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Show FIGHT QfHNCREASE Higher Rates on Second-Class-Mail Opposed. BULLETIN FROM PUBLISHERS Postal Committee of the A. N. P. A. Calls the Post Office a Badly Managed Business. Washington. The protest of the publishers against the proposition to Increase second-class mall rates as the congressional post office commission commis-sion desires is growing stronger daily. The Illinois Daily Newspaper Publishers' Publish-ers' association registered its objections objec-tions recently, and now the. American Newspaper Publishers' association's postal committee, of which the chairman chair-man Is Don C. Seitz of the New York World, has Issued the following bulletin: bul-letin: "The extent to which the post office department does not carry second-class matter is well revealed in the following abstract of inquiry of publishers conducted by house committee com-mittee on expenditures in the post office department (William A. Ash-brook, Ash-brook, chairman) concerning the volume, vol-ume, weight and handling of the output out-put of publications entered as mall matter of the second-class for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911: " 'Inquiry was made of all publishers, publish-ers, approximating thirty thousand, of which nearly seventeen thousand are weekly publications. " 'More than ten thousand returns were received, embracing sixty-six plus per cent, of all tonnage of publications. pub-lications. " 'The publications reporting represent repre-sent an annual output of more than six and one-half billion copies, the weight of which was one and three-quarter three-quarter billion pounds. " 'These publications delivered by mail In 6uch period weighed 633,012,-902 633,012,-902 pounds. " 'They delivered by their own carriers, car-riers, newsboys, and news companies 840,466,574 pounds, of which an unascertained unas-certained percentage was carried to destination by express and other rail Bhlpments outside the mail. They delivered de-livered by express, 202,729,510 pounds, and by other rail shipments 121,491,-748 121,491,-748 pounds. The rate by express and rail varies from to 1 cent per pound, but the bulk of these shipments ship-ments went at a rate of Y to cent per pound. ". 'The post office for the year ending end-ing June 30, 1911, handled 951,001,-669, 951,001,-669, and excluding one-half million pounds free in county matter, it received re-ceived one cent per pound.' "All this goes to add to the absurdity ab-surdity of the proposed Hitchcock legislation leg-islation doubling the second-class rate from one to two cents per pound, and limiting the 'privilege' to publications that carry as much reading matter as they do advertising. "The proposition was stupid enough when the postal deficit reached $17,-000,000 $17,-000,000 two years ago. It becomes preposterous In face of a Burplus. "What business has a transportation transporta-tion corporation, which Is all the post office is, to prescribe how a business shall be conducted? "Newspapers cannot afford to expand ex-pand their columns beyond the call of the day's news, nor can they be expected to control the requirements of their advertisers who have a right to reach the public as copiously as they care to. "It cannot be assumed that such legislation will ever get by congress. But publishers are requested to fight the theory that the right to send their output by mail Is a "privilege." The figures show It is not. "The post office Is a badly managed man-aged business. That is all. We should fight its dictation, its censorship censor-ship and its inefficiency." |