The Herald (Adelaide)

The Herald was a weekly trade union magazine published in Adelaide, South Australia between 1894 and March 1910; for the first four years titled The Weekly Herald. It was succeeded by The Daily Herald, which ran from 7 March 1910 to 16 June 1924.

History

The 1890s was a period of intense industrial unrest in Australia: squatters and shippers, manufacturers, merchants and miners had all been doing very nicely in the 1880s with exports booming, but little seemed to the shearers, labourers and sailors to be "trickling down" to them. Then around 1885 demand slackened off and with falling prices, the employers felt the need to reduce their labour force, and cut the wages of those who remained. The Maritime Labour Council (MLC) was formed in Adelaide in 1886 and the following year raised a Maritime Strike Fund of ₤9,600, of which various workers' unions subscribed around half. When the United Trades and Labour Council of South Australia needed money to start a workers' newspaper, the Port Adelaide Seamen's Union was quick to assist with an interest-free loan.[1]

The Weekly Herald

A predecessor of The Herald was Our Commonwealth for which A. W. Rayment and Ignatius Singer wrote articles on Single Tax. Another, though later derided,[2] was The Voice edited by John Medway Day (1838–1905) in 1892 for the Single Tax League. Labor Party organisers D. Williams, John Abel McPherson, Henry and his brother George H. Buttery, and others, founded the Cooperative Printing and Publishing Company of S.A. Limited, with 30,000 shares of 10s.,[3] and merged with the company publishing The Voice.[2] The Weekly Herald was founded in October 1894, edited by Geoff Burgoyne, later leader writer for Sir Winthrop Hackett's West Australian.[4]

The Herald

From the first issue in 1899 the publication was named The Herald, with uninterrupted numbering, and no other substantial change. Shortly after foundation, the paper's banner was subtitled "Labor and Democratic Organ of South Australia"; in 1896 "The Official Organ of the Labor and Democratic Parties of South Australia" and from 1897 "The Official Organ of the Trades and Labor Council, United Labor Party, and Democratic Societies of S.A.".

The Daily Herald

The Daily Herald was from 7 March 1910 published by the Cooperative Printing and Publishing Company of S.A. Limited, with offices at 117 Grenfell Street for the Labor Party.[5]

William Wedd (9 January 1845 – 10 February 1922) was the first editor, with Geoffrey Burgoyne as associate editor.[6] The first few weeks' issues were printed by The Register, as its own presses had teething problems.[7] Wedd was forced by ill-health to retire after a year or two, but continued to contribute, as "Epsilon" and "Remus", to the Herald and other newspapers.[8] Burgoyne, a son of T. Burgoyne M.P., was later with The West Australian, then in 1924 the founding editor of the Hobart News, daughter publication of the Adelaide News.[9] In 1940, he was managing editor of the Perth News.

Editor from 1911 to 1912 and 1916 to 1924 was Harry Kneebone,[10] Editor from 1912 to 1914 was Cam Pratt, a member of a family of journalists,[11] who was next with the West Australian, followed by the Sydney Morning Herald, publicity department of Ford Australia then with Cinesound Productions[12] and editor of the film journal.[13] The editor from 1914[14] to 1916 was Labor politician E. H. Coombe.

Harry Kneebone returned to the editor's chair in 1916, with the paper in decline. In 1910 the paper had 12 pages and cover price was 1d.; by 1924 it had 4 pages for 1½d and although the Advertiser was the same price it boasted 16 pages. The perceived poorer value resulted in a decreased circulation and reduced advertising revenue, and the paper's financial position, already shaky, became dire. A meeting of shareholders 23 June 1924 decided on immediate voluntary liquidation.[15]

"Laradale" and Seth Ferry

Between 9 March 1918 and 1 February 1919 The Herald ran a weekly feature, instalments 1–35 bylined "Laradale" (William W. Goddard), based on interviews with, and unpublished memoirs of, Seth "The Master" Ferry, a major figure of the Adelaide turf scene for some 50 years. Chapters from #36 were not attributed, and may have been written by Ferry himself, and the series ended peremptorily at #46 with no explanation.[16] Goddard successfully sued the Co-operative Printing and Publishing Company, publishers of The Daily Herald for withholding part of his wages.[17] Goddard's accounts of details of his contract were refuted by The Herald.[18]

