The Ketchikan miner., 1907-06-01
POSTAL nISCRfM-
 NATION.

1NA1lS9N.
 Commenting on the new postal laws and regulations of Canada The Out look says that the dominion postal authorities evidently believe that Canadians ought 10 want to read papers and magazines published in London rather than those printed in the United States. Their kindly pasernal conviction has led ;o a change in iho postal agreement be- tween Canada and the United States ,the old agreement having just ex- piredl whereby papers and magazines sent 10 Canada from Great Britain will pav only one half as much postage as those mailed to Canada from this country. Formerly an English puhii cation had 10 pay eight times as much aS an AmericSn-whieh was obviously unfair: hut the questions may he put. Why replace one injustice by another2 Why no, allow British and American literature and journalistic output to compete on even terms and let the best brains win? The reasons. IS we gather them tlesn Canadian publi- cation. are these:
 In the words of one of our public men, the republic Ii. e., the United States was under tne old arrange ment, acquiring an intellectual supremacy" over Us that could not be regarded as desirable, The ,;evel- opunens oi periodical literature of our own WAS being retarded if not rendered impossible. The cheap New York maya asine travelled as freely through our mails a> through the American. as freely through Ontario aS Michigan, while all she postal revenue went 10 Washington. and not $ cent 10 Ottawa. All these pub licatious were crammed with adver.is- ing, uoap o. is Canadian. We were sort of cheap annex to the republic an extra stretch Of country thrown in to boot or 10 make good measure ir all things having to do with literature and publishing.
 Thus those Canadians who repre- hensihly like American yellow jour uals are gently urged to turn for >olacs to London's All Sloper" and Tit Bits: and those Canadians who like, say. the Atlantic Monthly. the Century. or the North American Re view. can get them by paying, in addition 10 the price and former ]. postage. the protcpetise fine levied by their Government. Probably Ameri- can publishers will be less disturbed by the unequal competition with their , British brethren thus thrust upon them than by the oppressive and worrisome conditions of the ne " arrangement. T. is possible that magazines at least may be sent by freight or express 10 Canadian news agencies. and by then remailing to the individual Canadian addresses. h this case. Of course. the Canadian Government would receive all the l postage at the regular Canadian rates. and the American publisher would pay eApressage. postage, and agent ; commission. But with periodicals (which make news and comment or news their field this method, cum brous and slow in any event. would /. become unendurahle If, on the other hand. such periodical is mail ed direct the subscriber. he must pay the extra po>iage-in the case ot The Outlook it will amount 10 about l.2U annually the American puoIihser must also. under the new order calculate the amount of postage due for each package of his Canadian mail and prepay that amount sep aratelg 5y means ot hostage stamp: affixed. l. remains D be seen how Canadian readers will like this arti- icial regulation Of their literary ste by wha. is practically tax paid out of their pockets. Judging by letter; received from our subscribers. there is already q growing sentiment fol the repeal of this obnoxious discrim. iua,ion. and we do rot think that the danger Of foreign intellectual su. premacy. or the pathetic outer! against superfiuI.y of magazine ad- ! Tertising ''none Of it Canadian, can save Q ueaures so essentially fool tsh.