The Dolores star., 1919-07-18
Friday, July IS, 1919
ZONE POSTAL RATES.


the repeal Of the Zone Postal Law.
This law, which was put into effect
about year ago. provides that
second class mail such as news
papers and magazines, pay postage
at so much a pound IN the same
way as you pay on parcel post
packages. certain amount in the
first and second zone, greater
amount in the third zone and still
greater in the fourth and SO on.
This is just and fair law, but
terrible battle is being waged
against it by the publishers of the
big magazines and periodicals. AS
you know the home OF the big
magazines are located in our east
ern cities-New York, Phila-
delphia, etc.-Decause labor is
plentiful and raw material is cheap.
Heretofore Uncle Sam has paid
the railroad companies out OF his
own pocket for hauling the finished
product and distributing it over the
United States in return for which
he received practically nothing.
Since 1885 these millionaire pub
fishers have received in the way OF
free transportation for their finished
products about one billion three
hundred million dollars. In 1913
alone the amount of free transpor-
tation they received was over
eighty.fye millions of dollars.
That is it cost the United States
postal department that amount
above the postage paid by the pub
fishers to carry over the railroads
their magazines.
This is certainly plain case of
where Jones pays the freight,
and the sad thing about it, dear
reader, is that you are the afore
said Jones. You are charged
two cents postage on letter sent
outside of the town or post Office
where it is mailed, yet the actual
, cost to the postal department for
carrying that letter to its destina-
ton is less than one cent. This is
not the only way that you donate
; to these millionaire publishers.
Every merchant and business man
has to pay two cents on letters,
bills and statements mailed out,
which is big item of expense to
them, and must be figured in when
they fix the prices to be charged
for their merchandise and service
, We have always fought ship
, subsidy, and yet we have been con-
tent to pay subsidy of millions of
dollars each year to the large
magazine publishers of New York,
Philadelphia and other eastern
cities. If we had paid the same
subsidy to shipping companies we
could have taken patriotic pride in
merchant marine carrying Amer
ican products in ships named by
American seamen. But what
pride can we get from donating our
hard earned cash to publishing
companies that are we'll able to pay
their own expenses.
The publishing companies are
not going to let this subsidy slip
away without a desperate struggle,
and they are bringing every power
within their command to bear on
the members of Congress to get
them to repeal the Zone Postal
Law. They have lobby at Wash
ington and their money flows like
water whenever and wherever there
is an opportunity to score point
towards the repeal of this law.
Just short time ago the daily
papers had an account of labor
convention passing resolution
requesting Congress to repeal this
law. Just think of it; the dele
gates at this convention represented
the laboring class, class that has
to skimp and save in order to feed,
clothe and school their children,
and yet when their representatives
in Congress are trying 10 lift load
from their shoulders and place it
where it belongs and where it
would cause no inconvenience
whatever they object.
If you believe in justice and
fairness to all classes, do you not
think it would be a wise plan to
write your senators and represen-
tatives to use every honorable
means to prevent the repeal of the
Zone Postal Law? The fact is that
the rate under this law is not high
enough, and if the law is to be
changed at all it should be made
higher so that the magazine pub.
| fishers would have to nav in full