'Nice Idea, Gents"

In the first six months of 1950, more han 2,000 newspaper employees lost their jobs as the result of staff cuts, newspaper mergers and failures. Meanwhile the number of monopoly newspaper towns increased. Alarmed at this trend, the American Newspaper Guild last week voted to go into the newspaper business itself to provide jobs and competition.

The annual convention of the 24,766-member Guild, meeting in Washington, B.C., did not decide where the union would publish its first general newspaper. But the delegates appropriated $50,000 or "Project X," and set up a committee see where the paper--or papers--should be started. The Guild's idealistic plan: to get other unions to back Guild newspapers with funds and subscriptions, but to keep their editorial policies (though prolabor) free from "the vagaries of union politics." Commented the New York Daily News, with tolerant sarcasm: NICE IDEA, GENTS GO TO IT.

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