The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-30
TO HANDICAP PUBLISHERS.

TO HANDICAP PUBLISHERS.
For some months a commission has
been investigating the workings of the
postoffice department with a view to
economizing in expense and increasing
revenues, and the commission has re-
ported its findings to congress-. Among
the most radical recommendations af-
fecting the second-class business. which
includes newspapers and magazines. is
one that no newspaper or periodical
may have more than so per cent Of any
issue covered by advertising. nor shall
any advertisement be printed upon pa
per Of any greater weight than the text
of the publication
This and other proposed restrictions
would be funny if they were not so
palpably absurd. For instance. such a
rule would compel every magazine
publisher TO cut down his advertising
matter fully one-half. with a conse-
quent loss of revenue. He would either
have TO cheaper his literary matter or
go out Of business McCIure's. for in
stance, OF the American magazines.
Harper's. Scribner's and the Century.
could no more reduce the amount of adj
vertising to One-half the volume now
published. and live than they could
give away their publications and srHl
exist.
Newspaper publishers would be quite
4 epr.fpFr-lr- "a
best newspapers seldom publish more
than 30 per cent Of advertising. but on
Sundays the revenue would he fatally
affected if the so per cent rule were
adopted. The effect would be TO raise
the rate of advertising and subscription
to the public. reduce the amount and
quality Of reading matter and dislocate
the whole publishing business for years
to come. or until such time as publish
ers could adjust their operations to en-
tirely new conditions.
The trouble with the commission's
whole report is that its members re-
gard tht postoffice department as a
money-making proposition. whereas il
is like any other department of public
service, and has a part to play involV-
ing educational and social forces that
cannot be handled solely as unitarian
factors in government administration
Again. it has been shown that the az
vertising of periodicals and newspapers
is a great power i'm producing iirst-class
mail matter. Some establishments in
Chicago, that do a mail order business
only, and do it by advertising alone
originate more letter mail III and out Of
their cities than any thousand smaller
establishments that do not advertise
They bear the same relation to postal
revenue that branch lines built as feed
ers bear to The trunk lines OF railroad
systems.
1t has been established by the inves-
LEGATIONS of various publishers associa-
tions that one of the chief sources OF
postal dcficit is the frsnked matter sent
out by government departments. AL
of the cost of carrying this free mat
ter is charged up To the postal depart
meut. whereas it should be charged Il
the department in which it originates
Under the present system the postal
officials are attributing the deficits g
the carriage of newspapers and period
ica!s when. as matter of fact, they
are profitable TO The governmeEe.
10 one doubts that thers have beer
grave abuses of the second-elass classi-
dcation, and that many publications
which get the cent-a-pound rate snoulS
be paying regular postage: but that is
the fault Of the administration OF thu
department. not of the legitimate pub
LEGATIONS. Publications circulated free
should not be entitled to the low rate
nor should those which are printed sole
" for the advertising revenue; bU q
genuine newspaper or periodical Of any
kind is an educational force. IL is 9
benefit to the whole people, it certainly
ranks IN value with the innumerabl'
government publications which are
printed by the thousands and dead
headed through the mail at government
expense TO congressional constituents
most of whom never read what IS scnr
them. and fewer of whom get any ten
eft from their receipt.
If the design Of the commission IS Z
hamper legitimate publications because
The present system has been abused. it'
report is calculated to attain that 90
iect speedily; n It is intended 90 serve
the public's best interests, II is a feeble
ill-advised effort.
"a. ..,.oaf travail the lower hons,