Page:National Waterways A Magazine of Transportation, Volume 1.pdf/13

 WASTE CIRCULATION

The editor. compositor. circulation manager. printer's devil. etc.. of the Daily Bugle. published in a small southern town. had taken his lonely way to the tumble—down cabin of Aunt Mirandy. He had gone because Mirandy had sent him by a pickaninny a crumpled note to the effect "I don't want yo‘ papah no mo' "—and most elo— quently he had pleaded that the discontinuance order be revoked. but to no avail. He had just taken a fresh start on his argument when Mirandy interrupted by saying: "Gwan. white man; I ain‘t got a speck er use fer yo' papah. 'cause you see. it am jes lack dis—mah boys Pete and Mose dey done gone and git in jale where dey gits dere dinnah and I don't need yo' papah no mo' to wrap up dere lunch. so what '5 l gwine ter do wid it? Answer me dat."

This illustrates in rather exaggerated form the great question of waste circulation—the question that is the bug-a-boo—the old man of the sea to the whole advertising fraternity.

WHO vs. HOW MANY

All of us are inclined to listen to the persuasive talk of "A million copies a month." "The whole nation as an audience." etc. But a little concentrated thinking on this proposition will make the cold facts stand out like a sore thumb. How many have a proposition that could interest even a tenth part of a million subscribers to any publication? You can count them on your ﬁngers without bothering your thumb. for there are precious few. The Wholesale circulation. it is admitted. will reach the people you want to reach. but how many Aunt Mirandics of ignorance. of indifference and inability? Yet you pay for every copy.

The who of subscribers is vastly more important than the how many. It is quality in this that counts. You would not pay good money to send a representative to the Eskimos if you were making electric fans. but the chances are that you are now paying just as good money for space that carries your message to thousands of people equally as disinterested.

NATIONAL WATERWAYS hasn't a million circulation. It has. however. a hefty number of thousands. and quality is its king pin—not that you have to be of sound wind and present a clean bill of moral and physical health to become a subscriber. Not at all. You simply have tO have the price. But our circulation is being built up in a unique manner.

Some several thousand bank presidents. captains of industry and other leading citizens are talking NATIONAL WATERWAYS all over this country and taking subscribers. Who is it that they are likely to secure? The messenger boy. the ten—dollar clerk. or any of that class? Hardly. but instead their own associates. Men of substance who live well. buy largely. and have the cash money with which to do it.

Our distribution is national. Where you ﬁnd a lake. river. harbor or canal (and there are over 50.000 miles of them in this country). there you will ﬁnd readers Of NATIONAL WATERWAYS. It is almost a distinction to be a subscriber to NATIONAL WATERWAYS. It is a distinction to be admitted to its advertising pages. for they will be conducted so as tO carry the approval of our members and subscribers.

If you have a high-class proposition. one that will bear scrutiny. and that will appeal to a blue list of the nation's best business men. NATIONAL WATERWAYS is the place for your copy. Our rates are based on amount and not quality of circulation. You get exactly what you pay for based entirely on the amount and there will hardly be a copy that could be branded as waste circulation. A postal card will bring our rate card and statement of our circulation.

Address. NATIONAL WATERWAYS.

JAMES \VM. BRYAN. Business Manager WASHINGTON.