The evening herald., 1917-12-19

Mr. Thaycr predicted that SO per cent
Of the publications On the countr,
will he wiped ous u the new rates su
mtp effect next July.
with the tremendous Increase
called Tor o, the law. II not repealed,
the price OF the publications must he
increased" he said This increase Of
subscription price will naturally de-
crease circulation; decreased circuln-
tion means lower advertising rite,
and hence less advertising income.
LESS advcrtlsing income means cheap
er pager. cheaper illustrations, lower
prices TO authors. lower salaries to
solicitors. CLERKS and other workers. q
rcdo,tion Of employees 10 conform -
conditions-and bankruptcy Tor thou
sands.
II say thousands and l believe am
right in saving thousands. Ter prol'-
ably more than so per cent OF the
publications existing today will Do
forced TO suspend II this bill gocs nto
effect.
The printing industry now the
third Industrial activity In this coun-
try. VIII suffer tremendously. There
are some 100000 men directly em-
ploycd and dependent upon the prime
ing industry with this tax in effect.
probably 80 TO 80 per cent OF these
men viii be forced out OF employ
ment
Mr. Thayer compared the cost OF
handling merchandise today with the
rate Of postage to be paid when the
new postal bhi goes into effect.
To-day" he said batter. eggs and
fruit, when handled by express com
panies- --an pounds az time may be
sent By express from Fort Wayne.
Ind, to N.W York. al a cost OF two
ana cne-duartcr cents q pound, ana
from California. Arizona and Nevada
fruit nuts and vegetables may boz sent
to an other express points through
out the union. with some exceptions,
AZ fiat rate Of four cents per pound;
this price includes collection and de-.
LIVERY
"rhipk of this fact u connection
with the rate of 20 cents pcr poupd,
this being the maximum zone postal
rate charged against the advertising
section Of publications. should this
law go into effect"
Referring to the fact thai thu Auth
ors l.eague of America. composed ot
representative American authors had
issued protes, demanding the re-
peal Of this law, Mr Thayor quoted
one paragraph OF an appeal written
by Rex Beach. president of the league
which Is az follows
America nca5s a crisis upon which
may depend her rational existence, the
existence OF her allies the future ~
civilization and democracy So lons
as this crisis lasts we need above an
things press that ~ truly national.
we need a pres Of wide vision and
independent thought We must be as
-urcd Of magazines ana periodicals
thar are above and beyond political
and sectional influence of every mort.
We must be- assured ct medium Of
national expression. q national voice.
TO destroy the efficiency az our great
periodicals to split them up into
smaller. less efficient, less independent
units. to change our national press in'
20 sectional press. will result in a
curtailmaut of Information. OF crit'
,ism. of expression. and build up 81
form Of censorship almost as drastic
and as autocratic a. that censorship
which is exercised in Germany
we have entered this war to make
the world safe foi democracy but hy
ID -en-eless inlquituus, vndictiye an
rUinous postal rate which will desiro
a large part of our periodicals, we,
throttle thai very democracy m bee
half OF which sc have gon" tu var