, 1920-03-04

patronage have made the Post the great
periodical hat it is. The pub
fishers of the Post deliberately state
that the subscriber is required to pay
increasingly higher rates of postage
on his reading matter. and that the
average maximum rate will in 1921
be about four times what it has been
for thirty-two years.
The publishers of the Post know
that there is nothing in the zone law
that makes it cost them one cent more
to mail the reading matter in the Post
to a subscriber whether he lives east
or west of the Mississippi, or whether
he lives in Trenton, n. j., or San Fran
cisco. They know that the second-cIass
rate on reading matter is ~ cents a
pound regardless of the zone in which
the subscriber lives. They know that
the zone rates do not in any way apply
to the reading matter. but apply only to
the advertising which the Post carries.
The publishers of the Post know the
statements they have made are mis-
leading, and, whether deliberate or not.
it is n misstatement of fact that may
create in the minds of the public n
wrong impression as to the operations
of the zone law, and so create a public
demand for its repeal.
The readers of the Saturday Even
ing Post do not buy the publication be-
cause of the advertising which it con-
tains. IL the publishers of the Post
know this, and it is on the advertising
pages only hat the zone postage rates
are paid. The advertiser wants his
business announcement to reach the
public. and he uses the columns of the
Saturday Evening Post for that pur-
pose, and because it is to his interest
to do so.
When the publishers of the Post
force the readers to pay any of the ex-
ira postage collected because of the car
rying of this advertising, they are pass
ing along to the readers an expense
which the advertisers should pay. and
which the government expected the adj
vertisers to pay.
The issue of he Post of February
IA contains LOG pages including the
cover. OF these 1876 pages us. or 60
per cent of the total. are reading mat
ter. The postage charge on the rs
pages of reading matter is the same on
every copy of the Post mailed to any
point in the United States, and whether
that point be as close to Philadelphia
as Camden, n. J.. or as far away as
Nome, Alaska. 1t is on the lis pages
of advertising that the zone postage
rate applies, and the publishers of the
Post are charging the advertisers for
circulating these pages, not on the
theory that the advertisers want the
readers to have them. That being the
case, If anyon aside from the publish
ers of h periodical is to pay the ex-
ira postage charge on these pages, it
should be the advertisers, who are the
ones that are benefited by the Posts
circulation. The publishers Of the
Post propose to penalize the readers of
the periodical living west of the Missis-
sippi river for the benefit of the big
business concerns that are their adj
vertising customers.
The Saturday Evening Post is n good
periodical. 1t is undoubtedly worth
the $3.50 the subscribers west of the
Mississippi are asked to pay. The in
creased cost of labor and materials en-
title its publishers to a larger sub
scription price han they have been re-
ceiving but to attempt to differenti-
ate between subscribers in different
sections of the nation. and to attempt
this on the ground that the govern
ment is charging these western sub
scribers a higher postage rate on the
reading matter they buy, is absolutely
misleading and n reflection on the in
telligence of the people of the west.
1t is to be hoped the people will show
a proper resentment Of this unfair and
uncalled for discrimination.