The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-04-17
ONE CENT LETTER POSTAGE.

/ ONE CENT LETTER POSTAGE.
Action on the part OF Postmaster
General Albert S. Burleson. involving
the appointment OF a commission to
Investigate the actual financial. phys
ical and working conditions of the pos
tai service" is regarded by business
men all over the country as the ini-
tial step towards one-cent letter post
| age
Postmaster General Burleson indi-
Gates that there have been so many
conflicting reports as to the general
conditions of the department that he
has decided to have a full and com
plete Investigation made with a view
to determining the exact status of
affairs.
| The commission is composed OF
Daniel c. Roper. Joseph Stewart, A.
N. Dockery and James |. Blackslee.
/ first, second, third and fourth assist
/ ant postmasters general respectively,
and Merritt o. Chance, chief clerk of
1.-THE department. These are the new
officials just appointed under the VIII
son administration to conduct the af-
] fairs of the postoffice department.
/ Now that the parcels post is in ac-
ltual operation and bids fair to be ex-
i tended during the next few years, it
lis claimed by business men generally
that their demand for a one-cent let
ter rate should be needed They point
tic the fact that the postoffice depart
a 10 .,;1
surplus. something like $4,000, 900
per year, from the letter mail Al
though letter mail constitutes but
fourteen percent of the revenues Of
the department, it pays about rs per
lcent of the revenue receiv-
led from all classes. and it is evident
that this is a decided discrimination
1 against users Of first class or letter
mail
a One OF the interesting features of
the postoffice department which will
be investigated is the so-called blue
tag system. In September, 1911, the
plan was inaugurated It covers that
section of the United States lying be-
tween Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago
st Louis and Kansas City and pro-
vides that within this section, second
class mail, particularly heavy mag
azine mail, shall be hauled IN freight
cars. A report from Postmaster Childs
of Kansas City indicates that the
system has been a great success SO
, far as 1t has been worked out Re-
ports furnished by Postmaster Childs
; indicate that the saving on the small
part of the whole mail that this por-
ton covered for term of seventeen
months was 1854 1850.
Former Postmaster General Hitch
cock, who recently retired from office
was firm In the belief that an immense
!. saving could be effected throughout
the country If this plan were follow
ed and all large eastern magazine
publishers required to distribute their
tproduct in this manner
The Curtis Publishing Co, of Phila-
delphia probably the largest period
. ical publishers in the world, ship out
of Philadelphia by regular mail ser
vice every day, from five to ten fully
loaded cars stacked to the roof with
! magazines. These are carried at the
;. rate of one cent per pound or 500 per
II ton. When shipped in this way they
y may be carried for that ridiculous
T. sum. all the way from Philadelphia
e to California.
y Letter mail, on the other hand, costs
g its originators an average rate OF over
y thirty-four cents per pound, because
y, there are In the neighborhood OF
le forty-five pieces, including some postal
.. cards, to the pound This means q
cost of s1,6s0 per ton to the originator
IN of letter mail, as against 500 per ton
OF for the larger magazines published
w IN the east, some of which charge as
Ut high as $4,000 page for advertise
Sc ments.
lis 1t is claimed that the loss to the
re government through this lack of bust
II ness method is over sG0,0oo,O0o pei
ne year, sufficient to entirely eat up thu
ne surplus furnished by first class mail
Q. It Is to investigate this entire pros
ell lem with view to making recon
on mendations for a suitable readjust
ont ment that the commission will deal
he Sentiment in favor of a one-cent let
ZEN ter rate is now strong throughout tn,
III country, according to officers of tn
J. National One Cent Letter Postage As