Postage Bill Ends Penny Post Card

The penny post card died yesterday as President Truman signed a bill to replace it with a two-cent post card and raise postal rates $117,000,000 a year.

The new post cards will appear on January 1. On the same day, special delivery stamps will be increased from 15 to 20 cents. About this time, charges for such special services as C.O.D. deliveries, insured, and registered mail will also be increased.

Howard Mumford Jones, professor of English, prophesied that the measure will "deeply affect American literary style," since "people will now give twice as much time to the composition of an epistle which is twice as expensive."

The bill does not affect ordinary first class and air mail rates. However, there will be a graduated 30 percent increase in mailing charges for periodicals, while third class mail, mostly circulars and advertising, will be increased by half a cent.