The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-02-18
HITCHCOCK HITS BACK.
BLAMES MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS
FOR POSTAL DEFICITS.
Aims to Show That the Proposed IN
crease I'm Rates Is Just-Various
Protests Received.

Washington, Feb. 14.-Large profits
asserted to be inuring to the publish
ers OF magazines and immense losses
being sustained by the Government in
the transportation of magazines ae
second-class mail matter at existing
rates are made the basis of a state
ment issued tonight by Postmaster
General Hitchcock in response to the
attack by the magazine publishers up
on the proposed increase of the post
age rate on the advertising pages of
the large magazines from 1 cent to
cents pound
Mr.. Hitcock makes it clear that the
proposed new rate docs not affect
newspapers of any kind nor does it
apply to periodicals mailing less than
1000 pounds Of each issue.
Applying the increase to the en-
tire amount of second-class mail mat
ter" continued Mr.. Hitchcock, 'ft
would amount to less than 1 cent
pound"
In the course Of his statement, Mr.
Hitchcock says:
I'm whole page newspaper ad-
vertisement signed by "a Of the prin-
cipal magazines and periodical pubIi-
cations Of the country it is stated that
the increased rate will drive a ma
jority of the popular magazines ont
OF existence, and with them the enor-
nous volume of profitable first-class
mail their advertising Creates The
public should know that this charge
is made In the face Of the fact that
part, If not all, Of the signers Of the
statement are realizing tremendous
profits from the vast amount of high
priced advertisements contained in
the columns of their periodicals, which
the Government is today carrying at
the extraordinarily low rate Of 1
cent pound and at a total cost Of
more than 9 cents a pound.
During the fiscal year 1910 over
100000 pounds of second-class
matter Was carried through the public
mails at a loss of S62,OOO,0OO to the
Government. while the returns from
third-class matter were practically
self-sustainmg, and on that of first
and fourth-class matter there was a
large saving Of revenue, leaving the
postal deficit for the year not quite
S6,OOO,OO0. 1t remains to be deter
mined whether the people who mail
letters of general correspondence
the publishers of books and phamplets
and the senders of small merchandise
shall be taxed to meet the deficit
caused by the extension of the sub
sidy rate to the publishers of the large
magazines Of the country.
Mr.. Hitchcock then proceeds to give
figures, which, he says, are taken
from publishers statements to show
the universal profits the magazines
are paying, millions being earned in
the course of year, and continues:
by the proposed law, magazines
and periodicals, insofar as they pro-
vide public information, are left cx-
actly on a par with the newspapers
and smaller periodicals, while the in
crease of rate of 3 cents on the pound
attaches only to those portions of such
publications as are devoted to adver-
tising purposes.
For short hauls, as from New York
To Washington or Baltimore, magazine
publishers invariably patroniZe the
express companies giving them the
full benefit Of the carriage of their
publications on the only hauls on
which the Government could receive
anything like the proper return for
the cost of carriage, while the long
hauls across the continent are refused
by the express companies and left to
the overburdened public mails be-
cause the express companies will not
carry them for sum approaching
the small price charged by the Gov
ernment."