Evening star., 1925-02-15
BY JOHN T.. FLYNN.
TINE new move in Congress to

IITHE new move in Congress to
force up the postal rate on
newspapers and magazines
i is a blow, not 1t the big
publishers, but al the small
and weak ones, and will prove
powerful force to drive our press
the voice of the people-under the
control of a few great publishing
monopolies."
Pearson, national chairman of the
American Publishers Conference,
when asked for his opinion of the
bill passed during the week by the
House raising the Senate's rates on
second-class mail matter. Mr.. Pear
son is himself the director of one of
the largest publishing houses in
America The bill is now before the
Senate for action.
Really Hit Little Papers.
The advocates of this bill think
they. are aiming a shot at the big
newspapers and magazines. But they
are wrong. 1t is the little fellows
they will hit and drive out of busine SIS
in some cases. This will leave the
field that much clearer for their
richer and stronger rivals. Moreover
it Will tend to deprive the country of
many of those numerous small
weeklies and monthlies which carry the
free discussion of all sorts of matters
to our people We need those little fell
lows in Republican Government like
ours. But IL this bill goes through it
will. mean the silencing of many of
those. voices. Is this good thing for
our democracy"
Does the Government lose money
on the carrying of second-class mail
a
1T does not" was Mr.. Pearson s
prompt reply. "Of course, postal fig
ures are huge and not easy to analyze.
1t is difficult to get at the actual cost
of any particular service. For in
stance, we made an experiment in one
postal district. We managed to keep
all second-class matter out of the
mails for a definite time. That place
employed 80 letter carriers. Yet 1t
was found that those 80 letter car
lriers were just as necessary without
the second class matter in the mails.
The newspapers and magazines did
not add a single dollar to the cost OF
delivery in that office. Such mail is
always held in post Offices and sent
out when the load of the postman is
lightest."
No Loss to Government.
Pearson's desk. 1t was one of his
own publications. 1t had about 100
pages of editorial matter and 200
pages of advertising.
'Is there any reason why that ad-
vertising matter should get the bene-
fit of a cheap rate?" l asked. THAT
advertising is, in reality, part of the
operating cost of merchants and
| manufacturers. Is there any reason
why the Government should carry il
at a loss and at the expense of the
public?'
Don't worry about the Govern
ment losing money, on that aga
zine" he replied, smiling. We sell
that magazine for $6 year. Out on
the Pacific Coast a subscriber gets it
from US for sS a year. Yet it costs
us SIS a year in postage to send it
| there. 1t is a large magazine and
heavy. 1t yields the Government as
much revenue as several small maga-
zines, yet 1t is delivered In one call
while the several smaller magazines
require delivery at several places
This only illustrates what l have al
ready touched on, namely, that the
Government makes a profit on the
larger magazines, while it loses on
the smaller ones"
Attacks LOSS Claim.
But an official in the Post Office
Department" 1 interrupted, insists
that the Government loses $4,000, ,000
a year on second-class matter"
Il am familiar with that gentle
mans claim" said Mr.. Pearson. And
/ am sure he would never use those
figures If he realized what a slam he
is thus taking at his own department