The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-11-19
INCREASED
POSTAGE RATES.

Those newspapers which are 81
: dolsing the Hitchcock plan y
charging increased postage tor tl,'
advertising part IF the maga2 ue'
are nnly digging tleir own gta,rs
fnr they will he the next aut1"e,f
Thia Republican administration
proposes ~ save Al The srignt. l.,
advocating increased postage ~,
arcond Ella g mail matter and We
duction on frat class mail from
two ccnta ~ one cen, fnr letters
while waiting millions AZ tn
hunghole. But yetl few people
have been benefited Nv the de
creased postage on foreign letters
from five cents to two c.nte, the
banks and importers being the
principal hrnefr,a,iea IT the de
c,"aan comparatively few Amer
ioaua write to " "cceive letters
from foreign lands. 80 The ,nduc
ton ~ poaiage ~ for the benefit
Of tn few AZ the expense Of the
many who pay hy far tho mos,
Ted ral taxes ~ proportion 10
thnH ~, omna
!" increase the postage on mag
a2lnna will he likely 10 force the
/ ten cent magazines ~ increase the
/ price 70 fifteen cents rer copy.
and the yearly subscription price
will hs inci eased from one dollar
~ one dollar and City cents o.,
even - two dollars. There again
tho g with small incomes will smf
fer.
While m,ll,ons are annually
wasted on eStravagant apr,op,ia
tons 70, he army and navy. fn,
expensive commissions for this
th'og and that thug: for highly
ra'd attorneys to investigate
corporations hy the Department OF
Justice. which has never resulted
in one malefactor of great wealth
being put behind The bars. the saw
ing by the Post Office Department
il mere flea bite The evolution
nf the determination to make the
postal service sell sustaining
should he lesson to newspaper
rrop,ieto,s.
The so-called reform began h,
;ofusing the cent a pound rate to
what the department in it's 1908
report called "trasly publications.
issued principally for advertising
purposes There was not much
objection to that: but it was Just
the opening wedge. for the next
reform was to cuvtai the issue of
sample copies: the next. TO cut off
the giving of credit for suhs,rlp-
tiona. Now the next "teform' il
to charge extra rates for tue aG
vertising pages of magazines.
All this. however. il but preli
to the real object, which
is to- cut off the free postage on
the weekly newspapers within the
county where published. and to W
crease the spcoud class rate from
nne cent a pound to something
near what the department de
,lares IL the approximate cost.
hat Is, 8 % cents per pound.
Why ii coats 80 enormously to car
y second class mail will not be
considered at this time, but 1t ia
evident that there must be great
waste somewhere: for the express
which are notorious
'stortionists, do not average such
'igh rates, and they call for and
lellver parcels free to their ia
ions in the larger cities.
1t ~ OF Importance to newspa-
yer publishers to investigate this
proposed increase on the postage
It magazines, Tor there is no rea .
"n Why the Sunday papers, at
east, should not be dealt with in
he same manner. But the metro
'o'itan papers are amply able, as
re most OF the magazines, to take
are of their own interests, and it :
the smaller dailies and the
'eekly newspapers hich must be y
repaired for higher postage rates
!, the near future unless they take 1
ne necessary eteps to protect
heir interests.
III postage rates on magazineu
nj newspapers are Increased. the Z