although the war seemed to hold out hope of an increased demand for hard news on the part of the local population, this was not immediately apparent as the paper experienced a sharp drop in advertising revenue which led to a decision by the board to cut the salaries of 14 members of the business and editorial staff by 12 percent. even though this financial shock proved to be temporary, the war brought other challenges for the paper, not least of these being the effects of the u-boat blockade which curtailed the supply of newsprint so that the editions that appeared during the war years were in most cases closely printed in minuscule type on only four pages. another result of the war was the relatively advanced age of those working for the paper, as most of the younger men had gone off to fight.