Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : House Said to Cut Free Mailing Costs

House members have cut the cost of their free mailings by nearly 50% in response to restrictions imposed a year ago, the National Taxpayers Union said. The lawmakers spent $15 million for the first six months of 1991 compared to $28.4 million for the same period in 1989, the last non-election year, the citizens watchdog group said. Mail costs normally soar in an election year. The spending came to an average of 13.5 cents per address. Last October, the House voted to allow individual members to mail up to $178,000 worth of postage a year, require each member’s mailing expenses to be published quarterly and permit the postmaster general to halt free mailings if a member uses his or her full allowance.