Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-28
ENVELOPE PRINTING
BATTLE IS BITTER
Long Hearings Held on Cues.
ton of Continuing System
on Stamped Castings.
By Consolidated Press

BY Consolidated Press
Apparently a showdown is at hand
on the question Of whether Uncle sam
shall continue having return notices
printed on stamped envelopes, n Gus
tom which has reached large pro
portions, or turn this business over
To the competition of the printers of
the country.
Extensive hearings have been held
by subcommittee of the House com
mittee on post offices and post roads.
; Representative Elliott w. Sproul of
illinois, chairman of the subcommit-
tee, will call his associates together
this week to consider recommends
tons to the full committee.
Lest the innocent bystander con-
slider the fight over this proposal a
lid-glove affair, he should know at
the outset that it is about as bitter
as any controversy injected into Con
SreSS in many years Congress in
S92 actually passed a bill to abolish
the practice of having the Govern
nent contractor print return cards
ON envelopes. but repealed it two
Years later before the law became eff
fective
May Have Return Address.
The Post Office Department awards
contract for the manufacture of its
stamped envelopes. These may be
purchased plain; with notice in the
corner to return to a post office, with
blank lines wherein the sender may
write his name and local address; or
The purhcaser ordering in lots of 500
or multiples thereof may have his
own return notice fully printed in
the corner.
IL 10 OF oil 70 xr-lt ha
present controversy is directed, pro-
ponentS of the legislation having dis
aVoWed intent to forbid any other
class and agreed to amendments to
ma Ike that point clear.
For 10 cents per 500, on the ordi-
nary size, the Government will have
the contractor who manufactures the
stamped envelopes print the users re-
turn request on the corners. The con-
tractor receives from the Government
cent per 500 for this printing, which
Is done as the envelope is manufac-
tured. Last year the Post Office De
partment had 1,475 100000 such enve-
, lopeS printed, nearly half of all stamp
ed envelopes and newspaper wrappers
which were made for 1t. More than
Y per cent Of the orders were in lots
Of 500 or 900.
For this printing of return requests
last year the Government charged
consumers around 100000. For the
printing, the contractor received APP
proXimately 100000.
Nine Bills introduced.
Against the department. charge of
10 cents per 500 for the printing, the
lowest estimate Of a charge by job
printer given the committee was 81,
and most estimates by the printers
were higher. The country editors and
printers say the present system de-
prives them of business of 100000
to $4,000, 900 a year. The difference
between this estimate and the $300, 900
charged by the Government on last
years printing is the increased cost
which might come to the consumers
if the legislation be enacted. Propo-
nentS say, however, the consumers
would be willing to pay higher prices
for quicker service and to support To-
cal industries.
Nine bills to abolish such printing
through the Post Office Department
have been introduced in the House
this session. The proponents have set
tied upon one introduced by Repre-
sentative s. A. Kendall of Pennsyl-
vania. with clarifying amendments.
This would abolish the practice on
June 30. this year. The present con-
tract of the department runs three
more Years. OppOubIIlS SdN eIldCltIIcIlL
of the legislation might constitute re-
pudiation of the contract. while pro-
ponents think the other parts of the
contract would continue and sufficient
" remunerate the contractor.
Newspapers Back Bills.
Publishers of 745 newspapers, prin-
cpally weeklies, have written mem
hers of Congress advocating such leg
iSlation One Senator and "a Repre-
sentatives advocated it before the
committee. as did witnesses of the
National Editorial Association and
others. Opposing appeared the mem
her Of the House from Ohio in whose
district the envelope contractor is
located and Postmaster General New
and several subordinates. Many
chambers of commerce and trade as
sociations oppose the bill. While
rural publishers and job printers APP
pear as the principal proponents, it
was charged at the hearings that en-
velope manufacturers are the real in
spiration.
The position of the opposition to
the bill is that the low charge is
uossible because the work is done in
huge quantities, that abolition would
result in heavy increases in cost to
consumers, which would cause many
to discontinue the printed return re-
quests and thus throw an increased
burden on the dead letter office and
result in loss of efficiency. 1t also is
claimed that country printers have
been misled and would receive only
small orders on the average. Pro
ponents Of the legislation argue that
such printing constitutes unfair COM
petition with private industry by the
Government and that the department
loses money on such printing because
it does not charge against it the cost
Of accepting and handling orders or
Of transporting the printed envelopes
>to their destination from the factory.
Copyright. 1890