The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-17
ABOUT NEWSPAPER POSTAGE.

Joseph Mednl, - the Chssago Tribune,
Makes an Argument Before the Senate
Committee In Favor q Cheap Nswspa-
per Postage.
WASHINGTON, April s.oJoseph Medill,
EDITOR of the Chicago Tribune made an ar
yument before the Senate Committee on
Postoffices and Post-roads in favor of a re-
iuctiOn of the present pound rates of postage
on newspapers issued from the Office of
publication. The present law was, he said,
an occasion of laying oppressive tax upon
publishers. 1t was enacted in 1874 and fixed
the rate of postage on papers issued from
the Office of publication at two cents per
pound, which rate it made prepayablr at the
office of publication. Before the enactment
of this law the postage of this class OF
mail matter was collected at the Office
of delivery, from the subscriber, the
news agent or whoever received the papers,
the tax falling on the purchaser, as it ought.
But it was said that a great many of the
papers were not taken Olaf of the pOSt-office,
and in order to stop this loss of revenue, a
law requiring prepayment was enacted
The result has been that the publishers of
the United States have been compelled to
pay this tax, amounting TO about 1850, 900
per annum during the past ten years. In
the cases of hundreds of newspapers, daily
newspapers and some weeklieS, that do not
make any profits, the publishers have, as a
matter of fact, to borrow money to pay that
postage. The postage, at present rates,
amounts on a single newspaper the size of
the New York Herald, Times or Tribune,
Chicago Tribune, or any seven-cOlumn
paper, to 81 or LEO per year, according to
the number of supplements that may be is
sued. 1t is taken out of the pockets of
the publisher and iii a majority of cases
represents all the profit paper
makes. 1t is also a very severe tax on
agricultural and religious newspapers Mr..
Medill said when this law was passed, it was
also enacted that country papers should be
allowed travel through the mails free of
postage, within the county in which they
are published. This law was unfair. 1t
helped newspapers published in the county
seats in large counties like Lancaster, in
Pennsylvania, and st. Lawrence in New
York, but did not benefit the. newspapers
printed in corners of counties, or margins of
counties, large portion of whose circula-
ton is in counties other than that in which
they are published. He said the press gen.
orally did not think it fair that in order to
make up the deficiency caused by carrying
Government matter free and country papers
free in the county of publication, they
should be compelled to bear the burden of
the present rate, especially. when the Gov
eminent is in receipt of millions of surplus
revenues. which are such trouble to Con-
gresS. Neither did they think the POSt-Office
Department would lose much revenue by
the proposed reduction of rates to one cent
a pound. He pointed out that at present
the express companies carried the bulk of
this class of matter for short distance of
200 or 800 miles because they carried it
shade cheaper than the Government. The
Government, he said, was doing the lean
part OF the business-the long distance
hauling-while the express company had the
fat part of the business. If the rates charged
by the Government were cut down to 81 per
100 pounds he thought pretty nearly all the
would be carried in the mails.