The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-06-24
BRISTOW FAvORS
MAIL RATE

of the present year, by Senator Bris
tow, on the cost of handling second
class mail matter:
can not go into details and dem
onstrate the utter fallacy of the
figures given out bv the department as
to the cost of handling second class
matter. 1t does not cost nine cents
pound, nor can the department ascer-
tain with even approximate accuracy
what is the cost of handling any spec
ial class of mail. 1t would be just as
easy for the Pennsylvania railroad to
state in dollars and cents what it costs
to haul ton of coal from Harrisburg
to Pittsburg. or 100 pounds of silk
from Pittsburg to Indianapolis, as for
the postoffice department to state what
/ it costs the department to handle
newspapers or magazines. Any one
familiar with transportation knows
that such calculations cannot be made
with accuracy, because there are so
many unassignable expenses that must
be idered-expenditure that can
not be subdivided and assigned to the
different classes of freight. The same
is true as to the different classes of
mail.
The statement has been made in the
! literature which has been given out
/ by the department, that the depart
ment pays the railroads about two
cents pound for handling newspapers.
The Pennsylvania railroad will take,
and does take, packages of papers for
all of the great newspapers that are
published along its lines, and trans
ports them in the baggage cars for
one-quarter of a cent per pound, to any
station on the line, whether it is ten
miles from the place of origin, or L.
1 600 miles from the place of origin.
And yet the department is paying the
railroads approximately two cents a
pound for hauling the newspapers of
the country.
! The papers are delivered by the pub
| Usher to the train just the same as the
publisher delivers his newspapers to
train when they are sent by mail.
These packages are delivered to the
depots of the railroads, and the parties
to whom they are sent call at the de-
pots for the packages. If they are sent
by mail the publisher delivers them at
the train, and the parties to whom they
are addressed call at the postoffice for
the packages. The postoffice depart
ment does not go to the newspaper of
fee and get the mail The publisher
delivers the newspapers to the mail
trains, the same as he delivers them
to baggage cars for the railroad com
pany.
/ also call attention to the fact that
the express companies have contract
with the American Publishers asso-
citation whereby they agree to receive
newspaper packages of any size, and
deliver them to their destination with
in limit of 500 miles, for one-half
cent per pound. The express company
does not call at the newspaper Office
for the papers. The publisher delivers
them to the express car, the same as he
delivers his papers to the mail ear.
The express company then takes these
newspapers, consisting of packages of
any size, from single wrapper to a
| 100 pound bundle, and delivers them at
the other end of the line to the ad-
dresses, if the distance is not greater
than 500 miles, for a half cent a
pound, and by its contract with the
railroad the express company pays the
railroad only a quarter of cent a
pound.
The department figures show that
the average distance which newspapers
are hauled is less than 300 miles. Yet
the department is paying about two
cents pound to the railroad for that
which the express companies pay but a
! quarter of a cent pound. The express
companies only charge the publisher
one-half a cent pound, while the gov
ernment charges him one cent pound
The express companies pay the rail
ways one fourth of a cent a pound
while the government pays about two
cents-eighttimes as much--for exact
ly the same service. The express com
panies are glad to get the business, and
render more service than the postoffice
department, because they deliver the
packages of any size at the other end
which the department does not do.
Yet the newspapers and magazines
have been assailed during recent years
as being the recipients of subsidy
| from the government If there is a
/ subsidy it is not received by the pub
4 Usher. There never was a greater
/ slander sent out under official authori
ty in regard to any legitimate business
in this country.
| have great deal of data here
but | simply wanted to make these
statements so they might get into the
1 Record, to correct in a measure the
false impression that has been made on
the people of the United States by
this persistent campaign for increasino
the postage on seconnd-class matter.
4 am glad that we have got one
cent rate of postage for the Legitimate
newspapers and magazines of the
country, and | would rather decrease
it than raise it. The benefciaries are
the poor people themselves, who now
get daily papers at from So to 81 .
year, when they used to pay from 81
to $12. They now get magazines from
ST to $3.50, when they used to pay s.
to So per year for magazines of nc
higher grade. And | here and now
utter my protest against this crusade
to impose a hurdensome tax on thi
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