e. There was also a circulation department where
lists of subscribers and records of their subscriptions were filed and
billed.

Such ingenious contrivances were new to the village boy and his eyes
widened. "I think we ought to pay more for our papers," he gasped. "I
had no idea that publishing a newspaper meant so much work. I don't
think we pay half enough money for all this trouble."

Mr. Hawley smiled.

"Sometimes I don't think we do either," he said.

"This is such a tremendous plant!" the boy went on breathlessly.

"Our paper is more of an undertaking, then, than your _March Hare_."

"Well, rather!" chuckled Paul. "I thought we had quite a proposition
until I saw all this. Now the mere writing of copy seems like nothing at
all. What a job it is to print the stuff after you get it!"

"They say there is no better way to become cheered up than to take a
peep at some other fellow's tribulations," Mr. Hawley declared. "Now
suppose you go down to the press room and see some of ours at first
hand."

He led the way to an elevator that dropped them quickly to the basement
of the building.

"Do they always put the presses downstairs?" asked Paul.

"Practically always, yes," replied Mr. Hawley. "It is necessary to do so
because of the immense weight of the presses. The problems of the
vibration of machinery and the support of its weight always govern all
factory construction and the building of plants of a similar nature.
Most newspaper presses are therefore placed on solid ground, or as near
it as possible, in order to minimize the difficulties arising from these
two conditions. Some years ago, however, the _Boston Post_ ventured an
innovation by arranging its presses one over the other, three in a tier;
and as the experiment has proved a success, many other large newspapers
in various parts of the country have followed their example."

"If floor space can be economized it must be a great saving to newspaper
plants whose buildings are in the heart of a city; real estate is no
small item of expense," observed Mr. Wright.

"Precisely," agreed Mr. Hawley. "Yet high as were rentals and taxes, no
one had had the courage to try a press constructed on another plan. It
meant, of course, a new set of difficulties to solve. I happen to know,
for instance, that when the floor for the sub-basement of the _Post_ was
constructed, the beams were set close enough together to support a
weight of four hundred pounds to each squ