The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-04-20
THE postal law, which has occupied

HE postal law, WHICH Las occupied
the attentention of Congress SO long,
has finally passed, and IS great i'm
provement.upon Hamlin' old one The
law as it now stands, provides that tram
| sient magazines and newspapers shall be
| transmitted st the rate of 1 cent for
three ounces, and l cent for every adj
ditional two ounces. This is On an &C.
tual reduction as compared with the law
as it existed before the Hamlin act,
which fixed the postage on this class of
matter at 1 cent fer two ounces. The
bill then establishes new third class,
which consists of pamphlets, circulars,
advertising publications., seeds, engrav-
ings, photographs and all other articles
weighing less than four pounds and
harmless to the mails; in short, it
is the same as before except that tran
silent newspapers and magazines are ex-
cluded. On this class the present rate,
that is, l cent an ounce, is retained.
The bill as passed is as follows:
Section 1. BE It enacted, &C., That
mail matter of the third class shall en-
brace all pamphlets, occasional ptlbfica-
tons, regular publications, devoted pri-
marily to advertising purposes or for
free circulation or for circulation at
nominal subscription rates, prices cur
rent, catalogues, ANIMALS, bandbills,
posters, unseaied circulars, prospectuses,
books, bound or unbound, book manu-
scripts, proof sheets, maps, prints, en-
cravings, blanks, flexible patterns, sam
pies of merchandise, samples of cards,
merchan disc sample cards, Photographic
paper, letter envelopes, wrappers, cards,
| plain and ornamental, paper Photographic
| representations, seeds, cuttings, bulbs,
roots, scions, and all other matter which
NAV be declared mailable by law as
| third class matter, and all other articles
| not above the weight prescribed by law,
| which are not from their form or nature
| liable to destroy, deface or otherwise in
| lure the contents of the mail bags or the
| person of any one engaged in the postal
service. All liquids, poisons, glass, ex-
plosive materials and obscene books or
| papers shall be excluded from the mails.
Section 2. That packages of matter OF
| thirdclass shall not exceed four ounces
| in weight, and shall be subject to eXami-
nation and rates of postage as hereinaf-
ter provided. The postage on mail mat
| ter of the third class shall be at the fol-
lowing rate For alI distances, one cent
for each ounce or fractional part there
of. Every package of thirdclass of
mail matter shall bear the postmark of
the Office at which the same be mailed
for transportation.
Section 3. That postage on third class
| ~, no 11o NV e-to 1r9S
| if, however, postage on third class matter
mailed at any Office, shall be less than
the full amount above prescribed, III
cases where the sender is known, such
sender shall be notified of the facts and
the amount of postage due shall be col
lected from such sender before the same
shall be transmitted by mail. In case
the sender is not known, and where it
has not been the evident intention. Of
the party so depositing the package to
place less than the full postage thereon,
such package shall be forwarded anC
double the amount of deficient postage
shall be collected from the party to whom
it is addressed, or delivered at its proper
destination.
Sec. 4. That the sender CT any article
Of third-class mail matter may write his
or her name and address thereon, or on
the outside thereof with the word s'from'
above or preceding the same, or may
write briefly, or print on any package
the number and name of the article en-
closed. Publishers of newspapers and
periodicals may print.on the wrappers OF
newspapers or magazines sent from the
Office of publication to regular subscri
bers the time to which such subscription
hiss been paid.
Sec 5. That transient newspapers and
magazines shall be admitted to and trans
mitted in the mails at the rate of one
cent for every three ounces or fractional
part thereof, and one cent for each two
additional ounces or fractional part there
of.
Sec 6. That this act shall take effec
on and after the LIST day of July, 1876