The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-12
SECOND CLASS POSTAL RATES.

SECOND GLASS POSTAL RATES.
It will be recollected that not long
ago Il special commission, appointed by
President Taft to inquire into the postal
rates on sccoud.class mail matter, made
a report recommending that the postal
rates on such matter he doubled; that
is, increased from one cent TO two cents
n pound We objected at the time,
showing that the newspapers (Which 60
at sccond.class rates) had been the
most potent influence of all ip incrcas-
ing the postal business on letters, be
cause the information which they
spread abroad leads to the writing of
three or four times as many letters as
were customarilv written before the
newspaper rates were reduced so that
newspaper circulation had been made
general and great. And, since the news.
papers have thus built up the great
strength of the department, it is un-
fair TO impose upon them greater rate
than heretofore, The rate, in fact,
should be lowered rather than increased
because of the great service that the
newspapers have done in this respect.
But there arc two other lines Of rea.
soning upon which the report should be
condemned, First Of all. the newspapers
at the one.cent rate find no advantage
in sending their packages b. mail rath-
CT than by express. They can send
Just as chesply bv express as by mail,
and they habitually do so, The Trib,
une for a great many years has been
sending its packages indiffereptiy by
mail or express, Just as was most con-
venient. The express rate is no greater
than the mail rate, and the service is
fully as good. We notice that the Ore
gonian at Portland says the same thing,
that it sends large part, "perhaps
the greatest part of its papers TO out
OF; town subscribers by express >: but,
IL it had to pay more By express than
by mail. Of course, it would send by
mail, The rates being equal, however.
and the express liable to be held ac-
countable for non-delivery, while the
mail is not, the Oregonian uses the ex.
press more than the mail. And so Of
many papers in the East, that get
cheaper rates by express than by mail,
But if express companies find it prof
liable TO carry newspapers AT the one,
cent rate, or even less, how is it that
the Government loses money by carry.
ing them at that rate? An explanation
is certainly due here from the commits
sion that made the inquiry. 1t is un.
derstood also. that in Canada the post
carries newspapers for three. .fourths of
cent pound and has no deficit in
the Postoffice Department. For the
matter OF that. there is no deficft now
in the U. S. Postal Department, aud
there would appear TO be no reason for
the insistence that the postage on see.
ond-class matter should be raised. The
pressure for il is incomprebepsibIc.
quite as much SO as the fact that the
express companies can carry news.
papers at one cent pound aud make
money at it, and the Government can.
not carry at the same rate. except at
explain this problem. The commission
shed no light upon it, but we trust
that the Postoffce Department itself
will show TO the public why it is that
II cannot carry newspapers at the one
cent rate when express companies
gladly carry newspapers at that rate.
and make profit in 50 doing
We notice that tho Democrat and
Chronicle of Rochester New York. has
issued circular carving an editorial
from its columns protesting against tho
raise. and showing that as between
magazines aud newspapers. the maga.
! zines have six time, a much weight to
send through the mails as the news.
I! papers 10. II enters into full dis.
cussion Of the weights, Of the distance
of average haul, and shows that the
commission report claiming TINT the
average haul for newspapers is 255.7-
miles is manifcstlv absurd, And so il
Is; for the great bulk of the circula
tlou Of any newspaper is within fifty
miles at most OF the office of publica
ton The papers going bcvoud that
are a mere fraction Of tho total But IL
is quito different with magazines.
where the average haul Is probably .
good deal more than go miles; for the
immediate local demand for magazines
compared with their total circulation
bears no sort of proportion to that Of
the newspapers. On every account.
therefore. the report Of the President 5
commission on second class postage
rates is Untrustworthy. aud affords no
! basis whntever for fair adjustment of
postal rates. II is not in the least
likely either. that Congress will dou-
bic the rate rs suggested. because tho
mere citation Of the fact that express
companies profitablv carry newspapers
AT the one-ccnt rate and successfully
compete with the mails in so doing
would he conclusive against aav propo-
sitiou for raise