Stamp price rise just surface of postal changes

Calvin Bratt
Tribune editor

  LYNDEN -- Effective May 12, the price of a first-class stamp rises a penny to 42 cents.
  But to Lynden Postmaster Brian Mouché, there's much more to talk about than just that, and in fact sending a first-class letter could cost much more due to shifts in the whole communication business.
  Mouché will lead two sessions of a one-hour seminar titled "New Prices, New Flexibility and New Opportunity" on Monday, May 5, at the Lynden Library. The times are 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. People who want to attend should call the Lynden Post Of fice at 354-2371.
  A number of the changes afoot for the U.S. Postal Service were launched by the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.
  For one thing, the law mandates more regular stamp price increases.
  Mouché said that the common use of email and the Internet also has reshaped what services USPS offers and how it packages them. For instance, people want to pay for stamps and postage online instead of standing in line at a Post Office counter. And they can enjoy a discount by doing so.
  There is also a push toward uniformly shaped parcels for ease of processing through machines, he noted.
  Because of a decline in the volume of old-fashioned letters, "we want to become a bigger handler in the shipping business," Mouché said.
  Mouché said the Postal Services is eager to preserve the third-class option that is used to send many catalogues and assorted commercial flyers directly to homes. Having a "Do Not Mail" registry, similar to the "Do Not Call" registry, would severely cut into postal revenues and would drive up the price of first-class mailings, he said.
  Related: The 2008 food drive of U.S. postal workers nationwide will be on Saturday, May 10.
  E-mail Calvin Bratt at editor@lyndentribune.com.