Gag Loosed

As all editors had hoped it would, the U.S. Supreme Court this week declared unconstitutional Minnesota's "gag law" (TIME, Dec. 30, 1929) which empowered any district judge to suppress by permanent injunction any publication that he deemed "malicious, scandalous or defamatory." The case at hand had been in the courts since 1927, when the Minneapolis judge first enforced the law against the Saturday Press which had been attacking public officials for alleged vice protection. Publishers J. M. Near and Howard A. Guilford, lacking funds, were aided first by the American Civil Liberties Union, then by the Chicago Tribune and American Newspaper Publishers' Association.

Presswise Prince

When H. R. H. Edward of Wales was visiting South America recently he found no dearth of British news in the dailies there. But, presswise, he was quick and displeased to observe how many of the despatches carried the initial slugs UP & AP. News originating in London he found under New York datelines, labeled by the great U. S. wire services that had relayed it from across the sea. In speeches last fortnight before manufacturers of North England, H. R. H. called for an all-British news service in Latin America. His point: He may have fertilized the field of South American trade by his visit; but it must be kept constantly irrigated by plentiful news of Britain and Britons if fruit is to be borne.*

Odds, Ends

P: To be executive editor of Tower Publications, magazines published for sale in Woolworth chain stores, was appointed Verne Porter, onetime editor of Cosmopolitan, editor-in-chief of Hearst's Cosmopolitan Productions (films), editor-in-chief of Paramount-Famous-Lasky, lately scenario editor in the East of Universal Pictures Corp. His duty: to keep liaison between Editorial Director Hugh Weir and the managing editors of the respective magazines (New Movie, Illustrated Love, Illustrated Detective, Home). P: Ten years ago famed Typographer Frederic William Goudy was commissioned by Woman's Home Companion to design a new type face for the magazine's headings and captions. In course of its development one of his foremost craftsmen died, the work was halted. Later Typographer Goudy installed a cutting and casting plant in an abandoned mill on his own place at Marlborough-on-Hudson, N. Y., himself resumed the task. Last week the June issue of Woman's Home Companion appeared with the new type, a light, graceful letter to be named "Woman's Home Companion Old Style & Italic." The designer described it as "a letter with a degree of strength, yet with a touch of femininity." The body of the magazine is in Garamond, also created by Mr. Goudy.

* But United Press which supplies most of the outside news to South America, states that its report contains more words of British than U. S. news.

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