C7=— XV EDITORIAL rr=—^ 



=D G ^ 



The consideration of a new postal bill which among other 

 things proposes to raise the mailing rates on magazines has 

 caused considerable anger, anxiety and excitement among pub- 

 lishers generally during the past few weeks. At present the 

 immediate danger seems averted, but still threatened. If the 

 postoffice department was to be judged solely by its effects up- 

 on publishers one would be forced to conclude that its object is 

 to bother them as much as possible. Several recent rulings have 

 been of the kind called class legislation, wherein rules have 

 been made that effects only part of the publications. Thus the 

 ruling that publications sent to subscribers in arrears must pay 

 a higher rate of postage on such copies was not applied to all 

 alike. Monthlies and quarterlies can extend the time of delin- 

 quents only a few months, others have a year in which their 

 subscribers may pay up, and while a majority of publishers 

 now stop subscriptions as soon as they expire, this ruling of 

 the government is, in effect, an attempt to tell publishers how 

 long they may extend credit to their patrons. If an old sub- 

 scriber goes to Europe for a holiday and forgets to pay for the 

 magazine before departing, the publisher must cut him off the 

 list or pay more postage on such copies ; if he falls ill and is un- 

 able to attend to renewals, no consideration may be shown him. 

 How this proposition works out is shown by the report for the 

 last postal year, where four thousand two hundred and twenty- 

 nine publications are reported to have died in a single year. 

 Indeed many of these never had a fair start for more than 

 eleven thousand were denied the second class privilege in the 

 past decade. Should congress pass the proposed law increas- 

 ing the rate of postage, magazines generally will simply raise 

 the subscription price to their readers. The proposed law 



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