Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-16
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS
make VIGOROUS PROTEST
Appear Before Senate Finance Com
mitteo to Argue Against In
crease In Postal Rates.
WOULD Re CONFISCAToRY
This Added Expense, on Top Of
Other Recently Imposed Burdens,
Would Force Many Publishers Out
Of Busincss-Ask Only Fair Deal.
WOULD RE CoNFIsCAToR1
Inv Associated Pres..l

BY Associated Press
WASHINGTON, May 15.-Gcncral
debate on the $1,000, 100000 war rcve-
| nue. bill closed tonight after five days
| of discussion, and Democratic Leader
! Eitchin predicted final vote would
be reached some sine on Saturday.
| The bill will be opened to amend
mcnt tomorrow under tho five minute.
| speech rule and A flood Of proposed
|. changes probably will be offered. An
| amendment which would permit firms
to add the amount Of their increased
taxes TO contracts made prior to the
| passage OF tho law probably will he
| the most important new proposal Of
| fcrcd By the Ways and Means Com
| mittce.
Vigorous fights will be made against
the cKccs3 profits. income and auto
mobile taxes and the proposed in
! crcascd rates on second class mail.
Many Republican members Will seek
to substitute the English excess prof1tx
tax law provisions for those now in
the bill. on the ground that they would
reach more firms and provide a more
equitable tax.
DEBATE CESTERs LARGELY
on POSTAL. INCREASE
! Debate on tho measure again to-
day conferred largely upon the second
class nlAfl nassser7 section. =, fReprcsen-
tativcs Johnson, of North Dakota;
| Mondcll, of Wyoming, and Young. of
North Dakota, spoke against the pro-
poSal. declaring IL unfair TO publishers
generally.
Representative Johnson proposed a
substitute plan TO tax newspapers a
FIAT rate OF per cent on their adver-
Using returns. Representative Mondcll
| declared the proposed rate increases
! would make it impossible for maya
| zines and newspapers to ma intain their
present general circulation.
Representative Young said that if the
! government would pay for the free
advertising given hy newspapers tfc
| papers could afford TO pay irst-class
mail rates.
Representative Lunn. of New York.
assaiicd the bill as inequitablc. par
| ticuiarly in regard TO the excess profits
! tax section.
CONTINUE THEIR PROTESTS
BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE
Newspaper publishers continued to-
day TO present arguments TO the Sen
ate Finance Committee against the In
crease in postal rates on newspapers
! and magazines. as proposed in the war
tax bill.
| Frank p. Glass told the Senate COM
mittee that the Birmingham, Ala.
papers had to raise their prices 25 per
| cent and yet were suffering. Hc said
| there was gossip current to :hc effect
that tho tax was n plan to punish the
newspapers Senator Williams inter
| rupted to say that there seemed to be
the opinion that the Postma ster- Gem
cral was responsible for the tax. but
that the Senator denied
Mr. Glass said the newspapers we're
doing everything to relieve themselves
by buying paper mills. but no relief
| could be obtained for years.
Let 1t alone for the present until
the paper situation is relieved" he
! said. and If it's necessary 10 raise
postal rates then. do It,"
Louis Wiley, Of the New York Times,
said it has been shown to the commit
| tee that none OF the newspapers de-
/ sires TO shirk its responsibility to the
government. Postage tax and paper
together. he said, would cost the Times
$1.400.000 more than formerly. The tax
he declared was an oppression in view
| of other increased expenses
george Mc3nenS, OF the IlmeS, de-
clared the tax confiscatory. He said
the Canadian government had lowered
| the price Of paper to $50 ton.
The example of the Canadian gov.
eminent can be fairly suggested to the
Congress as an example" he said. rs
it not fair TO ask why the publishing
industry has been singled out:" he
| asked. I'VE OF the publishing business
ask nothing more than to be treated
fairly"
Senator Williams suggested that the
papers could advance their rates. Mr.
McAneny said that was impossible
James Kelley. Of tho Chicago Herald,
told Of the advance in the price Of
paper which he estimated TO him at
100000.
Everything that goes into the manu-
facture OF a newspaper has advanced in
the last year from 10 to 500 per cent"
Mr.. Kelley said. "Now on top OF these
increases the railroads ask 10 per cent
| increase In rates. All we want is to
stay in business and help you to raise
revenues"
Alfred Il. ommen. representing tho
United Typothetae. appeared to protest
CONTINUED on Third Pagc)