Postal Riders and Raiders

o really woul

ical publishers affected-virtually ruined. But, let us go do

ay of our periodical literatu

theast and New England. Of course, there are several other kinds of pulpwoods, but they are not used extensively for the manufacture of white paper, unless chemically treated, and such treatment makes them expensive. O

l to the reader's attention is that any legislation which cuts down the consumption of w

amendment would put from thirty to fifty per cent of our weaker (but excellent) periodicals on the

uld be out of-forced out of-the pulp-wood market-I mean out o

ns[169] by readjustments. They are printing on sixty to eighty pound stock. Some parts of their periodicals are printed on even heavier stock. They will go to the paper mills and demand lighter stock,

er will be saving from twenty to

ls will be using twenty to fifty per cen

haul twenty to fifty per cent less of pulp tim

ne publishers will

t" as far as

cted, would they not? There are probably three to five

e "few magazine pu

experienced that he can look at a standing tree and tell you within a hundred feet or so how much lumber it will saw or how many cords of pulp or other wood it will cut. He "steps off" an acre, sizes up the available trees growing on the acre, averaging up the large trees with the small ones,

careful to note the "light" and the "heavy" timbered sections, and marks with a sharp, shrewd and experienced eye an estimate of[170] the number of acres covered by the light and the heavy growth of t

rest section and, sometimes, virtually trailing each other. In the latter case, the buyer seeks to use one cruiser's estimate a

he effect that the legislation he sought would "affect only a few magazine publishers." I have stated, and have given what I believe to be sound, valid reasons in support of the statement, that legislation of the nature, covered by his rider amendment ultimately-and necessarily-must be either annulled by the courts or be so broadened as to remove its special or class features

Hitchcock cannot be enacted into operative law without cutting

out affecting the earnings and lives of men-many thousands of men and fa

l-ways and boom yardages along the stream. From each of these they "blaze" or mark the trees and smaller growths to be felled and the obstructions to be removed in order to provide a haulage roadway-usually providing for both wagons and snow sleds or sledges. If the transpor

quipment, including cooks, "grub" and other things necessary to feed and shelter them. These, also, are factors-elemental or primal f

ted among the "few magazine publis

be materially affected in his industrial occupation by any legislation

o the pulp wood forests. They are axemen, "fiddlers" (cross-cut sawyers,) foremen, gang foremen, ox drivers, mule drivers, horse drivers. Here a

consumption of wood-pulp wou

publish magaz

erlers", "jam" breakers, shore "canters," "boomers," etc. If their working stock comes by rail,[172] there are "loaders," "unloaders," "yarders," etc. Then come in the thousands of mill men, engaged on the work of reducing the wood to pul

orkers into the ranks of those "few magazine publishers" whom Mr. Hitchcock, it is a

hose workers for clothing, shelter and subsistence-I cannot make even a worthy guess. The reader can make as dependable an estimate as I, probably a more dependable

ree that no one of these

d the fact that when the paper leaves the paper mills, with the thousands dependent upon their operation and success, the paper proper passes into the custody of the transportation companies-railroad and water-chiefly the former-and of the thousands of operatives they employ. Next comes the thousands engaged in the carta

a shrinkage of thirty to fifty per cent in the pulp wood cut.[173] Those thousands, mark you, do not include the thousands of women and

ects the activities of any lively angleworm-that none of the thousands here mentioned are magazine pu

, numerically, into many tens of thousands, in the great division of the printing trades, they run into the hundreds of thousands. I refer to the

hat these trades and these hundreds of thousands of employes are, in the slang language of the street, "onto" not only the controlling-the ulterior-motives of Mr. Hitchcock but also that they know a

k, he not having had the advantage of a federal cabinet position to broadcast his fame, there are few men better known among the personnel of the printin

pter, Mr. Madden's letter presents several other points trenchantly pertinent to the subject we are now considering, to-wit: that the printing trades-all branches and classes

, May 2

the Postoffice Department revenues, he accepting the figures of his Postmaster General that the amount

