42 The Newspaper World, or two hours earlier than is necessary in the country. It is impossible for the London morning journals to reach the north, the west, or even the south of England in order to be on the breakfast table, and with the continued improvement of the Provincial dailies, it does not seem improbable that in years to come there will be a much more limited general reading of the London newspapers throughout the country than is the case at the present day. The Provincial daily has, however, won its position at a heavy expenditure — an expenditure not only continuous but likely to increase in the future. Mr Arnot Reid, in a recent review article, (*) has enumerated some of the larger of these items of outlay, and his figures will give a general idea of the kind of expenditure incurred in publishing a provincial daily, which is to a large extent unknown to the London manager. But even before any money is laid out in procuring news, a London office has to be secured and manned, which is a costly undertaking. In order to promptly transmit to the Provincial office the mass of news and other contri- butions — much of it relating to local matters — ^gathered in London, it is necessary to rent a private telegraphic wire from the Post-office, the annual cost of which Mr Reid has put down at ;^i,ooo^a sum much within the mark when incidental expenses are included. A Parliamentary report will most likely be sent over the public wire, whether done by a combined staff or received from a news agency, and anyway will involve an outlay of another £i,ooQ, It should be noted, too, that especial attention will be given in this Parliamentary report to full records of the speeches of local members of Parliament. Provin- cial daily newspapers give what is known as a London Letter ; and, if it be a good one, the London correspondent will spend a substantial sum every year in the collection of special information ; this feature Mr Reid estimates to cost I. Nineteenth Century, September, 1886.
