The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-03-03
TO WILDER
BY POsTOFF|CE
Attack on Departments Esti-
mate Is Warmly Answered.
GROSS IGNORANCE ALLEGED
Representative Of Periodical Publish
ers' Association Accused OF Many
Misrepresentation Concerning
Second-clas Mail Rates.

Washington, Feb. 2S.-The postof.
ace department today made public its
reply to the statements made by G. w.
Wilder, representative Of the Period
teal Publishers association of Amer
lea, in printed pamphlet entitled AN
Argument on Second-C Glass Postal
Rates from the Business Standpoint
Alone" The department warmly an
swers Mr.. Wilder's attack on its esti-
mate, accusing him of being ignorant
Of the postal service and lacking es-
sential information readily obtainable,
and says every important conclusion
he reaches is fallacious. In part the
reply says:
The associations representative
makes mistake also in assuming
that the entire amount Of second-class
mail is hauled on railroads. which is
not the fact.
Length of Haul important.
He also persistently refuses to rec
ognize the obvious effect of length of
haul, which is the principal element
in determining the average cost OF
transporting a pound of mail. Pos
sibly the reason for this is found in
the fact that the average haul of mag.
azines has been shown to be 1,04S
miles and the average haul OF daily
newspapers only POI miles.
The conclusion that there is no
more expense to the government in
carrying magazines an average dis
lance of 1,04S miles than in carrying
newspapers 291 miles is so palpably
wrong as hardly to deserve comment.
Mr.. Wilder's argument is based on
the fact that the cost of carrying a
pound of mail is greater on certain
short railroad routes, where the
weights Of mail carried are small,
than on many longer lines where the
weights carried are greater. He as
serts that "as the newspapers are
in the short hauls they are more than
likely in the small weights. and there
fore cost the government a higher
rate per pound than magazines" This
involves the erroneous assumption that
newspapers, because they are hauled a
small average distance, are likely to
be carried over the short, lightweight
routes instead of the main railroad
lines. As a matter of fact, it is the
main lines that enter large cities
where newspapers are published.
while the short, lightweight routes
seldom touch large cities. The fall
lacy OF the associations whole conten-
tion is conclusively shown by the fact
that the entire weight of mail of all
classes carried on these short, light
weight routes is little more than ten
per cent of the weight of newspapers
alone carried on all the railroads.
He further contends that the pay
for these short, lightweight routes has
an enormous influence in raising the
average cost Of railroad transporta-
ton per pound. In reality, the total
pay for these lightweight routes is
only two and one-half per cent. of the
total compensation for railroad
service.
Fast Trains Cost No More.
The associations representative de-
clares that second-class matter is be,
ing charged with the added cost of
maintaining frequent and expeditions
railroad and other transportation serv.
ice, including the fast mail trains Evil
IDENTIFY he is unaware that the depart
ment does not pay the railroads any
additional compensation for excep-
tionally frequent or expeditions serv-
ice. Not cent additional is allowed
for the fastest mail train that runs.