The daily sentinel., 1913-09-20
URGES
ONE Gent LETTER
POSTAGE FIGHT

Business men of this city are
pleased with the determined COM
paign which is being made to secure
one cent letter postage. Many are
| Joining the National One Cent Letter
Postage Association, and are assist
ing the work for the lower rate. Bills
are to be re-introduced in Congress,
and very energetic. efforts will be
made by the association to secure
their passage.
/ Mr.. Fl. G. Fletcher. Mgr. OF The
Grand Junction Fruit Growers As
ISOLATION of this city, is taking an act
i've part in the campaign, and is urg-
ing local business men to give their
support to the movement.
We have been emitted to a lower
rate on letter postage for many
years" declares Mr.. Fletcher, who is
now conducting a campaign to gain
support for the postage association.
No concerted effort has previous
ly been made to secure 1t. The Ma
tional One Cent Letter Postage Asso-
citation has now taken up the work
and has several thousand members
scattered all over the union. This
association has for its sole purpose,
the cutting down OF the present rate
on letter postage.
I'm IS43, letters of one-half ounce
or less, were carried between New
York city and Buffalo, a distance of
fewer than five hundred miles for
twenty-five cents. Similar high rates
prevailed elsewhere, The act of
March 3rd, 1888, established the two
cent rate which is still in vogue, de-
spite the fact that the post Office de-
partment makes enormous profits
from this class of mail every year.
In 1912, over 9,500,000,000
pieces of first-class mail we're carried
| by the post office department. The
cost of handling and carriage, accord
ing to the department was about
800, 100000. The revenue collect
ed was about $4,000, 900, leaving a
clear profit to the government of
about $4,000, goo. A proportionate
profit has been made for each year of
the last score.
Business men OF the United States
are being required to pay this exorbi
tant profit, furnishing the department
with a large yearly surplus over the
cost OF its service. 1t was never in
tended that letter postage should pay
profit. The policy OF the department,
as outlined by the postmaster general
still continues to be that cost of ser
vice rendered shall be paid by each
class of users of the mails, and that
only cost shall be collected from any
class.
| 'At the present rate, the depart
ment is receiving on first-class mail
revenue OF over eighty-four cents per
pound, equal to 81 $50 per ton, max
ing a profit of &c per cent. First
class mail supplies under IA per cent
of the total tonnage of the mails, yet
it is required to pay as per cent of
the total revenue. 1t has been clearly
demonstrated that one cent letter
rate will amply pay.
THE National One Cent Letter
Postage Association is conducting an
active campaign to secure this lower
rate. Many business firms in this city
are already affiliated with this organ
ization and hope that more will
| join as soon as they learn about the
unreasonable charges now being
made for carriage of letters. The as
sociation has its headquarters at
Cleveland, Ohio, because the execu-
tive officers live in that city. Mr..
Charles VIM. Burrows is president of
the association. and Mr.. George T.
Mcintosh. in addition to being secre
tary-treasurer, is managing the cam
paign.
Personally, / urge every business
man to affiliate himself with this or
ganization. 1t means that letter
postage will be cut in two as soon as
the battle for one cent letter postage
is won. We have everything in our
favor. and there is no reason why we
should not secure one cent rate at
an early date"
Stenographic work and typewriting
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