Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-07-11
PUBLISHERS, WATCH This BILL.


Measure Which Efforts Should he Put
Forth to Circumvent.
Fourth Estate: All publishers Of
weekly newspapers are interested IN
the bill prepared by the postoff1ce de-
Lartment, the title of which Is given
below:
An Act to Revise and Codify the Laws
Relating to the Postot1ice Depart
ment and Postal Service, and for
Other Purposes"
The bill covers all the postal laws and
regulations from the appointment Of
postmaster general down, and makes
out few changes from present laws.
IT was recommended by the postal
committee OF the house of representa-
tives as making no changes of tmpor-
lance, and passed by the house with
that understanding. After reaching
the senate and being referred to the
committee on poStoffices and postroads
of that body. it was discovered by sew
eral newspaper men that by the simple
omission of three words-"other than
weelslies all weekly periodicals pub
Hshed in cities and towns having the
carrier delivery system would be COM
PEELED to stamp every copy sent to local
subscribers With 1 or 2-cent stamps, ac-
cording to weight.
On learning this, publishers in Bos-
ton. New York and Chicago and else
of the bin fully understood by the
postal committee of the senate. Let
ters We're sent to senators from varl-
lcus states, acquainting them with the
serious and unequal burden to be i'm
posed on weekly periodicals by the pro-
posed change. by these efforts the bill
was stopped in the senate committee,
and failed of passage in the Fifty-sixth
congress.
As a whole the bill is important, and
1t will undoubtedly be presented to the
Eifty-seventh congress for adoption,
possibly with some changes. 1t will
be noted that the burden is placed not
only en- weekly periodicals published in
cities, but the rapid extension Of rural
free delivery will also come upon coun-
try papers which now circulate FREQ
n the counties where published. AZ
the circulation of many of these is al
most entirely local, the new rate pro-
posed would in many cases be abso-
iutely prollibitive, and oblige discon-
.inuance of publication.
This proposed change bears with spe-
cial severity on weeklies, because the
circulation of the large majority Of
them is almost entirely a subscription
circulation, and chiefly local. The To-
cal circulation of most monthlies is
small as compared with the whole, and
Is In all cases by large percentage a
news agency or news stand sale, and
not a subscription or mail distribution;
but the contrary is true of weeklies
An increase in local rates impairs their
chief source of revenue. Nearly all
weekly periodicals are published on q
very small margin, and could not en-
aure an increase of expense.
Some weelslies. of which the sub
scrlption price is 81 year, weigh more
than two ounces, and would be obliged
to pay Sl.04 postage on each local sub
scription. Others which weigh more
than two ounces, after paying $1.04
postage. would not have enough left
to pay for printing.
The proposed change would make an
unjust discrimination between weeklies
published In places having letter car
rier delivery and others which circulate
free in the counties where published.