Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1917-01-12

vides for reducing the postage on So
called drop letters to one cent and for
increasing the rates on second-class
mail matter. Drop letters are those
which are to be delivered in the same
town where they are mailed, and at
present they take the same rate as
letters destined for distant delivery.
This of course means that the gov
ernment is not put to the expense of
transporting such mail for any con-
siderable distance, but even so there
is no good reason why drop letter
should take the same rate as a postal
card. The latter serves for an infor-
NAL message, and when a letter is
enclosed and sealed two cent charge
is not unreasonable, considering the
service given.
As matter of fact, moreover, drop
letters are used but little as means
Of communication between persons re-
siding in the same city. When a per-
sonal visit is not advisable the tele-
phone, which is quick, convenient and
accurate, is the substitute most fire.
quently resorted to. The mails are
too slow and too formal. and post
office records show that ordinary drop
letters constitute but very small
portion of the mail matter handled.
It is true they are used to consid-
cradle extent for sending out bills
statements and advertising, but here
again the merchants and others get
full value for the charge that is made.
The proof Of this is to be found in
the very fact that businessmen use
the mails for such purposes, which
argues there is neither call or occa-
sion for reducing the rate on such
mail, as it would benefit but com
paratively few and scarcely would
call forth an expression of thanks.
To increase the rates on second
class mail matter, on the other hand,
would be blow to nearly everybody.
1t would mean that every subscriber
receiving a paper or periodical
through the mails would be compelled
to pay increased subscription rates,
based on the additional postage
charge, for of course publishers could
not be expected to stand this in
creased cost, burdened as they already
are with high costs for paper and
about everything else they use in
preparing their publications. Natnr-
ally, therefore, they would pass along
this additional postage expense to
subscribers, and the latter would have
to stand it, or cancel their subscrip-
tions and go without their customary
reading, an alternative that would be
far from pleasing to most people.
While it undoubtedly is true that
the second-class mail rate is low, it
is .he public and not the publishers
VI no get the real benefit of this con-
0iticn. Occasionally some official fig
ures ont that the government closes
money" on account of the low second
class mail rate, but even if this is
tlne it is an expense that brings ben
efits far greater in value than the
cost to the government. Through pa
pers and periodicals the people are
kept informed and abreast of the
times, making them better prepared
to shape their own lives and activi-
ties, and better qualified to guide and
support the government in its conduct
of public affairs and business. 1t
would be blow to democracy, in fact,
to hamper the people I'M securing
cheap reading, and this would be the
inevitable result of increasing the
postage rate on second-class mail. And
this alone should be sufficient to de-
feat the measure referred to, propOs-
ing a revision of postage rates along
the lines suggested.
BANANA CANAL AGATN pEAnV