Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-12-11
newspapers ARE
BADLY HURT in
PROPOSED BILL
One cent Letter Postage Means
Prohibitive Newspaper Rate
for These Islands

Newspapers from Hawaii to the
mainland and fIacm the mainland here
will cost for postage just six times the
present rate if the postoffice appro-
priation bill which, according TO As
sociatel Press despatches last night
from Washington, lIas been complet-
ed and will probably be reported to
the house this week by the postoffice
committee, carries as it now reads.
Officials OF the Honolulu postoffice
said today that IL the terms of the bill
affecting postage rates on newspapers
and magazines are correctly reported
in layt nights dispatches the cost Of
mailing AeyspaDers from this city to
the paillapd and from Abe mainland
here Mn Be SEQ per cent more than
at present
The bill, MhH provides for Ae
most radical thages in the lQstil
laws proposed IN Nlany years WI, II
passed, make the Htes on newspapers
from The islands 70 the mainland AID
vice versa six cents a pound, as al
mainland points are in the eighth 1op
from Hawaii. The present rate iSote
cent q pound. The increase would Je
5 cents a pound; a prohibitive rate.
The bill provides rate ranging from
one cent a poLnd for the first zone
to six cents a pound for the eighth<
On magazines, if the bill passes, a
new system of mailing to island sub
scribers will have to be devised IL
the subscription price is to be kept
the same as now. Monthly magazines
weighing about pound will cost the
publishers six cents pound for ship
ment to the territory, against one cent
at present. This would make the
increase in postage on monthly publ.
cations such as Review of Reviews,
Worlds Work, Cosmopolitan and Nc
Clures, weighing from, II IL to IA IL.
solnces .eacbs 51ce9tssas pnmber or Oh
cents Hyeafs ~ Tsgss = s7s ss5-1F
Magazines to Use Express
To get around this raise, if the bill
passes, the magazine publishers, post
al authorities Of the local postoffice
said today, will have to adopt the plan
now followed by the mail order houses
such as Sears. Roebuck & Company,
Montgomery, Ward & Company, Ma
tional Cloak and Suit House, and
others -
That is, to send their magazines by
express in lots equal to the number
of subscribers in the islands and mail
them mere through a local agent to
subscribers in the territory. The
mail order houses are now following
this method in sending catalogues to
their island patrons. Mainland news
papers will have to do the same way
to reach their subscribers in the isl
ands. Or else raise their rates to cor
respond with tine increase in postage.
One Subscriber Costs S4.45
The mailing weight Of one copy of
the Bulletin for year, about
$40 issues, was today calculated by
this newspape. circulation depart
ment and found to be 81 pounds.
At &c a pound. the proposed rate
called for in the bill, it will cost the
Star-Bulletin S5.46 to send mainland
subscriber a years issue of the pa.
per. 1t now costs at the present rate
of one cent a pound, 81 cents. The
bill will hit hard all island news
papers having mainland subscribers
as we'll as mainland newspapers hav-
ing subscribers in Hawaii nei.
Anotaer radical proposed change in
the appropriation bill provides for
one-cent rate on local first-class mail
matter instead Of the present two
cent rate.