| Show S ENVELOPES BASIS OF FIGHT EIGHT Country Printers Ask sk Showdown Over Oel Moot Question BT nr HARDEN DES COLFAX X Correspondent of ot The Thc Standard Examiner Stands Copyright 1926 by The Consoli Consoli- Consolidated Consolidated Consolidated dated Press Association WASHINGTON Feb eb Ap 27 27 Ap Apparently a showdown is to at hand handon handon on the question of ot whether Uncle Sam shall continue laving having return notices printed on stamped en envelopes vel a I custom which has reached large proportions or turn this business over to the compe compe- competition ot of the printers ot of the coun coun- country country country try Extensive hearings hearIng have been held by a e sub-committee sub ot of o the house committee on and post roads Elliott W Sproul ot of o Illinois chairman of o the sub committee sub will call his together next week to consider recommendAtIons recommendations to the full tull committee Lest Leak the Innocent by stander consider the tight fight over this pro pro- proposal proposal pro proposal a kid glove affair lie he should know at the outset that It Is about as bitter as any controversy y In- In injected In into congress In many years Congress In 1882 1992 actually passed a bill to abolish the practice practice practice tice of ot having the government contractor print return cards carde on envelopes elopes but repealed it two to years later before the law became effective HAS MANY MANT I Y OPTIONS S The postoffice department awards a contract for tor the tho manu manu- manufacture manufacture manufacture facture ot of o Its stamped envelopes These may be purchased plain with a 8 notice In n the corner to re- re return return re return turn to a postoffice with blank lines Unes wherein the Ute sender may wrIte his name and local loca address or the tho purchaser ordering In lots lotsof lotsof of or multiples thereof may have his hla own return notice tully fully printed In the corner It Is this last class to which the present controversy Is direct direct- directed directed ed proponents of the legislation having diM disavowed vowed Intent to for tor- forbid for forbid bid any other cau class and agreed to amendments to make that point clear For ten cents per SOO on the ordinary size the government wilt will have the contractor who I manufacture manufactures ture tures turea the stamped envelopes 1 print the users user's return request on the corners cornera The Th contractor receives from the government one cent Per for tor this printing which Is done as the envelope Is la manufactured manufactured Last rt year the department had such envelopes printed nearly half halt Of all stomped envelopes and news news- newspaper newspaper newspaper paper wrappers which were made for It More than 7 per cent of oC the orders were In lots of ot or 1000 PAID PAm OUT For this printing ot of return re- re requests requests re requests quests last year ear the government charged around For the prInting the contractor received l approxImately Against the departments department's charge of 10 cents per for the print print- printIng printing printing ing the lowest estimate ot of a charge by a job printer given the th committee was 1 U an and most call call- esti uti estimates mates by the printers were high high- higher higher higher er The country editors and print print- printers ers era say the present system de- de deprives deprives de deprives them of ot oft off S 2 to a year The difference between this estimate and the charged by the government on last years year's print prInt- prIntIng printing printing ing Is the Increased cost whIch mIght come to the consumers If Ie the legislation be enacted Pro Pro- Proponents Pro Pro- Proponent Proponents eay ay however however- the con con- consumers consumers con consumers sumers would be willing to pay hIgher prices for tor or service ser and to support local Industries Nine bills bUls to abolish such print print- printing printing ing through the postoffice depart depart- department department department ment have been Introduced la tn the house this session The proponents proponents enta have settled upon one Intro Intro- Introduced Introduced by Representative S A Kendall ot of o Pennsylvania with clarIfying amendments this would abolish the practice on June 30 this year The present resent contract I runs for tor three more years 01 Op Opponents say ay enactment of the leg leR might constitute repudiation repudiation repudiation ot of the contract while pro pro- proponents proponents pro proponents think the other parts part or orthe orthe orthe the contract would continue and sufficiently remunerate the con con- contractor con contractor tractor Publishers of ot newspapers principally o weeklies have written members ot of congress advocating such legislation One senator and 24 H representatives advocated It before the committee as as- as dirt din witnesses of ot the National Editorial Editorial al Opposing association and Ind others ing appeared a member of the tho house from Ohio In whose whole distrIct the envelope contractor contractor- is II located and Postmaster General New and antl several subordinates CITIES VS S VILLAGES Many chambers chamber of commerce and trade associations oppose the bilL W VV While file lle rural publishers and Job principal printers appear as the prin prin- principal cipal proponents it was charged at the hearings that that envelope manufacturers are the real In- In Inspiration In Inspiration The position of ot the opposition to the bill is la that the low charge charre Is possible because the work I Ic Idone done dono In huge quantities that ab b abolition would result In la heavy In- In In creases in consumer which would cause Cluse many to die continuo the printed return re- re ye r quest and thus throw an In- In Increased increased In Increased creased burden on the dead letter office and result In loss lOll of ot eW ettl-clency ettl clency It also Is claimed that country printers have been misled and would receive only small orders order on the average averalle Proponents or Of orthe the legislation argue that such printing constitutes unfair corn jom petition bythe with private Industry by the government and that th the der de loses money on en such printing because It does doe not charge charre against It the cost ot of ac accepting and handling orders order or ot of transporting the printed envelope envelopes to their destination from the factory lac- lac fac factory tory |
