The vital statistics of newspaper publishing in 1940 last week became available.
There was a distinct drop in the death rate. Whereas 50 U. S. dailies folded in 1938, and 75 in 1939, the mortality of 1940 was only 39. Other facts:
> Europe's war and the Presidential campaign helped bring a rise of almost 5% in circulations. Advertising revenues also went up 3%.
> The tendency of rival papers to combine went on unchecked: of the 39 that folded, ten disappeared by merger.
> Of the rest of the 39, 13 survived as weeklies.
> Most of the year's notable casualties were in the...