women are tired of this continual din from men. They must get together and solve it in their own way, and the less advice they get from men running newspapers the better. I have tried it out in my own household and I know.
“And under the dreadful depression of the war, we must do what we can to build up the right war psychology. We must make the most of our weddings, social events and churches and try to keep going all normal activities. I believe in the newspaper in these times running light fiction, humor, cartoons, comics, and whatever will counter act the gloomy depression.
“No one was more opposed to the proposed censorship law than I. If it had passed I could not have obeyed it very cheerfully. The censorship we now have, for that is what it virtually is, is conducted by the heads of the press associations and not by a military officer and is much more satisfactory. Military secrets must be withheld, but the censorship should never go much further.
“The dissemination of news is a most important function. Then we must keep in position to prevent waste of funds, we must maintain a moderate tone and our patriotic duty; must not surrender our right of criticism, the fundamental basis of our press as an institution.”
One of the interesting sections of the program was that handled by C. W. Robey. Mr. Robey handed out samples of a letterhead job and got quotations on 3,000 from the publishers present. The prices ranged from $7.00 to $16.00. The variations appeared both in the estimates as to how much time was required, this ranging on one item from ⅛ hour to one hour, and in the rate per hour to be charged, this ranging from the wage cost, 37½ cent, to $1.50.
Mr. Robey then showed charts giving his own figures, resulting in a selling price of $14.07, and those of the expert of the Inland Printer, $13.19. Most of the quotations of the Oregon publishers ranged from $9.40 to $12.00.
Eric W. Allen, dean of the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon, used Mr. Robey’s figures as a text for the presentation of he advantages of using a cost system, enabling a printer to know with exactitude the precise line where loss ends and where profit begins. Mr. Allen ended with an offer to install, free of charge, a standard cost system in a limited number of offices. This offer was taken up by six of the publishers present.
New Officers Chosen
The election of officers resulted in the choice of A. E. Voorhies, of the Grants Pass Courier, as president; George H. Currey, of the Malheur Enterprise, published at Vale, as vice-president; and Philip S. Bates, of Portland (re-elected), as secreretary. Retiring President E. E. Brodie, of the Oregon City Enterprise, was placed on the executive board.
Resolutions
Resolutions passed by the association, briefly summed up, pledged hearty support to the government in the prosecution of the war; asked for legislation “whereby all the pulp and paper product of the country shall be manufactured, sold and distributed at just and reasonable prices which shall insure only reasonable profits to the manufacturer and distributor; asked congress to appropriate funds for the purchase of newspaper space used in promoting governmental activity; provided for the appointment of a committee of three to work out a plan for circulating the tax list in supplement form in a large number of papers of the several counties (the committee to report at the next annual convention);
endorsed the state’s good roads pro-
