The speed with which TIME is usually delivered from the printer to the news dealer in the U.S. was aptly illustrated recently by John Rogan, manager of the St. Louis branch of the American News Co., the national organization which distributes most of our newsstand copies. Copies of TIME, printed in Chicago, arrive at his offices in St. Louis at 7 a.m. Thursday. According to Rogan, "They're still hot from the special heat process used for quick-drying the ink. Often they're still warm when the news dealers first touch them. To my mind, it really emphasizes the freshness and speed with which TIME has come to them."

American News plays an important part in this "freshness and speed." From some 490 distribution points it has to deliver TIME, on time and in the correct quantities, to 45,000 news dealers, stationers, booksellers, druggists, department stores, etc. throughout the U.S. and Canada. Among other things, these magazine retailers are a source of continuing information about TIME readers. For instance, Dave Snyder, who runs a newsstand in Denver, reports that his customers always "beef" on the few occasions when TIME is late. Like many other dealers these days, Harold Raub, who operates a newsstand in Battle Creek, Mich., has had a hard time keeping enough copies of TIME on hand since the Korean war began. Says he: "They're certainly strong for TIME'S news coverage."

For the last 27 years American News has been distributing TIME to dealers like these throughout the U.S. This long association, covering all of TIME'S existence, was brought home to us this month by the retirement of Michael A. Morrissey, board chairman of American News (see cut), who began as an errand boy 49 years ago. He was assistant general manager in 1923 when TIME was founded, and courageously agreed to distribute 5,000 copies of TIME'S first issue. He sold half of them. Last week his company sold nearly 300,000 copies of TIME in the U.S. and Canada (total U.S. circulation: more than 1,600,000).

Cordially yours,

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