If the recent coal strike does not seem to have directly affected this magazine, then just about every other economic factor seems to be battering at our doors! Taking up much time that can be ill-spared, run on an almost profitless shoe-string, WARGAMER'S NEWSLETTER is fighting a valiant rearguard action against Rising Costs. In the three years or so that the magazine has been printed by this method, the cost for that service have risen by 150%, postage rate 6 have soared sky-high and the increases for inland postage that come into force on the 6th March are going to present a ticklish problem, depending upon the postal clerk's interpretation as to whether the almost exactly 2 ozs of Newsletter and envelope falls within the stipulated "under 2 ozs." This month has come yet another devastating blow at our morale as our printer presents a demand for an approximate 20% increase in his charges! When I reveal that that printer is Neville Dickinson of Miniature Figurines whose off-shoot firm of Perdic Printers has been turning out this magazine for some months, readers will be aware that Neville is in a position to not only be completely conversant with the shoe-string budget of this magazine, but also with the role it plays in the wargames world. Undoubtedly, his costs have risen and he cannot be expected to even contemplate subsidising this, the longest standing wargaming magazine. At the same time, neither can the editor! The simple answer might seem to be to raise subscription rates but I cannot help feeling that the cost of this magazine at present is just about all I would like to have to pay for such a publication, however unique it may be within the hobby. Even so, with most of the subscriptions running from the beginning to the end of the year, any rise in price now could not be of very much benefit until 1973 which means that the editor has to bear all increases for the next nine months. I suppose the purpose of all this is really to put it on record that, if I am to continue publishing the Newsletter, then some economies will have to take place. Steps are being taken to investigate alternative and less expensive methods of printing (which is about the only point where any economies can be made). So, if your Newsletter arrives a different appearance in the not-too-distant future, then bear with me because the contents will be exactly the same as those that you seemed to have liked and appreciated over the past ten years. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 121 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1972 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com