Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-01-12
rNBusINEss.lIKE METHODS.

The trouble with the general post
ofnce IL the same trouble thai would
bcset any business man who should
attempt 70 transact his business By
similar methods~thpt ~. hy doing
work Or selling goods ~ less than
cost. The charge for carrying news
papers through the mails wa fixed ~
q price below the actual cost Of the
service because the dissemination Of
information IL that manner was re-
garded as an educational work in
which the government might properly
engage, and the actual money losa IN
That line n business WAS more than
made up by the gains IN other lines
~ the business.
But since the rate MAS fixed, thou
sands Of weekly or monthly maya
zines. devoted chiefly to advertising
purnoaes-Firictly commercial enter
prises-haYe sprung up al over the
country, and are nov sending through.
the mniIs every year literally millions
~ pounds Of sueh matter ut the news
paper rate Of one cent a pound, while
tie government IL regularly paying
fo4 the carrying ~ such matter MIN
cents q pound. thus putting upon the
department 30 Immense annual deficit
which has finally become too great
TO be borne, md there Is q general
demand Tor q rldieai reform, by place
Ing such publications under q higher
class,
There IL ~ need " drawing any
cornps rlsona bet cen the utiliiy ~ the
daily newspapers nnd tbcae peiiod-
a.s, thes both fli q need "a our eis
~iiization and perform o part ~ tae
spread Of intelligence which ihe low
postal rate INSISTS. Bot u eannot b.
denied trathfnily that when the low
rate WAS made the newspapers were
the sole vehicles for the spread Of in
teiligenee intended 10 be assisted, and
thar the elass has since been swamped
~ tho exaggerated growth ~ another
style OF publication. making its APP
peal on q totally different basis. The
current magazines spread intelii-
gence but they do a great deal more
than that. ana the question rs leelti-
mateiy asked why They should enjoy
81 postal rate That Is denied tG tie
publishers Of books and 70 lho COM
mercial world ia general A large
part ui the average periodical bust
ncrs differs imperceptibly from the
book publishing trade, ana the advcr-
ilsing matter which makes up tho
larger bulk 81 those publications is
identical with tho mercantile adver-
Using circulars which. when mailed
Independently have 81 pay third-ciass
rafea.
Thore is mo- logic or justice ia such
an arrangement The setond-clnss
mail has grown 20 he present proper
lions by The admission 10 its privileges
~ weekly ana monthly periodicals In
which the spread ol Intelligence is
"a purcly secondary confederation 90
the promotion ~ mmil order and other
commercial enterprises which thus
enjoy postal terms that place un un-
fair handicap upon compelling com
Germs not allied with the publishing
business That nu increase of The
portal rates on this class uf pubfi,a-
tious wuuld necessitlie % reorgaulri-
ton Of tAcr buine.s methods mts hc
coneod.d. but tht pfotenHe thHt they
would BE- thereby driven "ut of exist
'nce is Too t%runspafenilt allly tor seri-
ous consideration
That cost ia now .n,t hs tho UA-
payers OF lie e0unirs and whether u
b, called % Subsidy COZ thing
elise q % out ct ufi proportion Co amy
public service performed. either ia
the disst animation of tho work of tho
"mnck rahers the iatoat productions
Of novclista and short stony writer's of
The 'spfeid ~ Intelligence Last
year The deficit from This account Nas
$4,000 0oo. shiloh b. Zoo high e pfio.
10 pay for ihc assistance OF private
business enterprise many cot which
are 81 moro than doubtful benefit Co
The public morals and welfare