Sir, - I was stunned by the highly inflationary price increase of over 11 per cent in the price of The Irish Times. What makes it worse is the fact that, as far as I can remember, there has always been at least one day's notice of an increase so that one could be forearmed. Maybe you were being economical with information to save "pagination". Or was it because of the size of the increase to be hopefully swallowed by gullible readers? I declined to buy as I shall do on one day each week henceforth.
The increase is outrageous when set against the retail rate of inflation even though you state that it is the first increase in seven years. Your argument is compromised somewhat by the reported sales increase of 26 per cent over the same period.
Whatever happened to the odd increase of two pence or so, now and then, often absorbed with a shrug after a few days fasting? That grew to five pence on the last few occasions, but now the "added value" is tilted towards the production line rather than we readers. Does anyone remember what two shillings might have meant! Come on, get real or you'll force us to the Internet . - Yours, etc.,
Adrian S. Doak, Blackrock, Co Dublin.