The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-02-23
POSTAL SERVICE
SHOWS A PROFIT
First Time In History, According
10 Report OF Cabinet
Officer.
RAISE IN RATES is FAVORED
President Cgnsurs m Eerammsrda
ton OF Commission on Second
Class Mail Matter Again sge
gcsgr Adoption Of Parec.
Post system.

Washington Ta. % Far r.r t..
time 500 rGr history TOY sfa postal a.r,
+ ice ,ha. department. Of -ae eoFrr.ma
showed @ prof. for r.~ tuu.I ..r
euaUus 5goa 81. IglI. according I'd. ...
annual report ar ro.rwas-ar o.rr..
Hitchcock transmitted to r.ngross .y
day h.ruUlan bug no" .oaumDa'
VIA tho rap3r, 81 'Nr commission ur
aec0Ud.n'a5a mail matter appointed h..
joint resolution ~ congress un 'Iarn.
4 Of Iant year aud q brief message ua
the president lH which be- called al.
tention 10 the principal features OF The
iwo reports
Would Increase Second-CIabs Rates.
Tho report Of The commission un
secoud.Class mail matter makes the
following recommendations
l. Tho rate Of 2 cents A pound on
copies mailed by publishers 10 sub
scripers, to news agents. and rs sam
pie copies and by news agents 10 their
subscribers or to other news agents.
z The rate Of l cent for each 4
ounces for copies mailed by other
than publishers and news agents, that
is. the present transient rate.
3. The present free-In-couHty priv
iiege retained, but not extended.
The commission also recommended
that the c~enta-oopy rate for newspa
psrs other than wceklies and for pc.
riodicals not exceeding . ounces in
weight, and the 2-cent-a-copy rate for
periodicals exceeding > ounces IN
weight, when mailed at a city letter.
carrier Office for local delivery. be
abolished.
AZ to the effect and adequacy Of the
proposed increase Of / cent a pound
in postage the commission says:
Such an incrcace will not. in the
opinion Of the commission. bring dis
tress upon the publishers Of newspa
pers and periodicals or seriously IN
terfere with the dissemination Of uEe-
full news or information. A reasonable
time should be allowed. after the rate
IL fixed, before II Is put into effect.
While the new rate Will he very far
from compromising the government
for the carriage and handling OF sec.
ond-class matter, It will TO some eE.
tent relieve the existing burden and
result In a more equitable adjustment
Of rates"
Both the president and the postmas.
ter general concur IN the recommends
tons and regarding the proposed IN
crease in newspaper postage the prest
dent says. The proposed increase OF
i cent a pound in the second,claEs
postage rate, / believe, 10 be most
reasonable, and n sufficient time is al
lowed before the change goes into ef-
feet It should work little serious in.
Jury 10 the business Of the periodical
publishers, while eQualiziug, at least
in a measure. the burdens Of postal
taxation"
Rates Should Be More Equal.
Commenting further on the pro.
posed increase, the president says:
The postal service is now. for the
first time In years, operated upon a
self.BustaininE basis, and In my judg-
ment this is a wise policy; but It
should not be carried out at the ex.
pense OF certain classes Of mall mat.
ter that pay reyenue largely In ex.
cess Of their cost, 1t Is not Just that
some classes of mail should be ex.
brilliantly taxed to meet a deficiency
by other classes, the revenue
from which is much below their cost
Of handling and carriage. Where such
inequalities exist they should be re.
moved IS early as practicable. The
business enterprises Of the publishers
OF periodicals, however, have been
burlt up on the basis OF the present
second class rate, and therefore Il
would be manifestly unfair to put into
immediate effect a large increase in
postage. That newspapers and maya
zines have been potent agencies for
the dissemination OF public intelli7
gence and have consequently borne n
worthy part in the development OF the
country all must admit; but II Ia like.
wiRe true that the original purpose OF
congress in providing for them a sub.
yentiou by way OF nominal postal
charges in consideration OF their
value Rs mediums OF public informa.
ton ought not to prevent an increase,
because they are now not only educa.
tional but highly profitable. There is
no warrant for the great disparity be-
tween existing postage rates IN pc.
riodicals and the cost OF the service
the government performs for them.
The aggregate postal for the
fiscal year 1911 were 1927. ST9, 1923 60,
derived mainly from the postage col.
lected on the four classes OF mail
matter. II is carefully estimated by
the p~ostofice department that the
revenue derived from mail matter OF
the first class is approximately one
and one-half times the cost OF han
ding and carriage; that the returns
from third and iourrn class matter are
slightly in eXcess Of their cost OF
handling and carriage; and that while
second class matter embraces over 65
per cent, OF the entire weight OF all
the mail carried, n, nevertheless.
yields little more than 3 per cent. OF
the postal revenues"
The commission on s~econd-class