Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-02-19
THE CHRONICLE.
HI POSTAL BILL.

THE POSTAL BILL.
Below we give the new postage bill
as it passed the lower House of Con-
gress, on the 18th inst. It is expected
to pass the Senate Substantially as it
now reads:
A bill further amending the postal
laws, making letter postage after July
LIST two cents, was reported.
An amendment was adopted strik.
ing ont the words actually and
wholly'' from the section relating to
weekly newspapers, so that it will not
exclude those country weekly papers
having a portion OF their editions
printed in large cities. =
Mr.. F~arenswOrth explained the Dill
at length. AS to the prepayment OF
ne = spaper postage, he made h fol-
lowing statement
The postage revenues lastyear were
on letters. S1S.S54 ,000; on newspapers
and periodicals, $685., $40, so the reve-
nue. for letters IA twenty times as
great as that for newspapers, while
the newspaper mails were twenty
times the weight and bulk of the let
| ter mail. In 1870 there were in round
numbers, printed of daily papers in
the year., 500 millions copies, or an
average of over two and a half mil
lions a day; of weekly papers, Six
! hundred millions copies, or an aver
age of over eleven and a half millions
a week; of monthly periodicals, one
hundred millions copies or an aver
age of over eight and a third million
a month. The lowest rate of postage
| on these publications was at the pres
ent. on dailies, one dollar and twenty
| cents a wear: on weeklies 20 cents, and
/ on monthlies u cents. He thought 1t
not too much to say, that ten per cent.
of the dailies and eighty per cent of
the weeklies and monthlies pass thro'
the mails. If that were so, and If
postage had been collected on it, it
should have yielded a revenue from
daily papers of S307, 692; from weekly
papers 81, S46, 153; andfrom mOnthlies,
$500, 900 making a total of S2,95S, S45,
while the actual receipts from
these sources were only S985, 94O.-
1t was therefore manifest that but a
small partofthe postage on that which
| constituted the great bulk of the
weight of the mails, was ever recely-
ed by the department. He thought
that eventually Congress would re-
ouire every man who uses the mails
to pay for their use, but be admitted
that there was nov a feeling OF de-
ference 70 the country weekly press,
to the extent o. allowing their circula-
ton, free of postage, "a the county
| ofpublieatiOn. Asto the effect of the
proposed bill, it was his opinion that
while the next year might show a
slight deficiency in the postage re-
ceiYed from the letter mail, within
two wears, the present revenue would
be caught up with and passed AS TO
the payment of newspaper postage,
that was not TO go into operation I'M
til the first Of January next. ,
z. h. Roberts, ofNew YORK, moved
to amend-by making the postage on
daily newspapers, not exceeding TOUR
ounces in weight, fifteen cents per
quarter.
After discussion, the amendment
was agreed to.
Amendments were offered by Messrs
Garfield and Hubbard, in respect to
magazines and ewspapermanuscripts,
and were agreed to. The bill was
| then passed.
The bill as amended reads as fol-
lows:
BE it enacted, &C., That on and af-
ter the first day of July next, on all
mail matter which is wholly or partly
in writing, exceptbook, magazine and
newspaper manuscripts and corrected
proof passing between authors and
publishers, and except, also, CORES
pondenee of postal cards; on all prtn-
ted matter which is so marked as 70
convey any other or further informa-
ton than is conveyed by the original
print. except corrections of mere typo
gravhieaI errors; on all matter which
is sent in violation of the law or regu-
lations Of the department respecting
Enclosures, and on all matter to which
no specific rate of postage is assigned,
postage shall be charged at the rate OF
two cents for each half ounce or frac-
ton thereof, and this provision shall
fDcIude all letters delivered through
post offices or their carriers, and maya
zine. manuscripts and newspaper
manuscripts are hereby declared tC
belong to the third class of mailable
matter.
SEC. ,. That from and after the Isl
day of January next, under such regu'
lations and in such manner as the
Postmaster General shall prescribe,
the postage provided by law to be PAID
upon printed matter or maila6le mat
ter of the second cla~s, shall in al
cases be prepaid and collected at tht
offices respectively, where such mat
ter shall be mailed, and the postage
on daily newspapers not exceeding
four ounces to each copy, in weight
shall be charged and collected at the
rate of 10 cents per quarter, provided
that weekly newspapers within the
respective counties where the same
are printed and published, and none
others, may pass through tie mails
free of postage, as provided in th'
eighth clause of section 184, of the ae
to revise, consolidate and amend stat
utes relating to the Post office depart
ment.
SEC 5. That any person who shall
take any letter, postal card or packe
out of a post Office or branch office, o
from q letter or mail carrier, or which
has been in any post Office or brancl
post office, or in the custody of any,
letter or mail carrier before it shall
have been delivered to the person Il
whom it was directed, with design Il
abstract the correspondence or pr
into the business or secrets of another
or shall secrete, embezzle oil destro.
the same, shall, on conviction thereo
for every such offense, forfeit and pa.
a penalty not exceeding five hundreI
dollars. or be imprisoned at hard Ia
lboF not exceeding one year, or both
= at the direction of the court.