Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 2 · column 1 of 5 · from the scan, no model involved
YOUR
CONGRESSMAN
By Rep. Burr P. Harrison
The Administration proposal to ’ raise the postage on an ordinary business or personal letter from 3 . cents to 4 cents continues active in Copgress.
The postal rate bill, which was sent to the floor of the House with a strong recommendation from the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, also would raise the J~xir mail rate from 6 to 7 cents and make increases in the reduced postil age rates enjoyed by publications and the advertising “junk” mail. Parcel post would not be affected. ^ The idea is to get additional revenue to acheive a sharp reduction in the tretnenddus annual defipit of the Post Office Departmen t,. which now is approaching a rate of $500,000,000 a year.
Referring to the class of mail which includes the advertising circulars, the committee stated:
“The committee has received « many letters from the general public, complaining about the fact that this type of mail takes up post-office-box space which the patron has rented to receive his ■* first class mail and recommend- ing rate increases to make it pay a fair share of its cost.
“.The Honorable Burr Harri- , son appeared before the committee and strongly urged that this class of mail pay the first-class rate. He directed the committee’s attention to a bill he has introduced , which would bring this about, ti d cent »
It has been my contention that, since first- class mail has been paying its way through the years, it should not b* saddled with an increase so long as advertising circulars were carried at a substantial subsidy. The committee decided, however, to raise the circular rate nferely from 1*4 to 2 cents minimum per piece.
The last cost ascertainment report of the Pbst Office Department, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1955, - shows first-class mail returning a profit of $62, 000,000. The committee states this figure does not give a true picture of the present situation, because a - full year of operation under postal salary increases approved last year shows first-class mail not quite paying its way—returning in revREPORTS
63.9%