Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19
POSTAL PROBERS
SILENT ON RATES
Life of Joint Commission Ex-
pireS Without Majority
Report on Revision.

The life of the Joint Congressional
Commission created nearly two years
ago TO inquire into the ACCESSIBILITY
of revising postal rates came to a
close yesterday without final ma
jority report being made.
The majority filed a statement with
both the House and Senate announc-
ing that because of differences of
opinion" there was no recommends =
ton to supplement that made last
May and published at that time.
The recent Investigations Of the
Post Office Department" the ma
jority reported, do not lead the
Postmaster General to any conclu-
sion which may be taken as a war
rant for further ecommenda tons on
the part of the commission"
Minority Report Filed.
Senator Mcclellan, Democrat, Ten
nessee, fled a minority report. pro-
posing that rates on second class
matter, as existing in 1920, should
be restored as should the 1-cent rate
on third class matter. He also
recommended repeal of the service
charge of cents on parcel post
In a statement issued last night, j.
ID. Barnum, chairman of the postal
committee of the American News
paper Publishers Association, ex-
pressed regret at the commission 3
failure to make legislative recon-
mendaUons. He said that daily news
paper publishers were hopeful Con
gress would see it's way clear to ap-
prove Senator Mckellar's recon-
mendation for a restoration Of the
y1A a q nj "a
newsdealers' bundle rate for trans.
portation of daily newspapers
through the mails.
The American Newspaper Pub
fishers Association he said, IRE
grets that the congressional joint sub
committee charged with the duty of
recommending to Congress a revision
in existing unjust postal rates has
closed its work without making any
recommendations other than those
which il reported last May. Since
this joint subcommittee was author
lied under the law OF February %,
1925, almost two years have elapsed;
hearings have been held all over the
country and two large volumes of tes-
timony have been printed; yet, not
withstanding these facts, the majority
of the members of the committee have
not been able to agree upon a report
within the time fixed by law for them
TO do So"
Upward Revision Recalled.
Users of the mails cannot fail but
recall, in the light of this situation,
that two years ago a similar JOINT
subcommittee. likewise headed by
Senator Moses, took only a few weeks
to revise postal rates upward, not
withstahding protests from practically
the entire mail-using public.
Daily newspaper publishers are
hopeful that the Congress will see its
way clear to approve the recommen-
dalton of Senator Mcclellan in his
minority report for a restoration of
the 1920 rates and the establishment
of newsdealers' bundle rate for the
transportation of daily newspapers in
the mails.
Evidence has been submitted to
this subcommittee, which every pub
Usher of a daily newspaper In the
United States believes clearly proves
the business of the position we have
taken in favor of a reduction in news
paper mailing charges. Such a re-
duction, in the opinion of publishers,
10 not only a just one. but econom-
ically 1t is a practical one"