The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-01-04
FIGHT ON INCREASE
Higher Rates on Second. Class
Mail Opposed.
BULLETIN FROM PUBLISHERS
Postal Committee Of the A. NJ. p. A,
Calls the Post Office Badly
Managed Business.

Washington.-The protest of The
publishers against the proposition to
increase second-class mail rates as
the congressional post Office commits
sion desires is growing stronger daily
The Illinois Daily Newspaper Publish
ers' association registered its obiec-
tons recently, and now the American
Newspaper Publishers associations
postal committee, of which the chair.
man is Don c. Seitz of the Now YORK
World, has issued the following pul-
letin:
The extent to which the post
office department does not carry sec
ond-class matter is we'll revealed III
the following abstract of inquiry OF
publishers conducted by house COM
mittee on expenditures In the post
office department (William 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 30, 1911
Inquiry was made Of all publish
ers, approxmating thirty thousand. OF
which nearly seventeen thousand are
weekly publications.
More than ten thousand returns
were received, embracing sixty-sx
plus Der cent. OF all tonnage OF pub
| lications.
THE publications reporting repre-
sent an annual output of more than
six and one-half billion copies, the
quarter billion pounds.
THESE publications delivered by
mail in such period weighed 1888, 012,-
9O2 pounds.
"'They delivered by their own car
riers, newsboys, and news companies
! S40,466,57 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, 02,729,5t0 pounds,
and by other rail shipments 121 49,
74S pounds. The rate by express and
rail varies from a to | cent per
pound, but the bulk of these ship
ments went at rate OF u to Z cent
per pound,
THE post Office for the year end
ing June 80, 1911, handled 951,001,-
669, and excluding onehalf million
pounds free in county matter, it re-
ceived one cent per pound
"Al this goes to add to the alb
surdity of the proposed Hitchcock leg.
islation doubling the second-class rate
| from one to two cents per pound, and
| limiting the privilege to publications
that carry as much reading matter as
they do advertising
"The proposition was stupid enough
when the postal deficit reached $17,-
100000 two years ago. 1t becomes
| preposterous in face OF surplus.
What business has a transporta-
| ton corporation. which Is all the post
office is, to prescribe how business
shall be conducted?
| newspapers Cailiol dioIu W eA-
pand their columns beyond the call
of the days news, nor can they be
expected to control the requirements
of their advertisers who have a right
to reach the public as copiously as
they care 10.
1T cannot be assumed that such
legislation will ever get by congress.
But publishers are requested to fight
the theory that the right 20 send their
output by mail is privilege" The
| figures show it is not.
THE post office is badly man.
aged business. That is all. We
should fight it's dictation. its censor.
ship and its ineffciency."