(1) Typeface Size: Chinese-language newspapers shall use typefaces no smaller than No. 6 for news items. There will be no typeface restrictions for commercial advertisements. The present typeface size for classified ads shall be enlarged by fifteen percent.

Just how big is No. 6 typeface? About one-ninth of an inch by one-ninth. No. 6 is the size used by all Chinese-language newspapers on Taiwan except the United Daily News and China Times groups, which shrink the typeface a bit to pack in more news.

Actually No. 6 is pretty small. Newspapers on the mainland in the past used No. 5, which is a lot easier on the eyes, and U.S. newspapers used No. 4, which is even bigger.

(2) Number of Pages: The upper limit shall be six sheets (24 pages) and the lower limit one sheet (four pages).

The reason for the upper limit, people say, is printing equipment. Most of the current machines turn out three large sheets, or twelve pages at a time, so adding another machine brings the total to 24. But I think the major reason is not because of equipment but contents--a lot more people are needed to write stories and think of creative ways to fill up the space! Newspapers feel that with their present resources they can no more than double in size. Actually, the range from four to 24 pages is quite flexible, so each paper can find a size that best suits it.

(3) Ad-to-News Ratio: There will be no restrictions on the ratio of space for news items and for advertisements.

Radio and TV stations are restricted in their news-to-ad ratio, but we feel that if a newspaper has more ads than news and people still buy it, that's the reader's choice. Some newspapers in the U.S. are all ads.

(4) Effective Date: The increase in pages will formally begin on January 1, 1988. At the same time, the Government Information Office will accept applications to register new newspapers.

(5) Study Group: A nine-member group composed of six representatives from the newspaper publishing associations and three representatives of the Government Information Office will be formed to study the strengthening of press self-discipline and the news appraisal function.

The nine-member group will not supplant the existing news appraisal committee in its appraisal functions but rather will study ways of improving the news appraisal system and strengthening self-discipline in the press.

After press restrictions are lifted, competition among newspapers will be intensified. A few large papers may gobble up most of the market, with the little papers trying to find a niche by inflaming passions and stirring up violence. That's why the news appraisal system is very important.

(6) Separate Editions: The practice of issuing separate editions of the same newspaper with different news items and advertisements shall remain at the current level and not be expanded due to the addition of pages.

Under the page restrictions of the past, several unreasonable practices have grown up in the newspaper business, one of which is that of issuing separate editions of the same newspaper with different news and ads according to the area of distribution. Because of this, readers in Taipei miss out on a lot of news in the south, and vice versa, resulting in a big loss for readers. We suggested that the practice be curtailed, which was also the hope of the local papers, but the idea met with resistance, so it was decided to maintain the present level without further expansion.

(7) Price: The newspaper association shall agree on and set a series of prices based on the number of pages and report them to the responsible agencies.

The prices preliminarily agreed on by the association are NT$4, NT$6, and NT$8 for four, eight, and twelve pages. Prices for larger newspapers are flexible by NT$1: NT$9 or NT$10 for sixteen pages, NT$10 or NT$11 for twenty pages, and NT$11 or NT$12 for 24 pages.

(8) A newspaper will be required to apply for a new license if it plans to publish or print a paper in a different locality than the one for which it registered, and the paper will have to be identified under the masthead as a district edition.

This requirement, which is actually a flexible relaxation of the previous regulation that a newspaper could have only one printing plant, was the most unacceptable to the local papers.

In the past, the big newspapers in Taipei had to have their news from other parts of the island sent back to Taipei for editing and printing before sending it back South again. It was very unscientific.

Relaxation of the regulation will take away the advantage that local papers had of coming out first, so they resisted it strongly. But in a free and open environment, competition among the big papers and the little ones is probably impossible to avoid.

After the number of pages increases, newspapers will no longer fit on posting boards.

This structure on Minsheng E. Rd. is rumored to be the future headquarters of the Free Press Daily. The absence of any signs on the building or the surrounding fence envelops the project in mystery.

The office of the stillborn Time News with a copy of a test issue.