The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-10-16
Queer Piece of Legislation viii
Work Hardship on Papers.
From the Triton Gazette.

Newspapers will be much more expensive
to their readers after July 1st next. The in
crease IN postage as agreed upon by the
house and senate conference committee
makes it impossible for the publishers to
avoid raising their subscription price. The
high postage under the zone system will also
force subscribers to confne their reading to
newspapers published within a few hundred
miles, as the price of those printed in the
metropolitan centers will be so high that on
ly the wealthy living at a distance can af-
ford them.
Newspaper publishers must also be ex-
pert accountants to figure the postage on
their newspapers to different points. The
following are the rather remarkable rates
proposed in the new revenue bill:
Beginning July /, 1918, and con-
tlnulng until July 1, 1919, the rate per
pound will be l "a cents per pound on
reading matter more than the present
rate on all second class matter, ~
cents per pound after July l, 1919.
Publications carrying more advertis-
ing than per cent. of their space
would be subject under the fourth class
parcel post zone system to the follow
ing rates per pound on their advertis-
ing matter:
Between July 1, 1918, and July 1,
1919, first and second zones, Il cents;
third, II cents; fourth, cents; fifth,
PA cents; sixth, 21a cents; seventh, 3
cents, and eighth, 81 cents.
Between July 1, 1919, and July /,
1920, first and second zones, u cents;
third, 2 cents; fourth, 3 cents; fifth,
BIZ cents; sixth, a cents; seventh,
cents, and eighth, " cents.
Between July 1, 1920, and July 1,
1921, first and second zones, l ga
cents; third, 2 Y cents; fourth, a cents;
fifth, 34 cents; sixth, 512 cents; sew
enth Z cents, and eighth, ga cents.
"After July 1, 1921, first and second
zones, 2 cents; third, cents; fourth,
cents; sixth, 6 cents; seventh, 9 cents,
and eighth, 10 cents"
Practically no newspapers which accept
advertising at all carry as little as per
cent. of their total space. Therefore, the
higher rate of postage in each instance must
be paid. Very few newspaper publishers are
making money now; many have gone out of
business during the past two years, and 9TH
ers were facing difficulties before the new
postage rates were proposed. Consequently,
they must raise their subscription price to
meet the increased postage or suspend publi-
cation.
The zone system will confine the circula-
ton of the smaller newspapers strictly to
local territory. For instance, the Gazette
has few subscribers in the far Western
the eighth postal zone. Although we have
only one or two subscribers in the different
zones beyond the third we must pay the full
pound rate on each paper, for the second
year, 51h cents; for the third year, 7 Sd
cents, and for the fourth year. 10 cents Few
subscribers will care to pay this price and
the publisher cannot, so people interested
in Triton, who live at a distance and want
to read the local paper, will be deprived of
that privilege.
Another item of the increase will be hard
on the editor who likes to keep in touch
with the best sources of information in or
| der that he may write intelligently on live
topics The price of newspapers published
! in the large centers will be forced so high
that the editor living several hundred miles
away cannot afford them. At present the
| Gazette subscribes for about half a dozen
such papers and we believe careful read
ing of them enables US to add to our own
! information as we'll as to that of our read
| ers After next July we must do without
! them
Further than this the application of the
law is so complex that an expert mathmeti-
clan may feel at a loss to figure the differ
ent rates First it must be estimated how
much advertising comes within per cent.
of the total space. Then the number of sub-
scribers must be figured for each of the SEN
arate zones and the tax or postage in each
zone estimated. Altogether, the measure is
: a queer piece of of legislation and will work
much hardship on newspaper publishers as
a whole. These do not object to paying their
share of the expenses of the war but they
do think these expenses should be levied in
: way that would save them as much incon-
lVnnipnpn &c will bo