University of Virginia Library

OF THE SALE OF NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS, &c.,
AT THE RAILWAY STATIONS.

Although the sale of newspapers at the rail-
way termini, &c., cannot strictly be classed as
a street-sale, it is so far an open-air traffic as
to require some brief notice, and it has now
become a trade of no small importance.

The privilege of selling to railway-passengers,
within the precincts of the terminus, is disposed
of by tender. At present the newsvendor on the
North-Western Line, I am informed, pays to
the company, for the right of sale at the Euston-
square terminus, and the provincial stations, as
large a sum as 1,700l. per annum. The amount
usually given is of course in proportion to the
number of stations, and the traffic of the rail-
way.

The purchaser of this exclusive privilege
sends his own servants to sell the newspapers and
books, which he supplies to them in the quantity
required. The men thus engaged are paid from
20s. to 30s. a week, and the boys receive from
6s. to 10s. 6d. weekly, but rarely 10s. 6d.

All the morning and evening papers are sold
at the Station, but of the weekly press, those are
sent for sale which in the manager's judgment
are likely to sell, or which his agent informs
him are "asked for." It is the same with the
weekly unstamped publications. The reason
seems obvious; if there be more than can be
sold, a dead loss is incurred, for the surplusage,
as regards newspapers, is only saleable as waste
paper.

The books sold at railways are nearly all of
the class best known as "light reading," or
what some account light reading. The price
does not often exceed 1s.; and among the books
offered for sale in these places are novels in
one volume, published at 1s. — sometimes in two
volumes, at 1s. each; "monthly parts" of works
issued in weekly numbers; shilling books of
poetry; but rarely political or controversial
pamphlets. One man, who understood this
trade, told me that "a few of the pamphlets
about the Pope and Cardinal Wiseman sold at
first; but in a month or six weeks, people began
to say, `A shilling for that! I'm sick of the
thing.' "

The large sum given for the privilege of an
exclusive sale, shows that the number of books
and papers sold at railway stations must be very
considerable. But it must be borne in mind,
that the price, and consequently the profit on
the daily newspapers, sold at the railways, is
greater than elsewhere. None are charged less
than 6d., the regular price at a news-agent's
shop being 5d., so that as the cost price is 4d.

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the profit is double. Nor is it unusual for a
passenger by an early train, who grows impa-
tient for his paper, to cry out, "A shilling for
the Times!" This, however, is only the case,
I am told, with those who start very early in
the morning; for the daily papers are obtained
for the railway stations from among the earliest
impressions, and can be had at the accustomed
price as early as six o'clock, although, if there
be exciting news and a great demand, a larger
amount may be given.