Bisbee daily review., 1911-08-31
ARGUMENT FOR
 PARCELS POST
Hitchcock Thinks the Plan 10 Begin on Rural Routes Is the Best Under
 Conditions
BIG FIGURES SUBMITTED

FNs -AN was Nuite sure. ne said. that it would prove one Of the most profitable branches Of the post. office department. but he thought that It should be introduced gradually to prevent the disturbance of the present mail facilities. It should first be as- taoIlshed on the rural free delivery routes. then locally in towns. and thoroughly tried out extended to inc whole country.
 The postmaster general was speak Ing at the final session of the con gressional commission, inQuiring into me second class mail rates. He said: am very much in favor Of a narsei post, but 1t must be established in such a way as to enable the depart ment first to install the parcel post Tn the rural free delivery routes. Then it may be extended as the opportunity onered to the deliveries of the small CT and larger cities; then( when con oilons have been carefully adjusted. It might be established on the rail way mail service and the entire pos tai system.
 If 1t were inaugurated universally
 
 and the rapid delivery of ordinary mall matter would be checked. l am sure this parcel post would produce a great revenue and would in particular ae of great benefit 10 persons living along the free delivery routes"
 The postmaster general vent aa ra discuss the second class mail rates. which is the commissions main cor cern. He denied that the government was seeking ans increase of rates. bur desired merely readjustment. First class mail, or letters, he said, are car ried at profit, second class mail. or magazines, at a loss. Consequently the people are being taxed to the ex- tent of the profit On .he first class in order to support the cost of the second class.
 Were the publishers, of whom there are only 30,000," argued the postmaster general, ito nay the cost of handling their mail there could be corresponding decrease in the cost to the public ~of the first class of the first class mail. It is our con tention that each class Of mali matter should be self sustaining and pay for its transportation from the mailing point to it's destination. We are not seeking a surplus, but to So adjust existing rates and classitcations that any profits may accrue to the bene- fit of the 90.O00000 of maul-sending persons in the country"
 Then the postmaster general en- tered into some statistics to show how much some magazine publishers had increased their receipts from ad- Yertising. Every bodys Magazine. be stated, had in 1899 charged SI a line and $50 for page insertion Last year it asked S2.25 a line or s2.50if the matter was colored and $500 for a page. The Saturday Evening Post in 1898 got 25 cents a line and S6 in 1910. In 1898 it charged $500 for a insertion and in 1910 $3 coo for an inside page and S7,200 for a coIored cover. Other pages cost from S99 to S4,000 according t7 location.
 Some figures from the publishers point of view were submitted by Pe- ter S. Weigand. who appeared for the Ridgway publications. Everybody's Magazine and Adventure. Tn 1910 the concern took in $1.347.440 and paid out $1.221.419, so. that it's profit was S126,430. For the first six months of the present year it's receipts had been $T00.6ls and it's expenses s645.411, showing a profit of only S57. POT This decline was explained as due to the establishment of Adventure.
 Some other figures given at the morning session of the extent of Q single firms business caused the commission to gasp. William Rosen- baum, president Of the National Cloak and Suit company of this city. a mat order business, stated that his firTu expended each year in postage 5000, 000.
 How much did you say asked Justice Hughes.
 We spend $600, DOC year with the postal department" replied Mir. Ro senbaum, and about $400,G00 witt the express companies"
 The company mails 1,032.000 pack ages Of forth-clsss matter alone, and 1t receives more than Ss,G09,00O from buyers throughout the country in pos tai orders. Mr. Rosenbaum brought forward these figures to support his argument that the advertisement 1T inc high class magazine is so produc
  the t,ostoffices could afford to carr, it for nothing.
 Were a parcel post to be established MT. Rosenbaum thought that the bull Of the 96,000 packages he now send' by express would be transferred to th' government service and in response tt a question from Third Assistant Post master General Britt he expressed th' opinion that should the mall rates b' increased the publisher would manag' to pass on the cost to the poor ac vertisers.
 Edward Darlington of the Buttericl oompany laid before the commission leures showing the answers receives from advertisements. He dWelt on tn effect magazine advertisements prs duce on first class mail in giving ris fo answers and ''follow-up" letter Then comes the sending of catalogue in answer to requests. and finally th dispatch of merchandise as third O fourth class mail matter.
 In closing the hearings Justic Hughes stated that the commissio
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