The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1873-04-12
The PostnI Inv.

There is no subject Of more general in
terest than that of postage. Almost every
man and woman, young and old, in The
couptry, has more or less correspondence
,brouch the mails, and therefore all are
anxious to know or should be- what the
laws regulating postage and postal affairs
are To be well in formed on this subject
caves time and trouble--the time spent in
making inquiries, and the trouble result
ing from misinformation. As some per-
nlSxity exists in regard to postal changes
made at the last session of Congress, we
.ubioin, for general information, the fol-
lowing from the Washington Chronicles
We are not at all sorry to find, as We
have done by inquiring at the Postofiice
Department, that the proposition to reduce
letter postage, together with other changes
in postal matter proposed by the House
committee, failed in the Senate. Believing
that the change proposed was not called
for, and that it would very materially d.
minish the resources Of the Postoihoe De-
nartment at time when it is incuring
large expenditures, to facilitate the prompt
distribution and transmission of mail
matter on postal cars, and to improve the
service generally, we took occasion to dis
sent from the recommendations of the COM
mittee at the time they were made.
Our belief, as then expressed, was, and
is still, that in view of the much higher
prices paid for mail transportation in this
country, the wide diffusion of mail facili-
ties over territory so much greater than
that of England which has been our mod
81, we have reduced the rates of postage to
the lowest point attainable without involv-
ing the necessity of large appropriations
by Congress, Three-cent postage here
considering the service rendered, is quite
as cheap as penny postage in England.
1t has been the aim and desire of Con-
gress and the Department to bring the lat
ter to self.sustaining condition. This
will be ultimately done if we are not COM
PEELED 10 pay too heavily for railroad SER
vice. The postal car system has very
largely increased the burdens of the De-
partment, but it has wonderfully facilitat-
ed distribution and celebrity of transmits.
sion, especially OF stations on the great
thoroughfares. The clerical force requir-
ed for this service is large and expensive
and constantly increasing as postal cars
are multiplied. The roads exact increas-
ed pay at an alarming rate.
At such time, therefore, we cannot
wisely attempt further reduction of let.
ter postage. Three cents for carry ing
letter from Boston to San Francisco Low
err California, or Oregon, is pretty small
figure. Yet, having once established
uniform rate we cannot get the consent of
the Pacific States to pay more for letter
than is charged for carrying it five miles.
The provisions requiring the payment
of newspaper postage also failed. This
failure included the proposed change in
rates on,daily papers which will, as here
tofore, continue to pay thirty cents quar-
terly, weekly papers five cents.
There was attached to the postal appro-
priation bill the following clause
Propided, That all laws and parts Of
laws permitting the transmission by mail
of any free matter whatever, be and the
same are hereby repealed from and after
June 3d. 1873.
This sweeping clause cuts off free ex-
changes, and also the distribution Of week
ly papers free in the counties where print
ed, Subscribers to such weeklies will,
therefore, after June 30, have to pay post
age on their papers, and editors will be
charged with postage on all the exchanges
they receive,