Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-19
President Forbes Address.

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President Forbes Address.
Members Of the Maine Press Asso-
citation:
am glad to greet the members
OF the 4Sth annual meeting of this
association. and trust that we NAV
ma in this session, as We have in
many former ones. both pleasure and
profit.
In some respects the past year has
been an eVentful one OF its political
developments | do not need to speak.
AS far as our calling and pursuits
are concerned. l do not know that
it has been particularly eventful. NV
observation leads me to think that
advertising. which is so strong a sup
port of the newspaper business. is
generally IN the increase and the
papers # our State seem to be keep
ing on the even tenor of their way.
l nave a number of times of late had
my attention caught by headings of
articles or addresses. such as The
Waning Power of the Press" THE
Decline of Newspaper Influence and
so on. BY reading what was under
the heading | have found that the
author had reference only to the met
ropolltan papers OF more or less vel
loWness. Such papers as are rep
resented in this association can not
be charged with waning influence; in
deed. | believe they have more power
in the Communit> than ever before.
Job printing has general tendency
inc
lave not followed the much discussed
cost of living. ard it is doubtful II
printing in general was ever done at
less margin OF profit than now.
This Is one q the conditions which
it is our business to recognize. and
ccrreCt as far as possible
1t is of some interest to us TO note
that in spite of second class matter
the deficit in the Post Office Depart
ment has been reduced about as near
Tn" vanishing point rs II ever was
allowed 10 go or ever will be. and
that already one-ccnt letter postage
b. gins TO be ainted-With the express
condition that a proper postal
Ch1rge' is made On second class mat
ter. Tins is the language Of the
postmaster general, and illustrates thu
positions assumed by the department
generally. that second class matter
does not now pay proper charge
1t is in a sense unfortunate that
Congress established such conditions
for second class matter as make pub
fishers target for reform measures.
Cnquestionably abuses have grown up
under the second class postage rate.
ana legitimate publishers are affected
more or less by the varied efforts
made to correct those abuses, and per
haps even more by the idea acquired
by the post office department., as noted
above. that the present rate is a
wrongful privilege enjoyed by all
periodical publishers.
At present the department has turn
ef its attention away from the news
papers. and is devoting its energies
to plan for making up the deficit
from the advertising sections of the
magazines. and during the past year
no new regulation affecting the news
papers has been formulated. Yet it'll
behoovcs us to keep watch, for with
about every change in the personnel
of the department some new scheme
is evolved A great business has
grown up under present conditions.
and no material change can be made
in rates or regulations without ar
feltiog our interests as publishers.
| feel also that we have some ground
for complaint as to the care accorded
newspa Der. in the mail. We do not
expect that they will receive the de-
gree of care and attention given to|
letters. But in my own case, with
great care exercised in the mailing
of papers. so many complaints of de-
lay in delivering or failure to de-
liver are received from various parts
oe the country that 1t seems to me
that newspaper mail is hardly ac-
corded a respectable standing by the
department.
During the year I have received
from the National Joint Committee
number of communications inviting
protest against the continuance of
thu government printing of envelopes.
THESE communications while addressed
ia me personally l have supposed We're
intended for me IN my ofncial capac-
ity. While / am in sympathy with
the objects Of the COMMITTED as the
program, suggested by each of their
communications involved the sending
of several dollars worth Of letters
and kilograms. hardly felt justified
in responding fully to their requests,
either at my own expense or that
OF tke association. 1t might be well
for the association to take the mat