The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-07-03
POSTAGE RATES.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE P0ST0F-
FIcE DEPARTMENT.
The Progress Mnde From 1873 to
July I. 1885 The Most Per-
feet System Known.


tue postage on newspapers sent from
the office of publication, and providing
for the immediate delivery of letters at
al the larger postoilces, went into ef-
feclJuly LIST, aud serves TO mark another
step In the direction of what many be-
lleve we shall reach within The next de-
oade, viz: one cent lester postage. The
country, however, has little TO complain
OF at present In The matter OF chief post
pge, and II is doubtful u, in connection
with any department of the Govern
ment, more has been done TO aid the
the marvellous, intellectual. moral aad
material development Of the country
than has been done by the Postoiilce
department. Reduction of postage
rates has certainly fully kept pace with
our growth as n people, and the success
slye reductions have Indicated very nc
curately our phenomenal growth and
progress.
When our Postoillce department was
organized under the Confederation in
1856, the rates on domestic letters, or
letters for any place within the United
States. were "ior each piece OF paDer
OF which single letter or let
ter packet may be composed"
under 10 miles, s cents; under 30 miles,
10 cents: under $50 miles, l2l cents; under
800 miles, IL cent?; rnder 800 miles. 20
cents; over 800 miles, % cents. These
rates Remained In force until the act of
March 3. 1916. when the following
schedule went into force: For single
letter carried not over 30 miles, 81 cents;
less than 50 miles 10 cents; less than lao
miles, l2l cents; less than 100 miles. ISL
cents; over 100 lies, % cents. Provis-
ions for mailing newspapers were as
follows: Under 100 miles, or within the
State where published, cent; over 100
miles and out Of the State, cents.
These rates continued in effect until
by the act of March 3, 1872. they were
modified ms follows: For each letter
weighing less than half an ounce, II car
red less than 800 miles, 3 cents; over 800
miles, 10 cents; each additional half
ounce, double rates; drop letters deliv-
cred from the Office where posted, 2
cents. The newspaper rates then estab-
| lished must be regarded as something of
| n curiosity, the Legislators of that day
| evidently not favoring what have since
| become known us "blanket" sheets.
| Those were not the terms either of
| triple, quadruple or quintuple Sunday
editions. The rates were: For papers
containing less than 1900 square inches,
cent each II delivered within the State
where printed aud mailed, or out of the
State, but within 100 miles of Publication
Office; for any greater distance, cents
| each; II conveyed less than 80 miles, free.
| Papers developing enterprise enough
measure over 1000 square inches were
| charged magazine postage, which was
"a cents for the first ounce and cent
for each additional ounce or fraction of
an ounce for any distance whatever.
Bound books were unavailable. Car
rage by private individuals on mail car
riaRes or by express was also probib-
| tied.
| Two years later, in 1917. transient
| newspaper rates were raised to three
cents and prepayment was required;
| postage on unmailed circulars was raised
| from 2 cents to 3: newspaper postage to
| O-egon and California was placed at a
cents, aud letters via Chagres and Pana-
ma at 10 cents, and between most towns
| n California at l2l cents. these rates
| give a suggestion Of the social and civil
conditions on the Pacific coast at that
time.
In 1919 postage on transient newspa-
pers was reduced to ordinary rates, but
the prepayment provision was main
|
made in postal rates, by defining the
single letter by weight instead of by
piece, at n half ounce or under, and the
rates were also greatly oheapened. Up
to this time the postage had been the
same whether prepaid or not. The
rates then adopted were as fol-
lows For u single letter I'M
der 1900 miles, cents II prepaid,
Other wite cents; over 1000 miles,
cents, or II cents II not prepaid. The
postage on newspapers, wD'ci had be IN
almost prob'bitory In the early days, nd
had been maintained at high rates until
that time, was then greatly reduced
Weekly newspapers to actuaI subscrlb-
ers in the same county where the paDeI
was published, were made free; for Lis
tances under 30 miles and ort of the
comfy, cents a quarter; over 80 enc
under 800 miles, 10 cents; over 300 ant
under 1000 miles, 10 cents; over 1000 ant
under 1900 miles, 20 cents; over 1900 an,
under 1000 miles, 20 cents; over 400
miles, 30 cents.
Postage on transient newspapers ant
circulars was also reduced. and book
were for the first time admitted TO tn,
mails II weighing less thar 30 ounces
In 1852, and again In 1855, slight changes
; were made in the postage rates, both II
the direction of reduction, but the grea
change was made In 1868, when the rat,
of postage on all domestic letters wa
made uniform throughout the Union. a
3 cents for each half ounce or fraction
thereof. The quarterly postage on ne WIS
papers and periodicals was also mad,
uniform for all distances at the follow
ing rates: Weekly, cents quarter
seml-weekly, 10 cents; six times week
30 cents, and seven times week g
cents. In 1865 the law was again amend
ed so as to allow weekly newspapers {,
go to subscribers in the county free.
No modification of domestic leite
rates occurred after this unit; the posta
law otlSS3 Went into effect October Is
OF that year. reducing the single lette
rate TO two cents. In 1872, however, al
impol ,ant change was made in newspa
per and periodical postage, requh fnl
prepayment of postage at the mailing o
delivery Office, and in 1874 the law wa
again changed, requiring the prepay
ment at the mailing office alone, and re
ducing the rate In this matter to two
cents pound or fraction of pound
Stamps, aud Ltamped envelopes wer,
first Introduced In 1851, the registry O
valuable letters in 1855, the carrier. de
livery system for large cities in 1868, tn,
money-order system In 1864, aud tn,
postal cards at one cent each in 1872.
The postal system OF the United
states has become one of the most per
feet In existence, and the improvements
made have in marked degree KEPT
pace with, while at the same time they
have assisted, the material, intellectua
and social progress of the country. The
Postoflce department has during all oui
history been kept practically self-sup'