

2. Could not a cheaper quality of leather be used for binding subscription books?

This is quite possible. It is a good, practical suggestion. It has become very doubtful whether we can obtain a sufficient supply of morocco for binding our books during the coming year. The chief sources of the supply of morocco have been cut off by the war. Not only is the supply indefinite, but prices also have greatly advanced.

There are other qualities of leather, however, produced here in the United States, which can be obtained at only a small advance in price. It may be possible to make an arrangement for binding in cheaper leather, so that the leather problem can in this way be met.

It would still be necessary to advance the price on leather books in order to meet the paper problem.

3. Could not the periodicals be cut down in size, and thus relieve the necessity of increasing the subscription price?

This was our plan at first, and indeed this will be done in several cases. But the more the question was studied, the less feasible this plan seemed to be. For example, take the REVIEW. It now has twenty-four pages. When the importance of the REVIEW was considered, it seemed that its mission would be greatly crippled if its size were cut from twenty-four to sixteen pages. Even if the size of the REVIEW had been reduced one third, this would have given only partial relief, for the price of paper has increased 125 per cent.

Then again, the editorial and other general expenses would remain the same. It was found, therefore, that an increase of twenty-five cents a year in the subscription price would do more toward meeting the increased cost, than reducing the size of the paper one third. It was therefore unanimously agreed by our leading men representing the whole field, that it would be better to make this small increase than to reduce the size of the REVIEW.

The same conclusion was reached concerning several other papers, such as the Sabbath School Worker, which have an important mission, and whose work must not be crippled at this important time.

E. R. PALMER.