The Mena weekly star., 1921-07-14
CONGRESS BOOSTS NEWSPAPER COSTS
Increase in Second Class Postal Rates Went Into Effect July l-Repre- sentatives Refused to Await
 Investigation.
(By Frederick J. Haskin)

pers and periodicals of the United States lost long drawn-out and inn portant fight of many years standing during the latter part of June, when the House Committee on Postoffices and Post Roads tabled the Longworth bill, which would have nullified the second-class postal increases which went into effect on July 1.
 Albert s. Burleson, postmaster gen eral turnout both Wilson administra- tions, fought long and ardently to put this measure on the statute books, and won out.
 The increase in second-class postal rates, which affects all newspapers and l periodicals, is the fourth of a success sion of annual increases. The first oc- cured on July l, 1918.
 Prior to that date the postal rate for second class matter was uniform | for newspapers and periodicals, no matter what distance it was sent to | the subscriber The recent postmas- ter general and those who sided with | him attacked this system as a "sub- sidy" granted by the government, and contended that in the transportation of this second-class mail the Postoffice Department actually lost a consider l able sum of money.
 The answer made to this argument was that an increase of postal rates on this kind of mail matter was put ting a heavy tax on the dissemination of information. The magazines of na- tional circulation were particularly bitter against the increases. A zoning 1 system went into effect at the time, which made it necessary to put much more postage on a periodical sent, let us say, from a New York office of | publication to a subscriber on the Pa 1 cific coast, than on similar periodical sent to a subscriber in Newark, N. J.
 The system now in effect provides eight zones. The first includes terri tory for 50 miles in all directions. The second zone embraces an additional hundred miles, the third zone 150 miles more, the fourth zone an addi- tional 300 miles. Zone , takes in ter ritory 400 miles beyond the limits of zone 4; zone adds another 400 miles, as does zone ', and zone includes all territory beyond the limits of the sev- enth zone.
 A difference was made between pure reading matter and advertising matter, but this is of little benefit, as practically every newspaper and per | iodical today is made up of mixture of both. When the first increase went | into effect the rates per pound of mail became 1 A cents for the first and sec ond zones, 11a cents for the third zone, two cents for the fourth zone, 2lA for the fifth zone 212 for the sixth zone, three cents for the seventh zone, and 3A cents for the eighth zone.
 The following year these rates were ] increased again, varying from IF cents a pound in the first and second zones to 51s cents pound in the eighth zone.
 The increase on July 1, 1920, car ried these rates up to 1% cents a pound in the first and second zone with proportionate increases all along the line, up to 7A cents a pound in the eighth zone.
 The rates which have just gone into effect are, for each pound of second class mail, as follows:
 | First and second zones, 2 cents; third zone, 3 cents; fourth zone, 5 cents; fifth zone 6 cents; sixth zone, q zone, 10 cents.
 The newspapers and periodicals 1 have been making a last ditch fight to prevent the last increase going in- to effect until the new postmaster general had time to investigate, thru a commission appointed for that pur- pose, the justice of the second class rates, and whether it was necessary to have them so high for the sake of pos l tai revenue. Despite the fact that Congress has been petitioned from all over the country to this effect, and despite the strong recommendation of the Postoffice Department, the Long worth bill, which had this for it's ob- ject, has died in committee.
 Except for the most prosperous newspapers and periodicals, it is high ly probable that subscription prices will have to be boosted to cover this additional burden. It was just this point on which the main fight against l the increases has been based from the first. The ultimate sufferer from the l increases is bound to be the mail sub scriber to newspapers and periodicals. It means making education and the knowledge of current news the recip- tent of another tax.
 Mir. Longworth and officials of the Postoffice Department are utterly at a loss to understand the action of the Postoffice and Post Roads Committee of the House. As the end sought by publishers of newspapers and periodi- | calls was merely a postponement of putting the fourth increase into effect so that an impartial investigation into the necessity and justice of the in- crease might be made, the committees action has caused no little chagrin and disappointment.
 Not even the author of the bill to postpone this last boost in mail rates was able to find out exactly how the committee voted on his bill. It is MT. Longworth's understanding, however, that a considerable majority of the committee voted to table his measure. Under the existing rules of the House, it is now impossible to get the bill be- | fore the House for it's consideration except by going to the Rules Commit tee and, by overriding the committee which killed the bill. order it reported to the House.
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