The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-10-01
REDUCINCo|El'P0lG
Immediate Legislation Adyooat sd:
by Postal Progress sague B.
GREAT SAVING 70 the PUBLIC.

r. 4 y go
Congress to ae Asked 70 Consolidate
Fret Third and Fourth clSss II of
Mail, With cornnon Rate on one
Cent For Each TWO Ounces StsFraosS
tion-Thsrsof. &. :. 5;S,S Segi ~
At the instance OF the Postal PsosressS
league bill viii be introduced In con-
gress at an early date for the conxoli.;
dalton Of the first, third ana fo1tsrth.
classes OF mail matter with q COMMON
rate. of l cent, for each two. ounces OF 81.
fraction thereof, says the New York
Post. .,"' @,'2'. is5f " q 9. q w
The idea represented IN this bin wM
constitute the principal point De tha
leagues programme for ther coining
year. 1t Is hardly to be expected that
so radical q move will receive the Sxne<
ton Of legislative enactment, but that
prospect does not deter the association,
from furthering a reform the ACCEPT
ance of which it considers to be only
a question Of time. - " SS.ISSS
In statement issued by the leagpS
explaining this move the reaRona hl9-
ness and feasibility of the demands 1pS
set forth and its timeliness Sis empha.
sized. The prevailing depression gin,
business, according to the league, Rust
lead to an. Irresistible demand for rea..
sonable. postal legislation that viii re,3
duce business expenses and widen
business opportunities. = - =. - IS
Our domestic letter revenues for tho;
past year amounted to about $3.50, 000,.
OO0 Reducing the rate from q scentS
per ounce to / cent for two ounces
would therefore, according 10 r ths
league, save the public about $50, COO;
600 year in postage, and this saving
would grow as business i1creahed.
There might be slight. reduction In
revenues for a year or two, bur exc
perience teaches that the postal income.
would soon be larger than ever, In thu
present case, moreover, any possible
reduction in the general revenues
would be fully met by the Increased
rural income that would follow the ess.t
Establishment Of the cheap rural post,
The first notable reduction Ia the
letter rates Of this country occtrYedsan
1845, when the previously exorbitant
rates were reduced to s cents pei, half
ounce up to 800 miles and 10 centa for
greater distances. The effect of tails,
reform In the revenue was to bring
about q temporary reduction; but by
194S the figures Of 1SA5 had been sur
passed. ~ 81 80 .@,<s&s '::3$.
In 1864 the rates,wer again reduced
to 8 cents per half ounce up3 to % COO
miles and cents FOR greater distances:
Again the revenue showed la Temporary
slump, bnt by 1856 the previous akurea
We're again surpassed The act oS 1863
making the three cent half ounce rate
OF 1851 the uniform rate for all dig
tances was followed by a steady In
crease Of postal income. During the
interval 1SS3-18S5 the letter rates were
reduced from 3 cents per half ounce
to 2 cents per ounce, and the publish
ers and newsdealers' rates ON maya
zines and newspapers were cut from
1 to cents per pound. Again there
was u slight temporary falling on In
revenue from $500, 600 in 1883, but
by. 1887 it had reached $49,8OO,OOO and
, by 1890 $6O,9O0,000. In~190O 1t was
O2,OO0,0OO. The postal deficiency for
1883 was less than for any year dur
ing the period from 1857 to 1870. -.
AS a result OF the 33 1-3 per cent
| reduction Of the letter rate In 1883 the
postal revenues fell off less than 7 per
| cent In the two succeeding years, and
| the 100 per cent increase Of, the letter
unit--from half ounce to ain ounce
in 1885 was accompanied by an I'm,
mediate increase in the revenues which
in 1887 were Z per cent, In 1890 33 10
per cent and in 1900 100 per cent high
er than in 1888, the year OF the letter
rate reduction. T.. -, - :: g :
The rapid increase in our population,
which contributed largely to the IN.
creased use Of the mails and the con.
Bequent increase Of income that quick.
~ followed the. reduced rates; Of ;iS45,
1851 and 1888, Will prove. q yet more
potent factor in increasing our postal
income under the, proposed REDUCTION
OF rates, for our population is growing
more rapidly today than ever before.
r the ratio Of increase of'the last sev-
en- years continues, the growth OF our
population during the decade i906r10
will be over 100000, or SO 1-3 per
cent more than in any previous decade.
The immigration Of each Of the last
three years-over 100000 q year--has
been double that Of anysof the seven
years following the postal reduction in
rates Of 1883. .-~' y ",
The experience Of England as to the
effect Of bringing her letter service
within the use Of the COMMON people
has been precisely the same as .ours.
The reduction from the distance sys
tenn Of postage with rates 8 cents per
half ounce up to fifteen miles or "a
cents for the greatest distance to the
nniform|2 cents half ounce rate of 1899
was followed by slight falling OF III
revenues at FIRST, but the letter post In
come quickly surpassed that Of the ORD
Eegime, and 1t continued to advance
with leaps and bounds 1.-The English