The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-12-24
New Congress Appears to
be Favorable to One Cent
Letter Postage Plan.
CONGRESSMAN GETTING BUSY

One cent letter postage will be the
theme Of determined campaign to be
waged this winter wherein business
men of the United States will seek to
crystalize into law the rapidly increas-
ing sentiment for lower postage rate.
Congress is to be asked at its pres
emit session to take steps looking to-
wards the inauguration of one cent
letter rate. The campaign will be con-
Quoted by the National One Cent Let
ter Postage Association, which has its
headquarters in Cleveland. This asso-
citation has been steadily growing in
strength for several years and now
maintains membership scattered
throughout the United States, with
representatives in nearly every village,
town and city in all the states of
the union.
1t is believed by officers of the asso-
citation that with the general business
revival now under way, the demand for
one cent letter postage will become so
insistent that congress can not do
otherwise than inaugurate this reform.
An astonishing condition exists at
Washington in connection with the
operation of the postofice department.,
according to George T. Mcintosh,
secretary treasurer of the National One
Cent Letter Postage Association. Mr..
Mcintosh has been active head Of this
organization since its inception several
years ago and, together with Charles
w. Burrows, the association s presi-
dent, has been making a close study of
postal conditions as they exist in
this country.
Business men of the United States
ter is paying the government over ITO
million dollars per year, of which more
than $70,000,000 is clear profit" de-
clares Mr.. Mcintosh "With this i'm
mense income and profit, the govern
ment at the same time is sustaining
loss on second class mail of more than
$70,000,O00 year. Statisticians of the
postofice department have stated that
il costs over eight cents per pound to
distribute second class mail while the
charge made by the department is only
one cent per pound. While first class
mail reaps the postofice department.
clear profit of over 100000 per
year, second class mail at the same time
entails loss Of about the same sum,
with result that an immense surplus is
automatically wiped out each year. /"
'EThis $70,00O000 is the toll the
American businessman is paying under
the present conditions and is the thing
which we are seeking to reform. There
is no reason why business Institutions
Of this country should be paying nearly
twice the cost of carriage of their mail
while other interests, chiefly the big
periodical publishers of the eastern
cities are swapping the entire country
with huge volumes of mail matter for
which they are paying only oneeighth
the cost of handling.
Efficiency in operation is thing
which is practically an impossibility on
the part of postofice officials at the
which exists and has existed for many
years. 1t has long been felt by those
in charge of the department at Wash
ington that reform of this character
is absolutely necessary, and they have
given assurance on many occasions
that just as soon as congress sees fit
to act on this subject, American bust
pess men will be granted one cent
letter rate
No fair minded person can feel
ether than that the periodical publish
ers of this country are being granted
a huge subsidy every year as long as
the present condition of affairs exists. -
tF'irst class, letter mail, it has been
computed, pays revenue to the gov
ernment of little over eighty cents
per pound or over $1,000 per ton,
practically twice the cost of handling
it. Second class mail on the other
hand, pays one cent a pound, or $40
, ton, which is about oneeighth the cost
of handling Is this good business?
Both our association and representative
rcstoffice officials at Washington do not
believe it is. Nothing can be done,
however, until congress takes action,
and it is for this reason that we are
demanding that the matter be consider
ed at the present session of congress.
Only through cooperation on the
part of the business interests of this
country, who are paying a tax to the
government every time they use two
cent stamp can we hope to succeed.
Bills for one cent letter postage have
been introduced by Senators Burton
and Penrose and Representatives Ans
berry, Bartlett, Griest, McKeller, Park
and Rouse, and will be pushed during
the present term of congress.
The United States government has
ordered that new tests be made of the