196 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The Manchester Press says: 



"The list this year made 48 1/^ squares and we charged a total 

 of $1 a square for the two papers here — 50 cents for each. Our 

 charge was $24.25, and the Democrat's the same. 



"I presume the list has some news value, but it is a trying 

 thing to set and on that account, as well as the volume of it, not 

 many papers feel like publishing it solely because of its news 

 value. I figure that 50 cents a square is not too much for it. 



"As for free publicity — Lordy, Lordy! We furnish it by any 

 number of columns, front page, freely and gladly, to help the 

 cause. We don't even get tickets to the fair, but pay our way 

 with the rest, which is all right, so long as the deal is even par- 

 tially evened up. That's all we ask." 



The Audubon Advocate: 



"The rate has been left to bargaining between the secretary 

 and the publishers. We publish them this year at the rate of three 

 and a third cents a line, but have reason to believe that we under 

 bid our competitor considerably to do it. We have taken the view 

 that they have some news value, but no more so than board pro- 

 ceedings. We believe that a rate of five cents per line would be 

 fair to the fair management and profitable to the publisher. We 

 gave the fair about sixty column inches of front page publicity 

 before the fair and secured about 250 inches of paid advertising 

 at regular rates.' 



The Marshalltown Times-Republican: 



"This newspaper, taking the part of a booster, has run columns 

 and columns of publicity matter for which they did not except 

 any compensation, simply to make our fair a success. The fair 

 management have been very liberal in their space advertising 

 which they have bought, running pages and half pages in advance 

 of the fair, for which they paid the regular advertising rate of 

 this publication." 



The publicity given by these newspapers, in my judgment, is what 

 makes the fair a success. When the advertising manager of the Min- 

 nesota State Fair gives you the testimony that was given here a while ago, 

 it indicates to me that there is no further argument left on that, but the 

 kind of free publicity you get by cooperation with your local newspaper 

 man is the kind of publicity that you cannot buy, and that is the kind 

 that is best. You cannot buy in my paper an editorial expression for any 

 amount of money, or you couldn't buy a front page with a triple head on it, 

 but I have gladly and often given you that. 



I am not arguing whether you should retain this law, or not. I believe 

 personally you could accomplish much the same results and comply with 

 the law if the law made it possible to publish a condensed statement. In 

 that way you would eliminate the one good feature, and that is the pub- 



