The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-02-08
POSTAL ABSURDITIES.


How Innocent Papsics arc Gougod- Tho
Penalty of Sending Compliments
Price Lists Under tho Ban--Common
Sense Needed.
[Eom the Nc,o Yor; Times.l
An author, residing in n Western
city, sent by mail to his friend in
New York copy of his book, on
the hy-lcaf Of which was written
something like this: "Wolfgang
Winkelricd Brown, with the COM
phments of Washington Potts"
The New York post Office clerks
deserted this nefarious inscription,
and "charged up the book at letter
postage rates. Deducting the %
cents paid by the sender, there re-
NAMED 1926 which was due from
WolfgHng Winkciricd Brown. "a
person in Osiris, Ohio, desiring that
his favorite weekly paper, pub
lished in Now York, should print
certain familiar verses, wrote on q
postal card request to that effect,
and, to make all sure, pasted the
poem Oh the back of the card. The
recipient of this valuable communi,
cation, for reason which will appear
further on, Was compelled to pay
five cents postage thercupon. A
New York citizen, having noticed in
the Times an editorial article which
he thought would interest his friend
in Boston, went to window in the
New York post~oiIice and asked for
ca newspaper wrapper" for which
he paid ono cent. Putting this
about the copy of the Times, he
dropped it into the box. The
weight of that copy OF the paper
happened to be two ounces and
on sixteenth. Beng weighed, it
was thrown into the waste basket
as insuilic;ently paid, and before the
sender left the building it was on
tho way to the furnace. Subse-
quentIy, the expectnnt Boston man
wrote to his Now York friend:
"rhero is thief in your post
Office.
In each ono Of these instances
the postal authorities proceeded &C
cording to law rs cxpounded by the
rulings of the Post Office Depart
ment. The statutes Of tho United
States provide that the sender Of
book mdy writo on the fy-leaf
"Wolfgang Winkolried Brown, from
Washington Potts, More than
this tends to mischief. Therefore,
MIR. Brown paid 1926 for "tbe
compliments Of Mr.. Potts. The
gentleman in Osiris might havo put
his printed poem in an unsealed
envelope, which. being sent to the
Now York publisher, would have
been charged rs printed circular
- one cent. Tho law says that
nothing shall be ATTACHED to
postal card. The poor little verses
were pasted on with thick COM
position, and the whole thing then
weighed moro than half ounce. IT
was unclassiicd, the "attached"
newspaper clipping being unlawful
Therefore, as nnclassificd matter, it
was chargcabio with letter postage.
1t weighed more than half ounce.
and it required six cents postage
But one cent having been paid for
the postal card, only five cents were
duo. And this was collected. In
the case of the newspaper which
was conliscated, with it's ono cent
stamp, the sender only knew that
newspaper wrapper Costing one
cent? WAS a newspaper wrapper. He
never dreamed that post office
clerk was required to weigh his
paper, and, if it was not prepaid
at tho ratio of ono cent for every two
ounces and fraction thereof, to
throw it into tho waste basket.
Congress, by it's burdcnsome stat
utes, seems to be anxious to worry
The people who have transactions
with the post Offices. In this en-
deavor Congress is ably seconded
by the Post Office Department with
it's capricious rulings.
OF these rulings let us give few
examples: There was no classiica-
tion of mail matter until 1925. On
the statutes Of years preceding that
date all present classifications are
made. The typewriter is modern
invention, and matter from that
machine is unknown to post office