Every experienced superintendent is confident he can edit his favorite trade paper better than it is now edited, at least in some particulars. Yet the fact is that the publishers of trade papers, whose success depends upon their ability to produce publications which large numbers of specialists like enough to buy, use only a very small part of the information in the articles presented by these specialists before technical societies. Furthermore, there are only a very few technical societies which publish journals that even pay expenses, unless a wholly unreasonable proportion of the annual dues are assumed to be paid solely for the journals. The societies, such as the Society of Chemical Industry, which publish profitable journals, conduct this part of their activities precisely like the publishers of trade journals. Therefore it is reasonable to believe that the methods of editing a successful trade journal are worth explaining at this time to the members of the American Water Works Association, for our printers have been compelled to increase their charges for publishing our Journal about one-third, and it is necessary to adopt more economic methods in preparing papers for presentation and publication, in order to keep well within the budget for printing expenses. Furthermore the War Industries Board has ordered the amount of paper used in the Journal reduced about 20 per cent. There are two entirely distinct «lasses of papers published by technical societies. The first class is essentially news; it describes work planned, or under construction, or done. The second class is scientific; it describes investigations, analyzes the reasons for success or failure of methods of design or construction, reviews the state of some particular art or practice, or discusses those principles of economics which underlie sound business administration.