The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-21
THE POSTAL QUESTION.

RreSB ID MAKING nd5te 10 SHOW eltneT Ills
love for the dear people or his appreciation
of the value Of printers ink, by introduce
Ing bill after bill for the repeal or modifi-
cation of the act passed at the last session
of congress increasing the rate of postage
on third class mail matter, it is well enough
to understand what particular mail matter
was affected by the legislation of the last
congress as we'll as the views of the matter
taken by those officials most intimately &C
quainted with the workings of the postal
service.
To go back, then, to the act OF 1872, re-
vising, consolidating and amending the
several statutes relating to the postoffice
department, we find that mailable matter
Is divided into three classes, as follows
First, 'letters"; second. Irregular printed
1" matter; third, miscellaneous matter"
The first class-"letters embraces,all cor
respondence, wholly or partly in writing,
except book manuscripts and corrected
proof sheets passing between author and
publisher. The second class" regular
" printed matter "-embraces all matter
exclusively in print, and regularly issued
at stated periods from a known office of
publication, "without addition by writing,
"mark or sign" These two classes were
not affected by the Objectionable legislation
of last winter, and the myriad of bills now
before congress do not propose to change
the present rate of postage thereon.
We come now to the third class, which
may be said to embrace all other mailable
matter, and embraces, as enumerated in
in the statute, the following articles
Pamphlets, occasional publications, tran
silent newspapers, magazines, hand
bills, posters, circulars, prospectuses,
books, book manuscripts, proof sheets,
corrected proof sheets, maps, prints, en-
cravings, blanks, flexible patterns, sam
Piles of merchandise, sample cards, phono-
graphic paper, envelopes and wrappers,
cards, paper, photographs, seeds, cuttings.
bulbs, roots, scions, etc. All liquids,
poisons, glass, explosive materials and OBJ
scene publications are excluded from the
mails, as well as all articles above the
weight prescribed by law and articles
which, frUui IhyiI form or nature, o~o
liable to destroy, deface or injure the con-
tents of the mails or the person of anyone
engaged in the postal service. We have
been thus particular to enumerate the
articles mailable as third class matter, using
almost the exact language of the statute,
because the statute specifies them, although
there would seem to be no necessity for do
ing 80 as it is expressly declared that call
"other articles shall be mailable.
1t is this third class matter that is now
attracting attention, and the postage on
which it is proposed to reduce, and in
reference thereto, George S. Bangs, sup
erintendent of the railway postal service,
has addressed letter to the postmaster
general giving his views relative to the pro-
posed reduction. He shows that for the
year ending June 30, 1874, there were
transported by mail 500, 1856, 1856 pieces OF
the first class 1856, 10000 of the second
class; and 237, Os1, O46 of the third class
that the weight of the first class matter
was some thirteen and half millions Of
pounds, that of the second class over fifty
Ave and three quarters millions, and of the
third class over forty-two and one-thirt
millions pounds. The revenue from frs
class matter was $l0,597, 20490; from
second class, $976, 2l7.06; and from thu
third class "a, 1858, 643.Ss while the cos
of transporting, handling, etc. was as fol
lows: First class $l5, 1884, 6l4.2O; secont
class, 81, 1853, 24O.97, and of the third elias
$S,772, $50. 41-showing that while Their
was profit Of over four millions of dollar
on first class matter over and above the cos
of transporting, handling, etc., there wa
loss to the government of nearly sever
millions of dollars on second class matte
and of something over four millions o
dollars on third class matter.
A large annual loss is thus entailed upol
the government, and will probably con
tinue to be for years to come, and the prob
lem Is ''to cheaper postage for the Who'll
"people by such an amendment to the &C
as shall not so increase the cost of tn
postal service in the transportation @
PARTICLES in which comparatively few ar
interested as to nullify the propose
"lower postage" This he proposes to do
and it is strange how many members c
congress agree with him-by leaving tn
present law as it is, except that the postag
on transient newspapers and magazines
unsealed circulars and prospectuses sha
be placed back where it was a year age
that is at the rate of one cent for ever
two ounces instead Of at double this raj
as at present. We have stated these fac
and recommendations that our readers ma
understand just what postal question is b
fore congress, and we cannot better col
clude than in his words.
'.If now," he says, "the postage on tral
4" sient newspapers, periodicals and 9th,
"items of mail matter before mentioned |
" reduced to the former rate, leaving Il
"rates of other third class matter as the
"now are, we shall have an act of genuiI
4" cheap postage, based upon sound bus
"ness principles and discriminating in f
"vor of the interests of the whole Poop
A" rather than of the few. The larger nm
:" Der of packages of transient newspaper
etc, sent under these reduced rat,
"would, in my opinion, increase the re-
"enue more than the augmented cost {
"their transmission would amount to. O
"the other hand, the transportation in Il
mails of samples of merchandise, etc.,
A" done at present rates at loss to the GO
eminent, and as this matter is rather /
regular than regular mail matter l thin
1T would be manifest injustice and
needless burden upon the whole poop
"to reduce the rates."