Subscribers to the "North-China Daily News' were recently invited to express their opinions on the new size and make-up of the paper. Their response has been wide and very _informiag, opinions having been expressed by about 1,000 subscribers. in Shanghai and half as many more in the interior of China. We thank them for a mass of well-thought-out criticism; many complimentary remarks on the change; some whole-hearted condemnation of our deviation from the old landmarks; and an_ occasional sparkle of humour—sometimes unconscious. Among the latter is the suggestion that we print one section of advertisements and one of news and give the public the option of subscribing to whichever they prefer; another that we publish exchange quotations for to-morrow, as everybody knows what they were yesterday. To come to figures, the gemer: opinion is expressed as follow per_cent. In favour of new format 70 In favour of old format 19. Miscellaneous comment: 11
The principal adverse criticism is naturally against any change in the old order of things, viz., putting the temperature reading (once on the front page) after the daily weather report, which after all is the logical place for it; altering the position of the telegraphic news, ete. Another is against the practice of making up in two sections instead of one, which seven per cent. of those who replied object to. This latter change, we may again state, is dictated by mechanical requirement, and saves appreciable time in printing and publishing the paper.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.