The Electric New Paper's 60 cents now but 5 cents then for The Straits Times?

The Straits Times was established in 1845. It started as a weekly paper which appeared on Tuesday mornings. The front page was devoted to advertisements with editorial on the second page, followed by local news items and foreign news. In late 1930s, The Straits Times faced stiff competition from The Malaya Tribune, which claimed a daily circulation of close to 13,000. A decision was made to slash the price of 10 cents to 5 cents. The result was instantaneous. The Straits Times was in every way, superior to the Tribune, in its news, its features, its pictures and presentation. The clerks could now afford the tuan's paper. There was also more coverage of local events and Asian life. There were also regular features on local history and customs. The Straits Times was renamed Shonan Times and later, Syonan Shimbun during the Japanese Occupation. After the war, the Straits Times adopted a new look -- its front page now carried major news items. It was published in the morning. It brought the first reliable news of what was happening on the local scene and overseas. Certainly an improvement over war-time Domei propaganda.

The Straits Times revived the Singapore Free Press on May 15 1946, after the latter ceased publication in 1869. It cost ten cents and carried worldwide cable news. The Singapore Free Press also included features on special Army Welfare home and sports news. Friendly rivalry existed between the Straits Times and the Free Press. This proved beneficial to both papers. As the editors had their own independence, the newspapers sometimes took contradictory stands on issues. The Free Press appeared in the afternoon. It faced a constant challenge to produce a front page story that would outdo the morning paper.   The Malaya Tribune was launched in 1914, to cater for the English-educated locally-domiciled population. The Chinese, Malay and Indian communities already had their own paper, but the English-language press was designed to appeal to a European readership. The Tribune was priced at five cents, which prompted a name, kerani's or clerk's paper. It's low pricing was to appeal to a broad Asian readership. In its early years, The Tribune often faced an uncertainty in its finances. It was also affected by high newsprint charges. It's office was even bombed during the Japanese Occupation. However, it survived and eventually was to challenge the Straits Times itself. It was also the training ground for many local journalist -- T.S. Khoo, T.H. Tan and Leslie Hoffman. The Tribune finally folded in 1951.   Source: Dateline Singapore by C.M. Turnbull Moses' start page T.S. Khoo's life: First chapter Copyright © 1997 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.