The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-05-23
NEWSPAPER WAR TAXES.

SOuSlcSS lCuuSS llc wa
impositiOns upon newspapers as re-
ported by the house ways and means
committee, not because the news
papers are entitled to any special en-
emption favor. but because the levies
proposed are more than the traffic
will bear. OvertaXation defeats its
purpose by reducing the volume OF
business and causing possible loss
of revenue to the government in
stead of gain If all the proposed tax
es on newspapers are sustained moth
ing is more certain than that the num-
ber Of publications will be reduced,
while such as can afford to continue
will have smaller volume of business
on which to pay tribute.
Newspapers probably were harder
hit by the war than any other line Of
business. Their cost OF production
increased in every detail--the paper
cost, as is we'll understood, beyond all
foreseeing To restore their business
to a profitable basis publishers every
where had to increase subscription
and advertising rates. Those who
could not do this, and there were
many who could not. had to go out OF
business Now that the business Is
just recovering from the effects OF
this readjustment, it is proposed to
double the postage rate and give the
price Of paper another boost by i'm
posing a 10 per cent tariff duty on
paper and products now on the free
list. The general effect is to place a
new special war tax upon an industry
which has suffered rather than profit
ed by the war-an industry which will
be hit for all the traffic can bear by
the regular and special war taxes i'm
posed upon business as whole.
The proposed doubling Of the rate
on newspaper mail cannot be defend
ed upon any rational ground. 1t is
an exorbitant rate. The government
cannot find it remunerative to enforce
it. 1t could be paid only if all sub
scribers who now depend on the mails
for their daily newspapers would stand
for another heavy increase in sub
.scription rates. BY no means all OF
present subscribers can do this, espe-
cially in view of the continuous in
crease in the. cost of other necessar-
les. Moreover, newspapers of large
circulation, if put to it, can worry
along without the postotiice depart,
ment. BY means of freight. express
and private carrier organizations they
can make the deliveries cheaper on
their own account than they can
through Uncle Sans expensive sys-
TEN. Metropolitan newspapers which
circulate mainly in the city OF Eubli-
cation will not be affected by the new
circulation tax. The chief sufferers
will be newspapers in small cities who
depend largely upon nearby towns for
circulation. The dailies of the middle
west would be especially hard hit.
The newspapers want to pay their
full share of the war taxes. They will
do so without prohibitive tax upon
the circulation that represents their
lifeblood. 1t is not conceivable that
either branch of congress will insist
upon imposing such an unjust and dis
criminative tax after its effect has
been pointed out. Anything that would
hamper the newspapers would be par
ticularly unfortunate at this time.
when the government must depend
largely on their publicity facilities for
furthering its war preparations. Mere
ly as matter of national economy
the newspapers are entitled to special
consideration in war time. They are
not asking this. They are asking
merely that they shall not be discrim-
mated against, unjustly and uneco-
nomically.-Sioux City Journal.
: According to many OF the farmers,
the reason why they don't raise big
ger crops is that they have no avail
able capital. The majority OF the
banks have not paid much attention
to hloaning money to farmers. The
new farm loan banks may not be able
to supply small advances to farmers
on any sufficient scale.
Yet banks that have gone into this
business, find it profitable. They
send agents around in an automobile
to become familiar with farm condi-
tions in their whole section. Any hard
working and substantial farmer who
needs little help to buy seed, fertl.
lizer, or tools, can get it to a reason
able extent, at a fair rate.
This gives a man courage to at
tempt new enterprises, and broaden
out his area under cultivation 1t will
be a patriotic act for every bank to
take up the question of encourage
ment to farmers in it's neighborhood.
And there is no doubt that banking
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