The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-10
The Second Class Rates
CFrom advertising & Selling fol
january

In his annual message Presiden,
4 Taft called attention to the postoffice
department deficit of $11,500.00 and
I ascribed it 10 the elleged fact that the
cost of carrying second-class mail
| consisting of newspapers. magazines
/ and miscellaneous periodicals. is $685.
| 000. 900 more than the receipts from
| that source. The rate is | cent a
| pound-the president says that the
! cost of transmission Is cents d
| pound.
/ In the course of n long article on
| this subject by George French in the
! January number of Advertising & Sell
| ing the following interesting state
ments are made:
First let us make the assertion that
there is no real deficit in the postal
| revenues. or would not be even an app
| parent deficit if the bookkeeping
scheme of the postoffice department
were not so neglected as to take NJ
notice of one very large credit item
the service of the department. rem
ders the other departments and officials
In transporting mail free. If the free
mail were to be charged to the various
departments. and the mail. transported
for congressman and officials under
franks also charged. there would be no
postoffice deficit. There would, of
course. exist the same Discrepancy be-
tween the cost Of carrying the sew
eral classes of mail and the receipts
for that service: but there would be
no deficit. =
Why this course is not pursued can
not be guessed. 1t has .ecn con-
stantly denanded. for several years,
but so far as We know no one in au-
thority has explained why the cost of
carrying free mail has not been cred
tied to the postoffice department and
charged to the department where the
free mail originates. There does not
seem TO be either reason or a
precedent for the neglect.
7 The case is almost identical with the
situation with respect to the govern
ment printing office. the whole bust
ness of which Is executing orders re-
ceived from the departments. rom
congress and from government Off
cials-service precisely like the serv-
ice the postoffice department renders
when it carries the mail of the other
departments and of officials
The government printing office
charges every item of service it gives,
down to the value of n postage stamp.
and the payments are made from the
appropriation for the support of the
government printing office.
II would seem reasonable on the
part of the publishers who are now
to be called upon for funds tn elimi-
nate alleged postal deficiency. that
they demand that the existence of a
deficit be made clearly apparent, by
the medium of approved bookkeeping
methods applied To the fiscal business
of the postoffice department
Granting. for the sake of the argu-
ment. that the magazines and trade
papers are 10 be penalized in the man.
ner suggested, II Is very doubtful ii
the expedient would result i'm the
elimination of the apparent postal de-
ficit. Several things would happen Ii
the second-class postal rate for mag
azines and trade papers were to be
materially increased.
Many of the weaker ones would be
killed. and the revenue they now con-
tribute would cease
Those that would pay the increas ed
rate would add it to their subscription
price. and the money would come out
into an additional tax upon literature
and Information. and in the case of
the trade papers. distinctly an addi-
tional tax upon technical and yoca-
tionaI education.
All of the affected publishers would
seek 10 ship as large a proportion of
their output as possible by express,
and they would very greatly curtail
nj
copies. circulars. and letters relating
to their circulation and advertising,
and the bulk and weight of many
publications would be greatly re-
duced.
These expedients. that would in
stantly be put into effect. would take
very large amount from the postal
revenues, and 60 far toward negatiy-
ing the object of the change I'm the
rate. If they did not wholly defeat
that object.
There is nothing to show in the
presidents reference to the matter
that he considered these matters, or
any of the other business considera-
tions that would be likely to affect
the question as to its ultimate result.
except the desirabiiity Of getting rid
III IIlr dssulIieu uNikSI III Inc postal
revenues. as now figured.
The suggestion of the president. and
the premises ii is evident he had in
mind in making the suggestion. Il
logically based upon the proposition
that all classes of mail matter should
pay their legitimate proportion of the
expense of operating the postoffiee
department: and 10 this proposition
there cannot well be serious objection.
Admitting therefore. for the purposes
Of this review Of the matter. that this
position II sound and fair. We come
to the question. What is a fair rate
of postage for second-eiass pGblica-
tons. considering what they are and
what they accomplish for the general
postal receipts. as We'll a. what they
accomplish for the country This
Is much bigger question than the
question of the wiping out Of an inn
aglnary deficit in the postal revenues
In the first place. tina magazines
and periodicals flor the present we
omit the newspapers, As the president