The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-12-09
SECOND. CLASS MAIL MATTER.
Suggested That Magazines and Pc.
riodicals Pay More Postage.

The. deficit every year in the post
Office Department is largely caused by
the low ritc Of. posfaSe of j cent a
pound charged on second class mail
matter. which. includes not o,l. news
papers. but magazines and miscella-
nrons periodicals: The nctiinl loss grow
:nt out of the transmission of this
second class mali, matter. ut / cent a
pound .onpunts to about $4,000. 900 o.
gear. The average cost OF tile trans
fortation OF this piajteB Is more than
y cents 4, pound. ..,,h ~ ,.:t.,
1t appears that thcttJerage distance
over which. newspapers are delivered
10 their, customers As 21l miles. while
the average phaula.of magazines is
1.oio mud Of MISCELLANEOUS periodicals
LIPS miles. Thus tho average haul
Of the magazine is tlirFe and one-half
times and that Of The. miscellaneous
periodical ncnrly four times the haul
Of the. daily. newspaper yet all of
thcn ply the same postage rate OF !
cent Il pef,,d,,y The statistics of 1907
show that second class nnil matter
constituted 63.9l per cent of the
weight 9af oil the mnil and yielded
only SID; per cent of the revenue.
RI. figures given are startling and
:lloI the payment by the government
Of az enormous subsidy to the news.
parers. magazines and periodicals, and
congress may we'll consider whether
;ai:cal steps should not I've fukan to
'olucc the deficit in the possoHice de-
ra:iment caused by this discrepancy
between the actual cost of transporta-
ton and the compensation exacted
therefor its ii5n4s 49,
A great Saving might be made.
amounting to much more than half of
the loss. by imposing upon magazines
and periodicals. a bigher rate of post
age. They are much heavier than
newspapers and contain a much high
er PROPORTION of advertising to reading
matter. and the average distance Of
their transportation is three and a
half times as great. ~ sS
The totnlg deficit for the last fiscal
year in;l the postotiice department
Amounted TO SIT 500. COO The branches
Of its business which It did at a loss
were the second class mail service. In
which the loss. as already said. was
S63 100000, and the free rural delivery,
81 which the loss was SOS, 900. 900.
These losses were in part Offset by the
profits Of letter postage and other
sources OF income. 1t would seem
wise TO, reduce the loss upon second
class mail matter. at least to the ex-
tentrof preventing a deficit In the total
operations Of the postofice.
commend the whole subject to con-
gress. not unmindful of the spread OF
intelligence which "a low charge for
carrying newspapers and periodicals
assists. II very much doubt, however,
the wisdom Of d policy which consti-
tutes so large a subsidy andarequires
additional taxation to meet 1t.
Postal Savings Banks.
The second subject worthy Of men.
tlon in the postofiice; department is
the real necessity and entire practical
bility Of establishing postal savings
banks. The successful party at the
last election declared in favor of postal
savings banks. and. although the prop.
osition finds opponents in many parts
OF the country. | am convinced that
the people desire such banks and am
sure that when the banks are fur
nished they will be productive of the
utmost good. The postal savings banks
are not constituted for the purpose OF
creating competition with other banks.
The rate OF interest upon deposits to
which they would be limited would be
SO small rs to prevent their drawing
deposits away from other banks.
! believe them to be necessary in or.