Printing

The Weekly Herald

Though some preliminary arrangements may have been made with C. W. Chandler,[2] printing was first contracted out to Webb & Son of 28 Grenfell Street. In January 1896 the contract was changed to Scrymgour & Sons of King William Street. A fortnight later Ralph William Webb and Henry Arthur Webb petitioned for the winding up of the Co-operative Printing and Publishing Company, producers of The Herald, on the grounds of unpaid debts.[19] From June 1896, Trades Hall had its own printing facilities.

The Daily Herald

Having decided to publish daily, it was necessary to upgrade the printing machinery. A rotary press would have been ideal, but the lead time for manufacture and shipping to Adelaide was too great, so they settled on a secondhand "Victory" web printing press, ex-Melbourne. A "state of the art" stereotyping plant and five Mergenthaler linotype compositing machines (four Model No. 1 duplex single-letter machines and one Model No. 4 machine) were sent out from the Broadheath, Greater Manchester factory, and were received eight weeks from placing the order.[20]

Other work

From November 1913 printing of The Southern Cross went from Scrymgour & Son to the Co-operative Printing and Publishing Company.[21]

Digitization

The National Library of Australia has digitized photographic copies as part of the Australian Newspapers Digitisation Project.

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gollark: I'm sure there are *some*.
gollark: Unrelated: slowly, my reactor efficiency goes up... soon, it shall reach a slightly higher percentage.
gollark: It simulates injuries to individual bodyparts.
gollark: Dwarf Fortress!

References
  1. Jim Moss, Sound of Trumpets Wakefield Press, Adelaide 1985 p.163 ISBN 0 949268 05 4
  2. "Growth of the Paper". Daily Herald. 2 (317). South Australia. 11 March 1911. p. 14. Retrieved 15 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "A New Weekly Democratic Paper". South Australian Register. LIX (14, 927). 15 September 1894. p. 6. Retrieved 15 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia. Ten shillings, which converted to $1 in 1966, would equate to around $50 in today's values.
  4. "Labor's New Editor". The Mail. Adelaide. 25 April 1914. p. 13. Retrieved 22 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "The 'Herald'". Daily Herald. Adelaide. 26 March 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 21 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "The Daily 'Herald'". The Herald. Adelaide. 12 February 1910. p. 8. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "What Our Readers Think". The News (Home ed.). Adelaide. 9 January 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Obituary". The Chronicle. Adelaide. 18 February 1922. p. 14. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Journalist Leaves Perth". The News (Home ed.). Adelaide. 4 March 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Alleged Libel". The Register. Adelaide. 20 June 1923. p. 9. Retrieved 22 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "Death of Mr. W. R. Pratt". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 October 1927. p. 22. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. "On The Set With Cinesound". The Singleton Argus. NSW. 20 December 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. "Personal". The Port Macquarie News and Hastings River Advocate. NSW. 28 August 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 22 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Town Tattle". Bunyip. Gawler, SA. 8 May 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. "Exit the Daily Herald". The Register. Adelaide. 24 June 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 22 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. "The Turf World". The Daily Herald (Adelaide). 9 (2791). South Australia. 1 March 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 28 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. "Journalist's Successful Claim". The Journal. LIV (14882). Adelaide. 27 March 1919. p. 1. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. "The Daily Herald Sued". Daily Herald. X (2803). South Australia. 15 March 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. "A Printing Company in Court". South Australian Register. LXI (15, 350). 24 January 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 14 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. "The Daily Herald Plant". Daily Herald (Adelaide). 1 (1). South Australia. 7 March 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 12 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. "General News". The Southern Cross. XXV (1265). South Australia. 28 November 1913. p. 11. Retrieved 15 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
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