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chanics' liens; for the publication of permits for new buildings and the alteration of old ones ; for notices of bankruptcies and business reverses and of the sale of property for unpaid taxes ; for notices of bids for city contracts and of assessments for pavements and for water and sewerage improvements ; announce
ments of permanent and temporary assignments in the police department, as also the transfers , leaves of absence, fines , rep rimands and dismissals of charges in the department, and similar notices concerning the fire department, when this is under direct civic control; and for all legal advertisements that concern the local government. It is thus seen that the government, in some form , either
federal, state , or local, is the source of no small part of the daily paper and it thus becomes the guarantor of the reliability of such
parts as it itself furnishes. It is true that even here errors may creep in , - weather forecasts may be disturbed by extraordinary
atmospheric conditions, violent storms may delay the arrival and the departure of mails, and the fallibility of typesetters may
change the meaning of reports and announcements. But it can at least be assumed that the guarantee of the government re
duces to an irreducible minimum the element of errancy in those parts of the newspaper for which it is responsible. It is true that some of these guarantees have been modified
during times of war or socialupheaval, but they must be under stood as the guarantees that may be relied upon under normal conditions.
The newspaper on its part stands ready to assume much more responsibility than is formally demanded by the law . If it does not actually print, it is at all times ready to give the name of the
person in charge of the various special departments demanded by its readers , or engaged to increase its circulation .
Much space is given in the press to the letters of regular cor
respondents concerning foreign and domestic affairs. These are as a rule signed with the name of the writer, or with his initials and thus easily identified. The larger papers have their columns or
pages for games, sporting news, and athletic contests, and these are in charge of an editor usually named. The art editor, the musical and dramatic critic, and the literary edito