,000,000. With the fact kept in view that there have been increases in expenses in many directions and the further fact that second-class mail tonnage, on which great losses oc

mstance that there has been a new alignment of the House and Senate Committees on Postoffices and Postroads, has caused a moving-up process, we might say shaking-up process, in methods that sadly needed furbishing and of ideas that required practical demonstration. The effect of improving the system of transmitting the postal funds promptly to the national treasury instead of leaving the

st 9th, 1911, Mr. Madden gives expression t

ting the Postoffice Department which became effective July 1, 1911. You may avail yourself of these facts in your argu

will get an increase of only $175,000, making an addition to the salaries of the three groups of $1,975,000. When the rural route carriers get their increase of $4,000,000 it will mean an addition to

stmaster of Chicago, a lengthy and strong letter, in response to the latter's request for copies of former issues of the lea

le for him to furnish Postmaster Campbell a file

rinting trades with President George L. Berry of the International Printing Pressmen's union on Feb. 23 last. We protested against the raise to 4 cents a pound on advertising pages in the magazines. As a result of our work, more than 10,000 telegrams of protest were sent to Sena

inue this work, the Independent Postal League being thereby relieved of the task of instructing working people concerni

ial to present before the sessions of the Hughes Commission. The National Typothet? to convene in Denver will also use data supplied by the Lea

opposed to a raise in postage and have so declared. In the printing trades there are more than 400,000 of the best paid artisans in the world and these

t at a profit. Here is where a little 'reciprocity' juice would taste nectar-like for the Uncle Sam pressman. For several years our big postoffice officials have been telling the American people it cost more than 9 cents a pound to haul second-class mail. In Canada there is a population of 8,000,000 served by 25,00

overed the point-our point-better than I could cover it myself. I write up to a point to the best of my ability, and then

t of it is in the quoted matter, not in what I have said o

or not it was sent to publishers in general or only to "certain monthly and semi-monthly periodicals," I do not know. I reprint it here as evidence for the reader

y Mr. Hitchcock's official acts are being scanned by the printing trades and how clearly an

gned by Mr. S

ICE DEP

tant Postmas

, D. C., M

tical Engineer,

thly and semi-monthly periodical second-class mail matter for certain states by fast freight to a number of

becomes necessary for publishers to rearrange their mailing schedules to allow an earlier delivery to the postoffice of mail for

o six days will provide the necessary margin to offset the slow

will be furnished at an early date. Any further information desired relative to thi

an early repl

espect

h Ste

tant Postmas

ck, as is evidenced by the letter of his Second Assistant, seek to make such an unjust discriminat

ewart received was one,

, May 2

nd Assistant Postmaster G

of the 16th, and regret that an early reply, as

t monthly and semi-monthly periodicals after June 30th; that certain publications of a class, issued weekly, will be favored with through mail service, and t

ing the majority of the people could not have been a

very

TRADE PR

R.

sid

zation which Mr. Madden, previously quoted, represented at Washington in

1

er General

based on truth-that the contemplated change in the method of distributing their product will interfere disadvantageously with their opportunity for employment, and they respectfully appeal to the postal authorities to pause in installing a system th

value of periodicals and curtail the influence which these publications now wield. We respectfully direct attention to the injury which the owners of publication

to flourish almost uninterruptedly for a half-century, and in behalf of this wise system we ask that no unnecessary interfer

with the profits and success of employers will immediately react upon our opportunity for employment. It is upon this basis that we plead, and we ask you, as head of the Postoff

ith the hope that you will aid in maintaining for us our present conditions, which we esteem necess

l H. M

dependent Po

however, would not be complete unless we presented the resolutions adopted by Typographical union No. 16, at a regular meeting held July 30, 1911

1

ty for employment of those concerned in the industry thus affected, and indirectly becomes a menace to all industry, Chicago Typographical union No. 16, embracing a m

discrimination against our product, this organization further condemns those who contemplate this pernicious innovation, and we submit that the installation of this syste

tes to unite with us in a movement having for its purpose the overhauling and readjustment of the postal affairs of this country, to the end that the service may become one of greater convenience to o

tion of the International Typographical union to propose the following for the consideration of that body, and they a

mail matter, and that it condemns the proposed method of distributing semi-monthly and monthly periodicals by fast freight in

trial significance of legislation of the Hitchcock "rider" nature, likewise that they are equally wideawake t

d in the printing trades in

pressmen of New York before the Postal Commission testified that there were 12,000 pressmen in New Yor

1

nservatively stated that the number of persons in this nation who today are earning their shelter, apparel and subsistence (not counting the office or clerical forces) in our great printing an

publication counting-rooms, we shall find that total to be not less than 700,000-probably 800,000. And, mark you, you fair-minded, conscientious reader, that total does not include the wives and child

millions of people,-men, women, wives and children-who would

endents who would be injuriously, if indeed not disastrously affected, by legislation of the nature Mr. Hitch

even imagined, as being counted among those "few magazine publishers" who, Mr. Hitchcock is reported to have repeatedly a