, 1873-06-13
THE NEW POSTAL LAW.

HE NEW Fp6IAL LAW. 4
In tho act Of Congress making appropriations
for tho sorvico of tho Post-Onice Department
for tho yoar ending Juno 80, 1874. occurs the
following:
Provided that al laws and parta OF lava permitting
tho transmsslon by mall Of ay freq matter whatever
be- and the horoby, repealed from aud aftor
June 80, 1878.
Ihis provision OF Inv, in addition to tho abo1i-
ton Of tho franking privilege, applies to two
classes Of mail matter, which now pass through
the mails FREQ: l. All newspapers within tho
limits Of tho county in which they arc published.
2. Ali newspapers passing from emo newspaper
Office to others as exchanges. Hereafter
these papers will pny postage, colloctable ut tho
place where they are delivered. Ono ofroot Of
thia will bo to revo1utionizc, il not eventually
bronx up, whit iH known as tho exchange Bys-
tom. There woro in 1870 published in tho United
States 57A daily papers, 1895 wooklics, and G22
monthly publications. 1t is safo to aesumo TINT
zach Of these dailieB had an Average Of 80 daily,
100 weekly, md 25 monthly exchanges. Thoao
figures, which aro low estimate, give aa tho to-
tai Of exchanges received BY theso 57i dailes in
each yoar, 0,2o8,800 dailies, 2,o74, 800 wcokics,
and 14,950 monfhles, or grind total Of 12,297,-
900 papors. The receipts Of exchanges by. tho
each 20 daily and 50 wookly papers, including
in the latter sem-wookly and tri-wcekly editions.
This makes 10 pspors each por week, or m aggre-
gato Of 15,C33, 300 year. Allowing 2, 2,o78,30o of
papers year for exchanges received by mlscel-
| lanoous publications, and VIC laVo grand an
nual total Of 3O,00o,000 publications. received as
! exchanges FREQ of postago. We arc aatisnod
| tlat this ia below tho actual fact, but It will
! sorvo to show tho oxtons Of the business. Esti
mating TINT those papers wcigh, on IN average,
ten to tic pound, VIC have 100000 pounds, Or
$500 tons, OF matter pasaing through tho mails
annually FREQ Of postage. At ordinary newapa-
por pontage, those papors would DO chargeablo
! with not lops than s22o,oo0 your for postage
Tho abolition OF the FREQ exchanges Of noces-
sity involves one Of two things: l. Tho dis
continuance Of exchanges; or, q. Tho pay-
mont Of postages. Tho postage having to DO
paid at tho place Of delivery, tho persons rocey-
ing the papors will not pay postage on any paper
which they do not nced; and, "a the papers
Of tho largo cities carry tho largest ox-
change lists, thoro will probably be ahrlnkego
In such lists aftor tho lat Of July. Arrange
monta hayo long boen in uso betwoon tho papors
in the largo cItios whereby newspaper Offices AFRO
supplied with tho papers Of other cities by OK
preas. Wo now recoiyo Now York, Cincinnati,
St. Louis, and New Orleans papers by express,
and III advance OF their delivery by mail, aud it
IL possible TINT hereafter this syatom will bo.
como more extensive, ,anl that the exchanges
between tho papora Of tue largo cities will bo OK.
c1uaively by express.
It was q misfortune, perhapa, that Congress-
neglected to pass tho law requiring prepayment
OF postage on all mattor depoaltod in the mail
and requiring printed matter to DO paid for no
eording to weight. THIS would layo roached AT
abuse OF tho postal System oven creator tha1
that of tho free exchanges Thoro aro deposited
In tho post-oftlccs Of tho country daily, oHtenBi
OF all kinds Of printed nlattor, which. In fact. il
|, little moro than advertisements OF ono kind o
another. On this but littlo or no postage iB oye
collcotel, though 1t is all transported through
tho mnils, and handled over md over agai,
by tho post-of1sce torco. This abus
Of tho Postal system will Btill con
, tinuo unaor tho now law, and 1t cannot
rouullod until tho prepayment Of all mattor dc
postoi In tho malls is made poromptory. Ar
is. prlnted matter may bo sont hosoAftor aa uBu
al, md, whothor the Government got tho postag
or lose it, tho sorvloo Of transportation will Il
0 performed, aud tho cost incurred oil tho SAINT
THO hardship OF tho proaent change OF law vi
fall on the country pross, and particularly til
: weekly prQas. II I'LL. ~ q general thlgpR, r