p. 4 | TO OUR READERS by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · May 30, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 21.

TO OUR READERS.

By Editor

THIS issue of our paper is an explanation and an apology.

The Signs of the Times is printed on a rotary press, built for the purpose. It prints both sides, folds, pastes, trims, and delivers at the rate of about 5,000 an hour. It has a capacity of 10,000 an hour. The paper comes in great rolls, and feeds into the press continuously, like an endless white ribbon, till the roll is finished.

When the earthquake came we had regular stock enough to last, under ordinary circumstances, about five months. That paper is gone—all used with our first edition of 400,000.

We have other paper ordered,—three carloads on the way from our mills in Wisconsin. When it will reach here we do not know. Freight shipments in the West are badly congested and demoralized on account of supplies sent to San Francisco.

For our Second Edition orders are coming in at the rate of 20,000 a day. We have one flat-bed press which will take both forms of the Signs of the Times at the same time. We found it utterly impossible, therefore, to fill the waiting orders for our Earthquake Special and get the regular out on time. We are lacking in paper of the right kind. Because of this we are also lacking in presses.

Therefore we concluded that we would do the best we could and issue this four-page number as a regular, and apologize to our subscribers for its mean appearance. We can only say we are sorry. We had our type all set for a full paper, when it seemed necessary to issue this. We can only ask pardon of our regular subscribers and promise to make all this up to them in the numbers to come.

Use this number as you will, give it away if so it pleases, or preserve it as one of the after effects of the earthquake. Before our next issue we expect our paper for the rotary press.