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Show RATES HIGH ENOUGH SECONDCLASS INCREASE PLAN STIRS PUBLISHERS. Efficiency of Hitchcock's Management of the Post Office Department Attacked by the A. N. P. A. Wn-hlngton The A. N. IV A., through Its postal committee of which Don. C. Belt of New York Is chairman, chair-man, has joined In the fight against the proposed Increase In second class rates and in Its lust bulletin the com-ti'life com-ti'life nttack the management of the pout ofTlce department. The bulletin Is as follows: "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 com. nilttee 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 mutter of the second class for the flHcal year ending Ji:i;e 30, 1311: " '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 slxty-ulx 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-J three-J quarter billion pounds. I "'These publications delivered by I mall In such period weighed C33.012,-902 C33.012,-902 pounds. " 'They delivered by their ow n carriers, car-riers, newsboys, und news companies 810.406,574 pounds, of which an unascertained unas-certained percentage was carried to destination by express and other rail shipments outside the mall. They delivered de-livered by express. 2(12,729,510 pounds, and by other rail shipments 121.491, 748 pounds. The rate by express and rail varies from 4 to 1 cent per pound, but the bulk of these shipments ship-ments went at a rHte of V4 to y cent per pound. " 'The post office for the year ending end-ing June 30. 1911, handled 651,001, SOU, and excluding one-half million pounds free In county matter, It received re-ceived one cent per pound.' "AH 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 surplus. "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 enre to. "U cannot be assumed that such 'eglshitlon will ever get by congress, nut publishers are requested to fight the theory that the right to send their output by mall 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." |