The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-04-29
ONE CENT LETTER
POSTAGE RATE
Business Men Of County Regard Ap-
poinsment Of Commission ini.
tiai Step Toward This
End

ihs the appointment of commission
TO Investigate the actual financial
physics. and working conditions OF
the postal service" is regarded by
business men all over the country as
the initial step towards one cent let.
ter postage.
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 full and com.
plo @ investigation made with a view
10 determining, the exact status OF
AFFAIRS.
TIE commission Is composed OF
Daniel C. Roper Joseph. Stewart, A.
M. Dockery and James |. Blackslee,
first, second. third and fourth assist
ant postmasters general respectively,
and Merritt o. Chance, chief clerk
OF the department. These are the new
officials Just appointed under the Will
son administration to conduct the af-
fairs of the post office department.
Now that the parcels post is in &C
tual operation and bids fair to be ex-
tended during the next few years. it
Is claimed by business men general
~ that their demand for one cent
letter rate should be needed. They
point to the faS that the post office
department Is now realizing AN enor-
nous surplus, something like $685.
100000 per year, from the letter mail
Although letter mail constitutes but
four; cen percent Of the revenue re-
ceived from all classes, and II is evil
dent that this is decided discrim'
ination against users of first class or
letter mail.
One of the interesting features OF
the post office department which Will
be Investigated is the so-called blue
tag system. In September, 1911,
the plan was inaugurated. 1t covers
that section of the United States ly-
ing between Pittsburg, Buffalo, Chi
cago, st. Louis and Kansas City and
provides that within this section, Sc
cond class mail particularly heavy
magazine mail, shall be hauled in
f'eight cars. A report from Post
master Childs of Kansas City indi-
Gates that the system has been n
great success so far as 1t mas been
worked out. Reports furnished by
Postmaster Childs indicate tina the
saving on the small part Of the whole
mail that this portion covered for a
term of seventeen months WAS 1854,
-9o5 So
gorr Postmaster General fitch
= mo rec entity retired from ONCE
vas firm n he belief that m inn
mense saving could be effected
throughout the country ii this pla'
we're followed. and all large eastern
magazine publishers required to dis
tribute their product in this manner
The Curtis Publishing company Of
Philadelphia, probably the largest
periodical publishers in the world
ship out OF Philadelphia by regular
mail service every day from to II
fully loaded cars stacked to the rooI
with magazines. These. are carried
At the rate OF one cent per pound OF
$40 per ton. When shipped in this
way they may be carried for that RI
diculous sum. all the way from Phil
adelphia to California.
Letter mail on the other hand
costs its originators an average rate
OF over "a cents per pound, because
there are in the neighborhood of Al
pieces, including some postal cards
TO the pound, This means cost OF
SIC. so per ton to the originator OF
letter mail, as against $50 per ton
for the big magazines published in
the east, some of which charge as
high as $4,000 page for advertise
ments.
II is claimed that the loss to the
government through this lack of
business method is over S60,OOO,O 900
Tar year, sufficient to entirely eat
~ the surplus furnished by first
ass mail
|. is to investigate this entire prob
I'm with view to making recon-
endations for a suitable readjust
r ent that the commission will deal
sentiment in favor of one cent let
ter rate is now strong throughout
tie country, according to officers OF
the National One Cent Letter Pos
tage Association, which has its head
quarters in Cleveland, and which Il
conducting vigorous campaign TO
the lower rate.
HAPPENINGS AT MENDoN