The Holly chieftain., 1912-01-12
FIGHT on INCREASE
uiqIse Rates a Second Case
Nal 0pposed :,
suLLETlH FROM PUBLISHERS
psseai cemn.tass = ~ - n ?. \
caiis ths eest otses . osdiy
ManaOsd Business

washiRgton.-Chs protsst ~ The,
bubIiaAsrS Ggalnst- the proposition ~
increase sscond-elaas mail rstes -
ths congressional post once cominis-
sion desires II growing atHpngsr daily.
The Illinois Daily Newspaper Publish.
srs' association registered its ob3so-
tons rseeatA. end now the American
Newspaper Publisher associAtion's
postal committee, Of which the chair.
man is Don O. Sets Of the New York
World. has issued the following bull
letin:
THE extent to which the post
once department does not carry SEQ
ond-class matter d well revealed In
the following abstract Of inquiry Of
publishers conducted BY house COM
mittes on expenditures in the post
once department (William A. Ash
brook. chairman) concerning the vol
ume. weight and handling Of the out
put Of publications entered a. mail
matter Of the second-class for the
fiscal year ending June 80. 1911:
Inquiry was made Of ali 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 ali tonnage Of pub
licationa
The publications reporting reprs-
sent an annual output OF more than
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 s33, ,o12.-
o02 pounds.
They delivered by their own car.
rers. newsboys, and news companies
840,466.574 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. z02. .739.510 pounds,
and BY other rail- shipments III, ,lslr
74s pounds. The rate BY express and
rail- varies from q to ! cent per
pound. but the bulk Of these ship
ments went at . rate OF Y to 4 cent
per pound.
The post once for the year end
ing juno 80. 1911. handled 951. .001-
$50, and excluding one.haIf million
pounds free in county matter. It re-
ceived one cent per pound
"All this goes to add to the ab-
surdity Of the proposed Hitchcock leg
islatio0 doubling the second-class rate
from one to two cents per pound, and
limiting the privilege to publications
that carry q much reading matter ~
they DO advertising.
"The proposition was stupid enough
when the postal deficit reached ST.
100000 two years ago. It becomes
preposterous In face Of surplus.
| what business has transporta.
ton corporation, which Is all the post
once is. to prescribe how business
shall be conducted?
Newspapers cannot AFFORD to e1-
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.
ut 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 It is not.
"The post offlce is Q badly man
aged business. That Is all. We
should nght It's dictation. it, censor.
ship and Its inefnciency."