The Washington herald., 1913-10-17
PROTEST MADE AGAINST
PROPOSED POSTAL LAW
Letters Sent to Postmaster General
and Members Of Interstate Com
merce Commission.

Following is a copy Of letters sent to
Postmaster General Burleson and men,
bers of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. protesting against the inclusion
of third-class matter in the present par
eel post service:
Dear Sirs:
THE proposition OF the Postofilce De-
partment (now before ths Interstate Com
merce Commission forSits sanction) to
place third-class matter Under the exist
ing parcel post law viii be of immeasur-
able damage to our general interests.
1T will increase the existing nat rate
on printed books. booklets, and cata-
Iogues when posted in parcels up to four
ounces 100 per cent, making the presen.
1-cent rate on two-ounce parcels cents:
on three and four-ounce parcels Z cents
everywhere, and on larger parcels the
increase will be as follows:
On five and six ounce parcels. up to
$50 miles, from to cents, and in the
various zones beyond LEO miles. Z. s, 8,
10, IL, and u cents.
On seven and eight ounce parcels. up
TO 15O miles. from to cents. and for
greater distances. Z, s, 3. 10. II, and Il
cents.
On nine and ten ounce parcels for
distances over l50 miles from to :. s,
3, 10, and IL cents.
On eleven and twelve ounce parcels,
from a fat 7-cent rate to s, 3. 10, IL,
and Il cents for distances beyond 800
miles.
On fifteen and sixteen ounce parcels.
from a fat scent rate to 8, 10. IL, and
Il cents for distances over 600 miles.
On seventeen and eighteen ounce
parcels, from a fiat Scent rate to 10.
II, and II cents beyond 1000 miles.
On nineteen and twenty ounce par
cells, from a fat 10-cent rate to II and
Il cents beyond ], 400 miles.
On twenty-one and twenty-five ounce
parcels. from a fiat 1l-cent rate to II
cents for distances beyond 800 miles.
On pound parcels posted distances
over 100 miles there will be an increase
from a fat Scent rate to 10. II. and u
cents.
On two-pound parcels the rate will
be increased from the existing fiat 16-
cent rate for distances over loo miles
to Is. q, and "a cents.
On three-round parcels the rate will
be increased from a fiat rate OF "a
cents to Is, 81. and 36 cents for dis
tances over 1000 miles.
On four-pound parcels the rate will
be increased from a fat rate of 30
cents to 81, 41, and IS cents for dis
tances over Loo miles.
I'm an open letter dated July g. 1912,
addressed to the Hon. Boise Penrose,
United States Senate, W. Atlee Burpee,
one of the leading seedsmen of the coun-
try, said that this increased tax would
spell ruin to thousands OF men In ythe
seed and book business, as well as to
houses in many other lines, who now
depend upon the mails to distribute cata-
logues as their silent statesmen The
injury to photographic. printing. and
allied trades would be incalculable. The
issue of his eight-ounce retail catalogue
Of December in each year, said Mr.. Bur-
pee. amounted to more than 10000 copies,
the cost of postage on large percentage
of which would be trebled-12 cents in
stead of cents.
THE publishers OF three other cata-
logues issued over million copies, on
which their postage amounted to SIS, 1000.
The proposed increase in the cost of
their mailing would have been from 80
to 50 per cent
THE absurdity of this proposed increase
OF the postal tax on our domestic busi-
ness becomes clearly evident when one
finds that under the laws of the World
Postal Union. printed matter Is sent from
any country throughout the world in
parcels up to four pounds at a fiat rate
of cent for each two ounces, while un-
der our parcel post conventions with
Europe. books and catalogues and all
merchandise packed together in parcels
up TO eleven pounds are posted through
out the United States at even lower rates:
two and one-half pounds from some coun-
tries for Is cents: from Germany four and
one-half pounds for So cents, eleven
pounds for 81 cents; from Great Britain
and Italy. eleven pounds for 70 cents
''Third-class matter was included IN the
Senate parcel post bill of 1919. and its
exclusion from the law. as finally en-
acted, was due to our protests that It
would place an unconscionable and need
less burden upon the general public.
while IL would tend to drive large part
of our printing business 10 Europe or to
Canada. from whence Il could be mailed
throughout the United States at cur old
fat domestic rate Of cent for two ounces
The evils which would have followed
the inclusion Of third-class matter in the
law Of 1sl2 would certainly follow its re-