THE 4TH ESTATE
Being some news, yarns :in«l gossip
about newspapers anil newspaper¬
men in North Carolina.
»;/
BILL SHABI’L
As the gigantic magazines with huge
circulations fold up. consolidate, or
continue in trouble, it is becoming ap¬
parent that circulation, while impor¬
tant, is no guarantee of prosperity.
Nevertheless, there is a classic story
about the old country editor on his
death bed. The doctor examined him.
felt his pulse, and murmured: "His
circulation is low."
The dying man roused up for one
more punch: "It's a damned lie! I got
the best circulation in the county.”
JOSH'S STORY
Josh Horne, publisher of the
Коску
Маши
Telegram, used to tell this story
as the truth, but we always doubted it.
He had a tramp printer who was often
in trouble, but because Josh was short-
handed. he put up with his conduct.
One night he was arrested for drunk¬
enness and his name appeared in the
newspaper’s court column.
This infuriated the printer who said
he was going to quit his job then and
there, leaving Josh without a make-up
man and very distressed indeed. "If
you walk out on me like that." warned
Josh, "I’m really going to write you
up. I’m going to print a list of all the
times you’ve been arrested here."
"Go ahead and print it." said the
printer. "It won’t matter after I’m gone.
I can walk outside your circulation in
five minutes.”
TRAMPS
The old-time tramp printer has
about disappeared. At one time, he
was virtually assured of an income be¬
cause of union rules. Under this rule,
a tramp could come into a shop and
"hang up his card." He could then
work off as many hours as the regular
employes had accumulated in overtime
(beyond a certain maximum.) In other
words, if Joe Jinx, a linotype opera¬
tor. had accumulated 25 hours of over¬
time in the past 30 days, he would have
to lay off while the tramp substituted
for him for. say. 20 hours. The tramp
also got first call on any overtime the
foreman might hand out. Sometimes
a tramp would find enough overtime
accumulated to work several weeks be¬
fore moving on.
"SWIFTS"
To the stay-at-home printers, tramps
represented a flamboyant and often
admired corps of the business. They
had worked all over the nation, had
varied experiences and most of them
were highly skilled. The fast linotyper
was known as a "swift." and a fore¬
man bogged down with copy often
welcomed the appearance of a known
"swift" who could replace, temporarily,
some plodder.
Printers, fixed or mobile, once had
a reputation for heavy drinking (a
reputation they shared with barbers,
house painters and railway conduc¬
tors), and most of the ones I knew
liked to gamble. Some of them brought
whiskey to work, and kept it handy,
snatching a swig now and then through
the night. No one objected to the poker
game which started just as soon as the
paper was out.
But publishing and printing grew
out of the class of a hazardous and
romantic craft, and business-like meth¬
ods and atmosphere were introduced.
The old tramp printer, working a day
or two here, and a day or two there,
is almost as dead as the dodo.
REAL ROYALTY
At least one North Carolina news¬
paper publisher has royal blood in his
veins. That is James W. Atkins, vener¬
able publisher of the Gastonia Gazelle.
He is a lineal descendant of Nancy
Ward, the "Beloved Woman" of the
Chcrokces. one of the most famous
princesses of prc-Rcvolutionary times.
She was a niece of the great "Little
Carpenter."
Mr. Atkins’ father. Rev. B. li. At¬
kins. was president for many years of
Asheville Female College which was
founded in 1856. Some years ago.
James Atkins published in pamphlet
form portions of his father’s diary, in¬
cluding a portrait and biography of
Nancy Ward.
SUMMER MEET
The N. C. Press Association will
meet next summer at the Biltmore in
Morehead. a recognition of that ho¬
tel’s new equipment and facilities for
handling large groups.
SCANDAL
Burke Davis. Boswell for Ike Lon¬
don. says the Rockingham Pan- Dis¬
patch editor secretly writes poetry.
PARKER SALE
The interest of the late Roy Parker
in Parker Bros. Inc. of Ahoskie. has
been purchased by James Wallace, an
employe. The company publishes four
non-dailies in northeastern North Caro¬
lina.
TIPSTER
One of the most interesting stories
of the year — the Charlotte Obser¬
ver's feature on the annual "McRackcn
Day" in Mayennc. France, resulted
from a tip by Arthur II. Jones, public
relations vp for North Carolina Na¬
tional Bank.
He got onto the story through a
chance conversation between Mrs. Mc¬
Rackcn and the bank’s personnel of¬
ficer. Joseph O’Shields.
WEIMAR PICKED
Weimar Jones, editor of the Frank¬
lin Press, has been elected president
of the International Conference of
Weekly Newspaper Editors.
NEW CHAIN
The Village Printers. Inc..
К
a rela¬
tively new "chain" outfit in North
Carolina. Publishers of the Moore
County News (Carthage) and the
Robbins Reporter, this year it took
over the Pinehurst Outlook. Now. they
have opened a printing headquarters
THE STATE. October ZB. 1961