New Britain herald., 1928-09-27
GOVERNMENT COMPETITION

GOVERNMENT COMPETITION The southern editor who recently explained his undying opposition tc government ownership because oi the pressure of government activities in his own business doubtless shares the emotions of many a country edi- tor who combines the publication ot weekly newspaper with the print ing business.
 Part of the business of such en- terprises consists in printing return addresses upon envelopes. It can not be that this is a large part ot country printing plant. but it is something. When the proprietor who usually is the editor of the weekly paper-notes that the gov ernment prints return addresses on envelopes at very low rate. and that every post office is an agency for such printing orders, he natural ly waxes wroth. He finds he can- not compete with the government. Such an editor proprietor also discovers that the government sells envelopes-stamped envelopes, it is true, but as every envelope in the course of it's career will require a stamp to reach it's destination that is mere detail. The government sells them 10 the public at less than the printing plant can buy them whole. sale.
 Centralized buying and printing power, of course, is the answer, the reason why this is possible. But the country editor and printing plant proprietor thinks it is all wrong and is agin' the government on this prop osition. Every time the country edi- tors associations hold a meeting a large part Of the discussion is how to discourage the government from competing with their printing plants. Yet, when this sort of government competition is analysed. what does it really amount to? Nine-tenths of the business houses using printed return addresses on envelopes do not patronize the government service. ], would look cheap. lower thei, prestige. When one turns to private citizens who think enough of their personal correspondence to have printed return addresses on their envelopes the situation is somewhat similar. Most of them prefer dis tinctive printing or none at all. The government gets the remainder those comparatively few who don't care about the standardized printing
 
 so long as it is cheap. If the gov e nment did not furnish this print irs service they would have no ad- dresses at all printed on their en- velopes or would use rubber stamp.
 The southern editors complaint it seems 10 us, is not based on sound reasoning. He and the others for ever haranguing congressman about this species of government competi- ton seem to think that every per son in town patronizing the post of. flee printing establishment other. wise would get his envelopes nice. ly printed at the local printery. This manifestly is not so. They would dc without the printing luxury alto. gethcr.
 Printing concerns in the elite. don't bother about this picayun. government printing competition al all, They are thinking more clearj, on the subject than their countr, cousins
 The country printing establish ments have been bounding congress men to disestablish the envelop. printing business for years but have made no progress at all. Despite tn. proverbial power of the rural dis tricts in Congress the fact tha Washington has never considered 1 the contention of the country edi tors seriously speaks much for tn. perspicacity Of congressman in thi matter. They know that the clain of the country editors is uniustifie( and that this species Of alleged gov ernment competition amounts to a much 10 the printing plants as tn, postal savings banks do to the say Elgs banks and trust companies.