Evening star., 1924-12-14
PUBLISHERS FIGHT
$68, 900, 900 POSTAL
RATE BOOST MOVE

Continued from First Page.)
sixth zone. and no increases in the
seventh and eighth zones, with pro-
viso that rates on books, catalogues.
etc, weighing more than eight ounces
shall be l cent per piece less than
the rates applicable to merchandise.
Insurance fees: Minimum increased
from 3 to cents with lesser adjust
ments in the higher fees. 2
c. Q. ID. fees: Increased from pres
ent 10 and % cents to IL. Is and %
cents.
Money orders: Present fees of to
80 cents changed to from to % cents
Registered mail: Increased from 10
to Is cents with scent fee for return
receipt. .-..
Special delivery: Present 10-cent
fee for all matter up to 2 pounds, un-
changed. All matter weighing in ex-
cess OF pounds to 10 pounds, IS
cents, in excess of 10 pounds, 20
cents.
Must Meet Expense.
In transmitting the recommends
tions to Senator Sterling Mr.. New
said IT was obvious that the money to
meet the s6S,000,o 900 postal employees
pay increase must come from some
where"
THE question" he said. "is whether
1t shall be assessed against the gem
eral taxpayer or whether it shall be
obtained by providing increased rates
for mail now carried at a loss. 1t is
my belief that the latter Is the cor
rect method"
1T will be observed" he wrote,
that the suggestions affect every
class of mail on which the depart
ment now sustains a loss, as revealed
by the result of the cost ascertain
ment just completed by direction of
Congress"
Calling attention that the loss on
second-class mail-newspapers and
periodicals. placed at s74,712,000
In the cost ascertainment report, the
Postmaster General said that, mot
withstanding this, the recommends
tion for increases on second class
calls for $10,S76,000."
"One million Of this" he added, sis
expected to be derived from news
papers mailed by individuals and not
by publishers.
I'm holding the increase to this
class within the limits named the
department has been governed by
numerous considerations. 1t has been
the traditional. policy of the Govern
ment to give publications the benefit
of low rates. recognising them as
distributors of general information.
1t always has and still does recognize
the desire of the public for daily
news and current information and
reading matter"
Assailing both the Postmaster Cen
erals recommendations and the cost
ascertainment report, the Publishers
Association, in Its statement, present
ed statistics to show that Mr.. News
recommendations for increases on
daily newspapers are based largely
on the ALLEGATION of cost in handling
over the rural free delivery routes.
which cost $s7,542.6s4 to maintain,
and produce no revenue.
Plan In Scored.
'TIe does not propose an increase
in postage on first-class or third
class mail or fourth-class mail to
meet this situation" the statement t
said. with these classifications. he
pursues the policy of spreading their
cost and their receipts over the en-
tire mail service, but having driven
second-class mail out Of practically
all of the postal service except. the
rural free delivery service. the Post
master General pursues the policy of
trying to make certain divisions of
the second-class mail pay their cost
on the rural routes. while he exempts
other divisions of second-class mail
from this necessity"
The cost ascertainment report was
further attacked on the ground that
while the newspapers are large con-
tributors to the revenues Of the city
post offices, from which they get no
service to speak Of" a large portion
Of the expenditures on account Of the
post offices "arbitrarily are allotted
to their account"