Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-03-16
BUSINESS AT rs PER CENT LOSS.

dustry by printing envelopes for bust
ness concerns. 1t might as we'll sell
Goldfish. groceries and dry goods. We
are glad that a movement is being
made to stop the unfair business
Hyde Park News and Citizen.
1t is not so much from the fact that
the government prints and sells en-.
velopes that the Monitor registers a
kick, as it is from the unfairness of
their competition. The Monitor
would find no fault if the government
would sell their. product in this line
at cost. or fair per cent of profit
above cost, but figures from the an
nual reports of the postmaster gen.
eral show that in this department the
government is doing business at an &C.
tual loss of Is per cent. Add to the
price they now ask for envelopes this
% per cent loss, and then again to
this fair price of profit, say six per
cent, and almost any printing office
in the United States could compete.
In fact undersell the government, for
the same grade of stock and work
they now turn out. If the govern
ment should begin the sale of Goldfish,
groceries and dry goods and do so at
rs per cent loss and then turn
around and tax the merchant to make
up that loss the unfairness of the sit
uation would be realized.
The report of Third Assistant Pot
master General Travers, page 10,
shows that the government during
it's last fiscal year printed 1927. Ala
8S9 special request return card en-
velopes. For the manufacture of
these envelopes the government paid
1888. SOL. &c, computed from figures
on page 20 of this same report, and
received from their customers 81, 1885,
863.81, leaving S498, O62. Is with which
to distribute the goods through their
mails. Let it be borne in mind here
that none of these figures include the
postage value of the envelopes.
These envelopes weigh on an average
about seven pounds and 10 ounces per
1000 and the total weight of 1,O27,-
Ala, 889 envelopes would be 1884, 488
pounds. Envelopes. printed or un-
printed, are classified by the govern
ment as fourth class matter, mer.
chandise, and are only mailable at the
one cent per ounce or fraction rate
Ia fact that many printers and post.
masters do not seem to know and un-
der no condition are they mailable as
printed matter at the one cent per two
ounces or fraction. According to Post
master General Hitchcock's report,
page %, the actual cost to the govern
ment of handling fourth class matter
is $.12308 per pound and the actual
cost to the government of handling
1927, Ala pounds Of envelopes is there
fore 1864, 268.77. In the first part of
this paragraph we find the govern.
ment had only S498, 062.l Is to do this
work with and we find therefore a
loss on the transportation of these
goods through their mails, the tidy
sum of $466,2O6 81. A dead loss, a;
computed from figures given by the
postal officials themselves of $466,
2Q6, GO on a total business of $1,856,
1863. 81 is a net loss of more than 2!
per cent. A little more figuring will
show that there is loss on every 100
envelopes printed by the government
of neary 81 cents. In the figure
above presented no allowance ha
been made for the expense the gov
eminent is to in registering thes
goods, errors made and goods r.
turned, extra weight of wrappin
that comes with the envelopes, etc
which would undoubtedly bring IL
figures higher. Add to the pres Ell
price the government charges f,
their envelopes the loss they are a
tually sustaining say nothing about
profit, and for the grade of stock al
quality and amount of printing flu
nished.a ANY printing office can compel
There are many features of this e
velope printing that have not be
touched upon here that are INTEREST,"
to say the least. One we will me
tion. Smith deposits money with |
postmaster for 1000 government priv
ed envelopes. The postmaster Fl
wards instructions and the firms CT
tracing with the government for [
manufacture of these envelopes
the printing. Now these enveiop
which are Smiths and Smiths on
are transported to Smith free
charge. The government is res
shipping Smiths personal and priv
goods through their mail free. ;
registering it besides. We say t
are Smiths before they are shipr
Of course they are. Smith had r
for them, his name is printed
them. no one but Smith can use tt