The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-02-02
The Postage Laws.

Il
For week or more the Postmaste r-ae en-
erai has had an agent 10 New YORK city en- en-
Gagged In ascertaining from the publishers
OF weekly papers and other persons what
notifications of the postal laws ought IN
their opinion to be made. 1t is surprising
how many and how variant are the schemes
suggested by people pecuniarily interested
in the result Of these investigations. One
publisher proposes one law, and another
another: and among the various plans Tor
promoting the efficiency and usefulness OF
the Post Office Department which are thus
brought to the surface it is not certain that
there is one which will receive the endorse
ment OF the Postmaster-G
II is difficult to- frame q law which cannot
be eyaded. For instance. persons publish
what are really nothing but business clrcu-
lars, vet they place name at the top OF the
sheet. claim that it is regular weekly OF
monthly, and demand that the whole lot
shall be sent through the mails at the lowest
rate OF postage--two cents per pound.
Other persons send packages through the
mails at one cent for two ounces which
ought to be paid for at the rate Of one cent
an ounce. 1t is to circumvent the persons
who are thus striving constantly to defraud
the Government that the efforts OF the Post
master-General are specially directed; but
at the same time he would be pleased to re-
ceiye any suggestions which can aid him in
rendering the service more useful to the
public or make the Department more nearly
self-sustaining.
There is one feature that might be added
to the postal laws which would accommo-
date large number OF people. They ought
to be so changed as to allow publishers OF
newspapers to send at the rate OF two cents
per pound as many copies Of the regular
issue OF their papers rs they deposit in the
post-efiice at once and have weighed at one
time. Not simply for the convenience OF
the editors would we have this done though
it would be benefit to them; but to accom-
modate the large number OF people who for
one reason and another desire ut times to
have newspaper sent to them at some
other place than that Of their residence.
For instance, when the Dispatch reports
fully the proceedings OF Presbyterian
SYNOD, q Methodist Conference, a Pro-
testant Episcopal Convention. Bap-
fist Association, or Of any other body Of
persons, assembled at Lynchburg, Alex
andria, Norfolk, or Petersburg, there
are many persons in those cities who
desire to have the paper mailed to them for
few days, and sometimes for week or
more. Under the law as it now stands, we
have to put a one.cent stamp upon every
paperso sent, although the extra copies so
transmitted are deposited in the post-ofice
at the same time with the packages regu-
larry mailed at two cents per pound. This
by way Of illustration. There is no reason
in such regulation. The postmaster has
no extra trouble with these papers. He
would not know that they were among
our other packages if they were placed
with them. They are taxed with ten
or more hostages only because they tech
nicaliy come under the lazy requiring single
papers, or packages, deposited at odd times
to be paid for at rate which will compen-
safe the postmaster for the time and labor eS-
pended in receiving and mailing them. 10
change the law as we propose that it shall
be changed would be to make one Of the
most popular alterations that could be made
in it, It would accommodate many thou
sands OF editors, and many ten-thousands
NJ other nersons