The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-02-28
HITCHCOCK REPLIES TO ASSER.
TONS OF PERIODICAL pua.
LISTERS ASSOCIATION.
ERRONEOUS REASONING
Chief OF Department Declares That
Statements Regarding the Rates on
Second Glass Matter Are Misleading
and Not in Accordance With shs
Faets-Furnishes Some Figures.

Washington. Feb Erroneous
or misleading" is the way tho post
office department characterizes tile
statement recently published BY the
Periodical Publishers association en-
titled AN Argument on Second Glass
Postal Rates From the Business stand
point Alone"
The answer Of The department was
made public today. IL declares the
premises on which the argument is
based IL faulty, and consequently every
important conclusion reached IN fats
lacious. Postmaster General Hitchcock
declares "if the rate on second class
mail were made high enough to cover
the entire cost OF transporting and
handling 1t. which has not been sug-
gested. IL would be possible, without
creating deficit. to reduce the post
age on letters TO l cent Every time a
2-cent stamp .s placed on a letter 1t
defrays not only the expense OF hand
ling and transportation, but helps To
pay in almost equal measure the cost
OF distributing through the mails the
periodical publications of the country"
The departments statement is an
elaborate discussion of the cost To
the government of handling mail, par
ticularly second class matter. and by
rural free delivery. II Is shown that
the average length OF the haul of mag-
azlnes Ia 104s miles. while. that or
adakys newspapers. also4 xSuunsi- -sst~ss
matter, is only 29i miles. The DEPART
ment asserts the conclusion that
there Is no more expense TO the gov
mt Ia lar -.
average distance OF f.0fs miles than
In carrying newspapers 231 miles is SO
palpably wrong as hardly TO deserve
comment"
Great Loss.
II was contendcd by the publish
ers that the second class matter should
not be charged with the proportionate
cost of rural free delivery assigned
to 1t by the department because that
branch of the service was govern
mental policy" conducted at great
loss, and because further. the period-
lcals have no need of that service.
In reply to this point, Postmaster
General Hitchcock says:
The department was conservative in
charging second-class mail 4n.22 per
cent of the cost OF rural delivery. Sta
tistics show that 45 per cent of tho
pieces of mail handled in this service
consists of second class matter. Were
IL not for the rural delivery service,
the circulation OF magazines would ba
materially reduced
In response to the publishers asser-
ton that with proper allowance
for rural delivery there is a surplus
OF more than s10O0o00O In all the
operations Of the postoffices." MIR.
Hitchcock declares. with equal force
II might be said, with proper allow
ance for secondclass mail there is u
surplus Of over siG.000000 In all the
operations of the postal service Even
IL there were no deficit the fact that
the department Is conducting one
branch Of Its business at a loss of
s64,000,000 usually would demand at
tention"
Eight Cents Pound.
1t Is pointed out that the govern.
ment ls losing over cents a pound OH
second class matter sent through tho
mails, the annual loss to the national
revenues approximating s6i.0o0,ooo
There are $1,000 publications enjoy-
ing the second-class privileges. u
large proportion of which are maga-
/ ~