The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-07-20
2-CENr POSTAGE EXPENSIVE.

A remarkable movement is being con.
Quoted throughout the country for re-
adjustment of postal rates and the in
auguration of One Cent rate for
letters, reform which would result in
saving to letter users throughout the
United States of over $75,000,000 each
year.
Nearly sixty bills have been intro
duced in congress by representatives
from all over the country urging the
lower rate. The matter is now being
considered in committee at Washington,
and it is believed at no distant date
final action will be taken toward the
inauguration of one cent letter postage.
The campaign is being carried on by
the National One Cent Letter Postage
Association with headquarters at Cleve-
land Ohio. The president of the organ
ization is Mr.. Charles William Burrows,
and its secretary-treasurer and general
manager is Mr.. George T. Mcintosh.
With a membership in every state OF
the union, the movement is being back
ed by many thousands of letter users Of
the country in this effort to secure q
lower postage rate.
The immediate purpose Of the cam
paign to secure one cent letter pos
tage in local communities and on locally
delivered letters. Later it is the plan
to secure a general one cent rate on all
letters mailed within the United States.
The movement has been in progress for
several years, and has been cordially en-.
dorsed by several hundred national or
carnations and by thousands of local
organizations such as boards of trade,
chambers Of commerce and similar
bodies.
Experts who have investigated postal
conditions at Washington are unit in
declaring that the United States govern
ment secures a surplus of over SIS, 00O,-
600 a year on its letter postage. The
rate of two cents now charged is said
by these experts to be far in excess OF
the actual cost Of handling, and those
who have investigated declare that the
Inauguration Of a one cent letter rate
will create so much extra business that
any reduction in revenue will be fal
more than offset.
Each year the volume Of mail carried
by the United States Postal Department
increases by leaps and bounds, but nc
effort is ever made to give the users Of
letter postage the benefit of this in
creased volume.
Attention is being called by the as
ISOLATION to the fact that many large
eastern magazines are enjoying an al
most free rate of one cent per pound fol
the distribution of their periodicals
although those who are familiar will
the situation say that it costs the gov
eminent over eight cents pound to dis
tribute them. Train load after trall
load of magazines ieave eastern cities
for points all over the United States
the government transporting, handlini
and distributing ultimately copy at :
time at one cent pound although tn
actual expense is many fold in excess O.
that amount. That these magazine
which are growing rich through charg
ing fabulous sums for advertising
should pay Cost of Carriage is now re
garded as an indisputable fact by thos
familiar with conditions in the posta
department, and it is said that read
iustment of rates will certainly be mad
at no distant day.
If the letter users of the country ar
paying on their mail double the cost 0
its carriage it is held to be only fai
that the magazines should pay thei
full share of the general expense, but a
the present time it is claimed that Will
letter postage pays surplus of owe
$75,OOO,OO0, the magazines eat up thi
surplus by having their product carrie
at an almost free rate.
It was never intended that the Pos
Office Department should be conducte
in this way, and newspapers, periodical
and associations of all kinds are Wig
orously behind the movement for RI
adjustment of rates so that one cen
letter postage may eventually becom
fact.
The angleWOrm is useless imped