The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-05-26
nTAxES on KNOWLEDGE"


attention has been called with the suggestion that they
contain many erroneous s,enen which ought 10 be cor
recsd We have perused articles in question: and al
though thev APPEAR 10 been dictated BY good de
gree OF candor their evident If not intended effect must
be where the facts are known, compliment the Brit
ish government the expense Of our own
The editor begins by observing that Of the absurd
tiles Of administration recently introduced into our post
Office management might to indicate the adoption o.
Japanese or Paraguay policy by government de
then goes on with long complaint that certain class
printed matter paid 10 this country by the British
mail packets post Office charges and collects the whole
cost Of transportation again
la illustration the editor remarks
at may be that the reader lines has at time
received parcel by express has paid the express man what
charged carrying IT, aud learned the next day that his
friend who sent Il had also paid the same man when be sent
it,"
On the high moral principle of transaction like that"
he continues sis based and arranged system Of post
age on papers pamphlets periodicals and books mailed
from England to this country
Further says the editor aour government is ashamed
to collect money work did for work England
did and has got her pay for and for which pay her
nothing Our nj is not ashamed OF THIS Tor our
government is ashamed of nothing
charges put forth in the articles referred to is to state
what the treaty arrangement is in respect TO printed mat
ter and the operation of it
Having therefore informed ourselves these points,
we proceed to state that the postal treaty between this
country aud Great Britain which executed in the year
1913 provides rs follows:
In respect newspapers the rate of postage Is four
centstwo be collected a, the mailing and two
NJ
vding the postage equally between the countries
reference being had whether the conveyance is
performed by United States or by British packets This
postage OF four takes newspaper from any part of
Great Britain any part of the United States, and
As compared with present exceedingly low do
of postage newspapers this may rather
high but i, is not nearly high rates
under the OF 1851. This plan of collecting and diy
ding the postage printed adopted TO
! the trouble of keeping account
! In regard to pamphlets weighing two ounces
the the newspapers is not TO exceed
either side and the postage is collected and
appropriated in like manner regardless Of the packet per-
forming the Atlantic conveyance.
| g. With reference to pamphlets weighing two and
exceeding eight the British postage is four
cents an ounce or fraction of an ounce and the United
combined charge therefore, being eight
As in the above cases. each country collects its post
age, which is the same matter whether the trans
portation is by United States or British steamers.
A. As regards periodical works the regulation is the
in respect to pamphlets above the weight of two
ounces except that the former admitted of any weight
not exceeding sixteen This limit, however
cludes the British Quarterly Review any single number
which exceeds sixteen ounces in weight
These the treaty stipulations respect to printed
Except in regard to newspapers and pamphlets
weighing ounces it will be observed that the
combined rate eight ounce is little less than pro-
hibitory.
Whose fault is this?
The editor of the Advertiser says The real difficulty
in the way of more liberal adjustment of the of
postage pamphlets and periodicals springs from the
willingness of government agree the wishes OF
the British government for the establishment of book
mail Z" and that of the urged against the
plan by government were absurdy idle
In our paper Of the nth Of this month we published
full synopsis of the correspondence between the gov
the subject of this proposed book MALL and
the counterproposal Of for reduction of
pamphlet and magazine postage to cent
either side To that article beg call the attention Of
|
over and then Judge for themselves who is in the
fault and whether Postmasters General Hail. Hubbard
and Campbell all in in refusing aagree to
the wishes of the British for the establishment
of book mall the lowest rate of postage by which, for
the smallest pamphlet magazine would be twelve cents
The fact is every objection worthy of consideration
which the British Office has urged against the proposal
made by government has been either entirely
satisfactorily answered and forced the plain
and NATURAL though not very charitable conclusion that
the British government cannot secure the adoption of
their plain they will consent to improvement ALL
We have shown that the postage newspapers is four
cents accordance with the treaty. and consider
ing that the weight Of the newspaper is restricted and
that this rate of four censtwo each sdepays for
the transmission Of the paper from any part
try any point in the other, just ground Of
complaint in this parcularat least while the rate for
letters and the of the mail steamship transportation
remain present
For pamphlets ard periodicals government has pro-
posed that reduced cents an ounceone
each sideand if desired that the limit in weight
be extended embrace the British QuarterIles and all
other periodical publications.
In the face OF these facts the Advertiser charges our
government with dishonesty for simply adhering the
treaty regulations and speaks of absurdes Of admins