Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-07
Increase in
Postal Rates
Iv p.reasria 4 lIaHltin
Nv Frederic J. IIaakln

lost Il long drawn out and important
/ fight of many years standing during
| the latter part Of juno, when the housn
committee on postoihces and post roads
i tabled the Ilonpworth bill which would
have nullifiod the second clnss postal IN
creases which went into elect on july
| first
| Albert S. nurlcson. Postmaster Gen-
efa throughout both Wilson adminis-
/ trations, fought long and ardentlv TO put
| this measure on the statute books, and
won out with the help Of the then Demo-
/ cratic maiorities in both Houses oi Com
/ rrcss
The increase in second class postal
/ rates. which affects all newspapers aud
periodicals. is the fourth OF n succession
/ Of annual increases The first occurred
ON july |, 1918,
1 Prior 60 that date, the postal rate Tor
second class matter was uniform Tor news
| papers and periodicals, no matter what
/ distance il was sent 90 the subscriber.
| The recent Postmaster-General and
those who sided with him attacked this
system as subsidy granted by the
! government, and cuptcnded that IN the
transportation &c teis sccor class mai'
| the rostoifce Department actually lost a
/ considerable sum Of money
| The answer made tn tttg argument
was that an increase ol postal rates on
| this kind uf mail matter was putting q
heavy tax on the dissemination oi IN
| formation The magazines ui national
circulation were particularly bitter again
| the increases. A znning system went
INTO effect at the time, which made II
necessary 20 put much more postage on
periodicals sent. let us SAY, from a New
/ York office of publication 10 subscriber
on the Pacific coast, than on p s,miliaf
periodical sent to a subscriber IN Newark
/ n. j.
The zoninE System.
! The system now in effect provides
/ eight zones The first zone includes
territory for fiftv miles in all directions.
The second conc embraces an additional
/ hundred miles. the third zone hundred
and fltv miles more. the fourth zone an
additional three hundred miles. Zone
| fiyp takes IN territory -four hundred
miles bevond the limits Of zone four
/ 7onr six adds another four hundred miles
! as does rome seven, and zone eight m
cltldes all territory beyond the limits q
the seventh zone
4 difference was made between pure
/ reading matter and advertising matter,
| hut this is of little benefit as practically
every newspaper and periodical today ls
| made M of a mixture Of both. When the
/ first increase went into effect the rates
per pound ~ mail became ! "A cents Tor
! the first and second zones ! 3 cents Tor
the third zone. 2 cents for the fourth
zone. ~, for the fifth zone. pa for the
sixth conc. 3 cents for the seventh zone,
and 3l, cents for tho eight zone.
The following wear these rates were
increased again. from y cents pound
| IA the first and second zones to . l2 cents
| a pound IL he eighth zone
The increase On July !, laIo carried
these rates IN 81 | "a cents pound ~
The first and second zone with propor-
tionatc increases all along the Inc hp
IL 73. cents round in the eighth zone
The rates which have just gone lnt9,
effect arc, for each pound ot second
class mail as follows
First and second zones z cents, third
zone. 3 cents, fourth zone. tivc cents
Il fifth gone. q cents, sixth zone. cent :,
| seventh zone, cents. eighth zone, ~
cents
The newspapers and periodicals have
/ been making a last ditch fight to prevent
the last increase going into effect unui
the new Postmaster General had time
to estigatc. through q commission
appointed for that purpose, the Justice
~ the second class rates, and whether
It was necessary to have them 50 hugh
for the sake az postal revenue. Despite
fact that Congress has been petitoned
from an over the country to this effect
and despite tho strong recommendation
81 The Postoficc Department the Long
worth bill. which had this for its object
has died in committee
The Subscriber Win Pay.
Fxcept for tho most prosperous news
napers and periodicals.. if is highly pnoh-
able that subscription prices will have
10 be boosted TO cover this additional
burden. II was just this point on which
the man fight against the increases has
been based from the first The ultimate
! sufferer from the increases IS bound 70 hc
the mail subscriber TO newspapers and
periodicals.. Il means making education
and the knowledge Of current news the
recipient Of another tax.
MIR Ionrworth and officials uf the
Postofice Department are utterly at q
loss to understand the actinn OF the Fosi
i offices and Post Roads Committee 81
the House As the end sought by pub
II ishers of newspapers end periodicals
was merely a postponemeut ot putting
the fourth increase into effect 80 that
an impartial investigation into the
necessity and justice of the Increase
might he made. tho committee actor
has caused no little chagrln and dlsap-
pointment
Not even the author of tho bill 70
postpone this last boost IN mail rates
was able to find out exactly how the
committee voted on his bill. IL Is Mr.
Iongworth's understanding, however.
that a considerable majority of the com
miftee voted to table his measure. Under
the existing rules of the House, II Is now
impossible to get the bill before the
House for its consideration except by
going 10 the Rules Committee and, by
overriding the committee which killed
the bill, order il reported to the House
viii Continue the Fight.
Even if this course were pursued, with
so many of the committee members
actively opposing the measure 1t Is eX-
tremelv doubtful il favorable action
could be procured from the membership
OF the House. Proponents of the Long.
worth bill and the Post office Depart
ment itself have suffered . defeat
through the action of the committee.
There NAV be many extraneous reasons