Show HEAVY POSTAL TAXATION besides the points in the postal law to which we called attention in mondays issue there awesome are somo some others which ought to be known upon examining this subject one is struck with surprise that such provisions provision so so manifestly unjust should ever have been passed as a law by congress its glaring injustice to the people residing west of the kansas line and east of the california line is so apparent that the committee of congress to whom it was referred should have immediately and emphatically utah hat leally pronounced against it if utah were the only territory which suffered from this unfair law we would not be so much surprised doubtless despite to utah had some influence in passing the law but the injustice has fallen heavily upon other territories as well as upon this there are large quantities of valuable magazines periodicals lithographs chiomos and other articles that are sent by the overland hallwhich mail Mall which never reach their destination in montana and washington and even oregon because the senders probably ignorant of the unjust law in question fell feil fail fall to pay letter postage on the articles they mail if they were to send them by the isthmus mails to washington and oregon they would only cost if miscellaneous mail matter two cents or if books four cents for each four ounces quite a difference between that rate and the rate charged per overland mail mall ninety six cents per pound hundreds of dollars worth of mail matter is now lying in the post office in this city which was mailed for the adjacent territories principally montana with insufficient postage this will be sold here for the benefit of the department A quantity of mail matter which was detained for a similar cause was sold a few weeks ago one ong firm alone in montana has paid bithia two months about three hundred and sixty dollars for postage on newspapers an and periodicals after alter paying this amount they changed their tactics and had their parcels directed in another manner hoping thereby to save the letter postage but the law is inexorable their parcels were detained the postage on them amounted to upwards of six hundred dollars when sold for the benefit of the department the sum realized was not one eighth of the amount due for the postage this is an enormous tax on periodicals nearly one thousand dollars in a few months and is a very serious los loss ios to news dealers this case is only one out of hundreds the loss to this territory since the passage of this ahls law can bo be counted by thousands of dollars we have heard of large quantities of books periodicals and other mail matter matted which had been mailed for this territory being detained and sold in new york this law falls oppressively upon our citizens wo we are so isolated here cut off from all communication with the east excepting by mail for half of the year th that a t we should be on an equality so far as mail privileges are concerned with the rest of the union but every person in the territory who has depended on the mail for the transmission of books periodicals etc has been disappointed if they have received a book by that medium it has generally cost more thel than n its value for postage under the provisions of the now postal convention lately concluded between the united states and great britain books can be sent by mail mall from this territory to great britain or from great britain here for six cents ounces or fraction of four ounces pamphlets and und periodicals when not exceeding two ounces in weight cost two cents each cach for postage when over two ounce oun cesin alu sin weight w ight they with other miscellaneous cel cei cellan ceilan mail matter cost four cents per four ounces or fraction of four ounces A book weighing a pound can be received by mall mail from Great Britain by the prepayment pre payment of twenty four cents other mail matter to the same weight can be received here from that country by the prepayment pre payment of sixteen cents but if a book or other mail matter weighing a pound were to be sent from this city to fort bridger a hundred and thirteen miles milea distant or to austin three hundred and eighty seven miles distant or from either of those points to this city a prepayment pre payment of ninety six cents woul 1 have to be made or the article would never reach its destination what can we say that can show up the inconsistency and odiousness of the obnoxious lav law law that we referred to on dion nion monday Bron day better than this |