Fiscal Problems Plague 'Advocate'; October Issue Delayed One Week

Unpaid bills held up the distribution of the October issue of the Advocate for one week after it was fully printed, Robert B. Shaw '69, president of the literary magazine, said yesterday.

The printer delayed the issue until an $800 installment on a $1,500 bill was paid, said Shaw.

The Advocate raised $400 of this amount from advertising and past sales. Its Board of Trustees gave emergency assistance of another $400 from interest on the money already amassed in the Advocate's $100,000 Endowment Fund Drive.

The Board of Trustees, which is composed of former Advocate editors, began the drive at the end of 1966. Shaw said about one-half of the $100,000 has been raised.

Shaw said the endowment would take some of the financial pressure off of the Advocate's editors and allow them to devote more time to literary activities. "Now, we labor under the problem of insufficient cash, both to pay bills and to schedule more public readings," he said.

Money Takes Time

The Advocate does not realize enough revenue from its sales to sponsor lucrative public readings by writers of reputation who demand large fees, said Shaw. "The result is a vicious cycle of spiraling indebtedness accompanied by drooping staff morale," he added.

The magazine's staff has proposed that the Trustees donate $500 per issue to finance sending free issues to each of the 500 former editors in hopes of gaining greater financial support from them.

According to the Constitution of the Advocate, four issues are to be published each year. Shaw said lack of funds has been a major reason for the failure to do so in the past three years.

As part of an attempt to increase sales, free Advocates were given to all members of the freshman class. This introductory issue included a notice--"This is the last free Advocate you will get"--and a subscription blank.