Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-02-14
POSTMASTER GENERAL REPLIES
TO THE PUBLISHERS OF
PERIODICALS.
GOVERNMENT POSTAGE DOES
NOT PAY HAULING COST
Only Glass Of Postage on Which Money
10 Lost-Newspapers and Small Pc
riodieais Not Affected in Plans For
Readjustment Of Ratss-Protsst De-
elarsd to So GroundIess.

asserted to be inuring to the publish
ers Of magazines and immense losses
being sustained by the government In
the transportation of magazines as
second class mail matter at existing
rates, are made the basis of a state
ment issued last night by Postmaster
General Hitchcock in response to the
attack made by the magazine publish
ers on the proposed increase Of the
postage rate on the advertising pages
Of the large magazine. from l cent to
cents a pound.
Mr.. Hitchcock makes 1t clear that
the proposed new rate does not af-
feet newspapers OF any kind nor does
it apply to periodicals mailing less
than 1000 pounds Of each issue.
In his statement Mr.. Hitchcock
said in part:
"A statement signed by thirty-four
Of the principal magazines and period
icals Of the country. says the increas-
ed rate will drive majority of the
popular magazines out OF existence
and with them the enormous amount
VI 1lISI CLASS AAAdAA lASA oASSA SA0AAAo
creates"
..rhe public should know that this
charge Is made in the face of the fact
that a part, If not all. of the periodi-
Gals are realizing tremendous profits
from the high priced advertise
ments contained In their columns
which the government Is today carry
ing at the extraordinary low rate Of
<nto
moro than cents q pound.
Govsrnmsnt Lost Money.
I'm the fiscal year 1910. over 00.000.-
900 pounds Of second class matter was
carried thru the public mails at loss
Of $62, 100000 to the government. while
the returns from third class matter
were practically self suntaining and on
the frst and fourth class matter there
was large revenue. leaving the postal
deficit for the year not quite $s.00o.00
"The great burden OF this postal
deficit lies at the door Of second class
matter.
I'm a printed statement recently is-
sued by the president Of one Of the
principal magazines Of New York City,
the exceedingly profitable nature of the
magazine business was clearly set
forth. According to this statement. the
profits Of that one magazine for Octo-
ber 1910, showed an increase over the
corresponding month for 1909 OF 100
per cent on advertisements and 151 per
cent on subscriptions, making net an
rual profit for dividends and surplus,
based on a circulation Of 10000 copies
monthly of $34S,9S0. Regarding the
magazine business generally the gen.
tleman says that magazine publishers
receive gross incomes as high as ss,-
100000 in a single year Dividends
amounting approximately to $1,000 ,O0O
yearly have been made.
Protest GroundIess.
From this it IS apparent that the
grounds of protest are the personal
interest Of the publishers and not the
eral reading public.
80 far from being a discrimina-
tion, the proposed rate is a distinct
postal rates and 1t falls more heavily
or small periodicals only where they
the original postage statute.
Of less than four thousand pounds OF
mailing at each issue are exempt. this
distinction is warranted and Is equit-
able. as the transportation of newspa-
pers is for a much shorter haul than
that of magazines and periodicals.
while the average haul Of news
papers by the government is less than
300 miles, that Of the large magazines
Is more than 1000 and as the dis
tance Of the haul is a large and con-
siderable factor In the adjustment oi
charges of transportation upon this
basis alone, the increase in weight OF
the more weighty and widely circu-
lated magazines would seem to be
justified"
Various protests were registered to-
day against the proposed increase OF
rates on second class matter.