Show Newspapers Nc Protest to Congress W On n Prop S a Jo Increase cr S Newspaper publishers pro pro- protested tested to Congress last week that many newspapers would suffer hardships under a pro pro- proposed proposed posed surcharge in mailing rates THE THC ONE CENT a copy sur sur- sur Is contained In the passed dol million lar postal rate Increase bid It has been endorsed b by Prest President dent Kennedy The surcharge would be lev led on each copy of a news newspaper paper mailed as second class mail outside the county In which the paper Is published THE HOUSe bill also would raise the rates on other categories of mail including first class mall Letters would go up from four to five cents Air mail would be raised from seven to eight cents The surcharge would take effect in two steps One hall cent op July 1 of this year and another cent half on July I 1 1963 The publishers complaints were laid before the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Committee The panel chairman Olin D Johnston SC D Indicated that the surcharge would be eliminated from any bill his I committee approved I JOHNSTON WAS joined by Frank Carlson Kan R-Kan who chimed in And Ill I'll be right In there helping you Six newspaper executives testified against the surcharge They said publishers were willing to pay their share of postal Increases and agreed that the increases should be in inthe inthe the historic precedent of per per- percentage increases applied to all users of second class mail RICHARD E Morrison gen gen- general g n eral manager of the Leo Lee news news- newspapers newspapers papers of M Montana charged d that the one cent surcharge would penalize the newspaper er which happens to ed in a small countY or near dear neara deara a county line |