The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-07-30
OFFICIAL.
Decisions under the new Postage Act made
by the Postmaster General.
PosT OFrICE DEpAarmENr, July %. 1851


printed matter, srcept newspapers and periodicals
published at intervals not erceeding three months, and
"ssnt from the Office of publication to actual and
bona de u.bscribsrs, ia required by law to be pre-
paid.
If the amount paid and marked on such printed
matter is not sufficient to pay the whole postage
due, the excess of weight beyond that paid for il
to be charged with double the rate which would
have been charged if prepaid, and the postage on
such excess collected at the office of delivery.
Ifby the neglect of postmaster such matter is
sent without any prepayment, the double prepaid
rate must be collected ON delivery.
Postage must be charged on all letters and other
matter according to the distance or the route by
which they are conveyed; and this (unless other
wise directed by the sender) must be the route by
which they will soonest reach their destination al
though that may not be the shortest route Post
age should be charged by postmasters according to
the tabular statements of the rates of postage both
foreign and inland, which have been lately for
warded to every postmaster in the United States.
Subscribers to periodicals. to obtain the benefit Of
the provision in regard TO prepayment, must pay
the full quarters postage before the delivery of the
hrst number, when there are several numbers TO
be delivered during the quarter. II, by reason Of
any increase III the size OF the periodicals other
wise, II shall appear that the whole quarters post.
age was not 30 paid in advance, the subscriber will
lose the benefit of prepayment, aud the numbers
received during the whole quarter will be charged
with the double unpaid rate, and the subscriber
will be credited with only the amount paid in adj
vance.
Under the provisions of the I'd section of the new
postage act, no newspapers other than those pub
lished toeeky ONLY are entitled to circulate free of
postage in the counties where published. The Of
flee of publication is the office where the newspaper
is printed, and there be no other office of pub
llcation in another county for the purpose of Sc
curing an additional free circulation.
In determining newspaper hostages, the dis
tances are to be computed from the office Of publ
cation and not from the county line of the county
in which the paper is published; and the distance
is also to be computed the route on which it
carried.
Newspapers published toeekly only in county adj
joining the Canada line may be sent free to Canada,
provided they do not leave the county of pubca-
ton until they cross the line into Canada.
When such papers sent out of the county
whore published, to be- delivered from post office
in an adjoining county in the United States. no
matter how short the distance, full postage must
be charged.
Newspaper publishers may send and receive
their exchange newspapers to and from Canada
free of charge
Publishers Of newspapers, pamphlets, periodicals,
and magazines, under the provisions of the second
section OF the new law, may interchange their pub
locations reciprocally free of postage, provided
such publications do not exceed sixteen ounces in
weight. Such interchange must be confined to
single copy of each publication; but is not limited
IN an eYcha of
periodical for periodical; but publishers of news
popers have the right to exchange with publishers
of periodicals under the late of Congress Such
publishers may also enclose in their publications
the bills for subscriptions thereto without any ad
dtional charge for postage; and this privilege ex.
tends also to the transmission of receipted bill
after the same has been paid
newspaper is not periodical within the mean
ing and intent of the provision which requires the
postage on periodicals to be paid in advance, and
declares that the postage thereon sha be halt
OF the rates previously specified in the second Sec
ton OF the act; but all subscribers 10 newspapers
were and still are required by the provisions of the
thiFteth section of the act Of March, 1926 to pay
one quarters postage in advance; by SO doing,
however, they are not entitled to have the postage
reduced below the established rates.
The postage on newspapers weighing less than
three ounces, "sent from the office of publication
to actual and bona fde subscribers," is fixed by
la,o by the quarter only and s required to be paid
in advance Hence, no person can be considered
an actual and bona fde subscriber to newspaper
and entitled to pay postage thereon at the quarter
ly rates, who shall only take newspaper for less
time than three months Actual and bona jide sub
scribers to papers for three months or more, who
change their residences temporarily, may have
their papers sent without prepayment, but must
pay quarters postage in advance at the office Of
delivery, or else pay the unpaid tranaient rate.
Publishers cannot send specimen numbers of
their papers TO postmasters and others Gas has been
much practised heretofore under the old law with
out preparing the postage thereon.
Publications borrowing the name, having the
form and some of the characteristics of a newspa-
per- printed for gratuitous circulation and depend
ing on their advertisements for support, cannot be
sent by mail grntuitously TO persons not actual and
bona fde subscribers upon the footing Of newspa-
pers "sen from the office of publication to actual
and bona fde Subscribrs;" but must be charged
with the transient rates. which must be collected
at the mailing office. To entitle actual and bona
de Subscribers to reduction in the rate of postage
periodicals sent them from the office of publica-
ton, payments must be made by them in Advance
delivered.
The United States postage newspapers, peri
odicals, and other matter not cbargeable with
letter postage, when sent out of the United States,
must be prepaid at the full rate.
Publishers of periodicals may prepay the postage
on their Issues, but can have deduction of post
age on account of such prepayment. When Pc
riodcal is published only quarterly the actual and
bona ide subscriber for such periodical may pay in
advance and have the benefit Of the advance pay
ment, provided he pays to the postmaster at the Of
flee where be is to receive the periodical before it's
delivery. If a periodicals. published ess frequent
ly, the postage must be prepaid, and at the full
rate.
Postmasers are not bound to receive from the
publishers weekly newspapers published in the city,
town, village where the post Office is kept, and
deliver them TO subscribers calling at their office
for them The right to circulate in the mail
within the county where published" does not inn
pose on postmasters the duty of receiving and de-
hvcring papers which do not go into the mail; and
where a publisher seeks to throw upon the post
master the labor of delivering his papers, for the