Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/629

 The Advertiser adelaidp: and vicinity 603 before long the decision of the local Legislature will have to be taken." That decision was taken so many years ago that the occasion for it is now forgotten. It is interesting to know that the prospectus of the National Hank of Australasia is published in the first number. Another item appearing in the earliest issue is the Gazette notice of the appointment of Sir R. R. Torrens, the hero of the Real Property Act, as Registrar-General, for the purjxtse of assisting in carrying out its provisions. The Act was then six months old. The Chronicle was founded at the; same time as The Advertiser, and has grown vigorously, increasing in size, in influence, and in circulation. Its first number was published on Saturday, July 17, 1858, at the end of the week which was re.sponsible for the appearance of its daily coadjutor. On November 30, 1863, the Express, a penny evening paper, was established by The Ad'vertiser proprietors to relieve the pressure of competition from the Daily Telegraph, which had been started by Mr. F. Sinnett, a very capable journalist, who afterwards joined the staff of the Melbourne Argus. The Telegraph had the dis- tinction of beinar absolutely the pioneer permy paper of Australia, and The Adver- tiser, by purchase, can now claim that honor. The in- fluence of the Express, which had the advantage of being- able to reproduce all the more interesting items in The Adverti ser, together with much new matter, soon made itself felt, and on January 2, 1867, a notice appeared announcing the sale of the Daily Telegraph and the Uu-ekly Mail to the proprietors of The Advertiser. Whenever an opening for further enterprise has occurred, 'Jlu- Advertiser has taken advantage of it, either by a reduction in price or an increase in size. On July i, 1869, when the paper was barely ir years old, the cost was changed from 4d. to 2d.; on July I, 1875, there was an advance from four to eight pages; on January i, 1877, another column was added to each page; on July i, 1878, the size of the paper was enlarged ; on January i, 1884, the price was dropped to id. ; and on September 26, 1892, facilities were provided for extending The Advertiser to eight or nine columns to the page. Some hint as to the rapid growth of the paper is to be found in the equipment of the machine department at various stages of its existence. In the beginning, a small press, printing one side of the paper at a time at the rate of 1,500 impressions an hour, NX2