Evening star., 1933-04-24
Public Expects Postal Rate
Cut as Revenue Producer

Restoration of 2-cent postage, it Is
indicated in comments, is expected by
those who have given attention to Gov
ernment financing. The Scent charge
has been an admitted failure as q
means Of raising revenue, and business
houses have employed substitute meth
ods for the old practice of using local
drop letters. The view prevails that
both users of the mails and the Gov
ernment would gain by return to the
old rate.
I'VE belive that, upon consideration
OF the problem, Postmaster General
Farley will be persuaded that lower
postage rates generally will increase,
rather than decrease, revenues, since
they will stimulate the use of the mails"
says the Baltimore Evening Sun. The
San Francisco Chronicle declares: 1.-The
post Office is not the only place where
this has been the experience. In many
instances it has been found that de-
crease Of sales volume outweighs in
crease in rates. With cigarettes, for
example, it has been found that at
tempts to put State levy on top Of
the Government tax has merely reduced
the Government returns and has dis
appointed the States"
The Scent rate has not proved
popular" declares the Cleveland News.
"It hasn't increased revenue as Was ex-
pected; it hasn't wiped out the postal
deficit, and hasn't put more men to
work. It is particularly excessive in
the case of drop letters, delivered in the
city where mailed, and it Is doubtful
If it is warranted for any type of postal
service. Put the rate back at cents
The country will make greater use OF
the mails when that is DONE"
"The proposed change" remarks the
Boston Transcript, may be confined
to drop or local letters, which it is
feasible for commercial houses, utility
concerns and advertisers to distribute
through their own messengers. A report
shows loss Of some SIS. 900 900 in rev.
enue through the ill-advised attempt to
burden the people with an expense
which they could see q way to avoid.
in a limited way, will offer the double
advantage Of providing more revenue
for the Government and at the same
time adding materially to the personal
convenience Of our citizens"
The law of diminishing returns has
been very clearly demonstrated In re-
spect to the 3-cent rate on first
class mail" asserts the Connelsville
Daily Courier, with the suggestion as to
the probable result of q restoration OF
the old rate: 1T is certain to be popular
and there IS little expectation that this
plan will be opposed. A return OF the 2
cent stamp will be hailed as welcome by
post Office patrons and the probabilities
are that the revenues will shortly there
after show decided increase. It may.
- AnL fNv "A a
to get away from the habit they have
formed in effecting economy in postage
costs, but the convenience the stamp
offers, as against other methods, will
appeal to the average sender Of mail
and they will in due season return to
the more general use Of 2-cent stamps"
"The change to 2-cent postage for
letters posted and delivered within
cities" comments the Oshkosh Daily
Northwestern, will help materially to
increase Post Office Department reve-
nues, we believe, and 1t is not unreas-
enable to forecast that If this conces-
sion to letter writer's proves wise move
the ultimate outcome will be to also
restore the lower rate of postage on all
sealed-letter mail. It is certain that
considerable business will come back If
drop mail is permitted to carry the
2-cent postage instead Of three. for un-
der the higher rate commercial houses,
panies and advertisers in al classes
worked out the feasible plan OF dis
tributing their letters through their own
messengers or by other methods forced
upon them In order to distribute mall
matter ut q lower cost than through the
medium Of pct once delivery
Advantages 10 b derived from the