The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-01-18
FIGHT ON INCREASE
Higher Rates on Second-CIass<
Mail Opposed. =
BULLETIN FROM PUBLISHERS
Postal Committee Of the A. N. p. A.
Calls the Post Office a Badly
Managed Business.

Washington.-The protest Of the
publishers against the proposition to
Increase second-class mail rates az
the congressional post office commits
sion desires is growing stronger daily.
The Illinois Daily Newspaper Publish
ers' association registered its objec-
tons recently, and now the American
Newspaper Publishers associations
postal committee, of which the chair.
man is Don G. Seitz of the New York
World. has issued the following bull
letin:
The extent to which the post
Office department does not carry Sec
ond-class matter is we'll revealed in
the following abstract of inquiry Of
publishers conducted by house COM
mlttee on expenditures in the post
office department civilian A. Ash
brook, chairman) concerning the VOL
ume. weight and handling of the out
put of publications entered as mail
matter OF the second-class for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1911:
Inquiry was made of all publish
ers, approximating thirty thousand, Of
which nearly seventeen thousand are
weekly publications.
More than ten thousand returns
were received, embracing sixty-six
plus per cent Of all tonnage Of puh-
locations.
1.-The publications reporting repre-
Rant 10
six and one-half billion copies, the
weight of which was one and three
quarter billion pounds. !,
"'These publications delivered by
mail in such period weighed 633,01A-
COZ pounds.
"'They delivered by their own car
riers, newsboys. and news companies
S4Q, 466,574 pounds, of which an unas-
certained percentage was carried to
destination by express and other rail
shipments outside the mail. They de-
livered by express, 202 .729.51O pounds.
and by other rail shipments 12l.4s1.-
74S pounds. The rate by express and
rail varies from " to l cent per
pound, but the bulk of these ship.
ments went at rate of u to n cent
per pound.
1.-THE post Office for the year end
Ing June &c. 1911. handled 951,OO1.-
500, and excluding one-half million
pounds free in county matter. 1t re-
ceived one cent per pound
"All this goes to add to the alb
surdity Of the proposed Hitchcock leg
fslation doubling the second-class rate
from one to two cents per pound. and
limiting the privilege to publications
that carry as much reading matter az
they do advertising.
"The proposition was stupid enough
when the postal deficit reached ST.
100000 two years ago. 1t becomes
preposterous in face of surplus.
What business has a Transporter,
ton corporation. which is all the post
office Is. to prescribe how q business
shall be conducted?
Newspapers cannot afford to ex.
pand their columns beyond the call
of the days news. nor can they be
expected to control the requirements
of their advertisers who have q right
to reach the public as copiously -
they care to.
1T cannot be assumed that such
legislation will ever get by congress.
But publishers are requested to fight
the theory that the right to send their
output by mail Is privilege" The
figures show 1t is not
"The post office is a badly man
aged business. That Is all. We
should fight it's dictation. its censor
ship and its ineficiency."