The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-07-16
CLASSIFICATION OF MAIL MATTER.

Classification Of Domestic Mail Mot
ter.-Domestic mail matter,-that is
mail matter sent in the mails from some
post office within the United States to
some other post Office within the same,
| is divided into four classes, as follows:
1st CLASS. Written matter. namely, letters
postal cards, and all matter wholly or partly in
writing, whether sealed or unSealed Except
manuscript copy accompanying proof sheets or
corrected proof sheets OF the Same.) All mat.
ter sealed or otherwise closed against inspection
is also of the first class.
I'd class. Periodical publications namely all
newspapers and other periodical publications
which are issued at stated intervals and as
frequently as four times year, which bear q
date OF issue, and are numbered consecutivey,
are issued from a known Office of publication,
are formed ofprinrd paper sheets without board.
To be of information of public
character, or devoted to literature, the sciences,
art or some special ndtStry, and must have .
be designed primarily for advertising purposes,
or for free circulation OF circulation at nominal
rates.
Sd Class. Books. circulars, periodicals and
other matter wholly in print mot included in
second-class matter), proof-sheets, corrected
proof-sheets and manuscript copy accompany
ng the same.
Printed matter" is defined by statute to be
''the reproduction upon paper. by any process
except that of handwriting, OF any words.
Letters characters figures or images or Of any
character of aniactual and personal correspon-
dence."
A"circular" is defined by statute to be
printed letter, which, according to internal evi.
dence, is being sent in identical terms to sever
al persons" and does not lose its character as
addressee or of the sender, or the correction Of
mere typographical errors.
4th Glass Merchandise, namely all matter
not embraced in the first, second or third
classwhich is not in its form or nature liable to
destroy, deface or otherwise damage the con-
tents OF the mail bag, or harm the person of
any one engaged in the postal service, andnot
above the weight provided by law
Limit of Weight of Mdu Matter.-No package
weighing more than tour pounds shall be re
cooks weighing In excess of that amount. ana
except books and documents published or
circulated by order of Congress, or official
Of Ike Goyernmsnt or ro ns
the Smithsonian Institution.
80 Second-ciass matter mailed in packa ges
at the pound rate is not subject to the II ur-
81. The above limit of weight does not ap-
ply to matter in foreign mails regulated By
RATES OF POSTAGE.
On First Glass Matter.-The rate
postage on matter of the first GLASS is as
follows:
1. On letters and other written matters
third-class rates and on sealed matter or matter
otherwise closed against inspection, two cents
per ounce or fraction thereof.
On poStel cards one cent each, the price
fol- which they are sold.
3. On drop letters" two cents per ounce or
fraction thereof when mailed at letter carrier
post offices, and one cent for each ounce or
fraction thereof at Offices where free delivery
by carrier is not established.
On Second Class Matter. The rate of
postage on secOnd-class matter when sent by
the publisher thereof, and from the office OF
publication, including samples copies, or when
sent from news agency 70 actual subscribers
thereto, or to other news agents, is one cent per
pound or fraction thereof.
The rate OF postage on newspapers and
periodical publications of the Second-claSs
when sent by other than the publisher or news
agent, Is one cent for each four ounces or
fractional part thereof.
weeklies) and ON periodicals not exceeding two
ounces In weight,wnenthe same aredeposited in
weighing more than two ounces, two cents
each.
posted by the publishers or news agent in a
etter-carrier office for general or box delivery
are subject 10 pay postage at the rate OF one
cent per pound; when deposited by other than
publishers or news agents, Tor general or box
delivery, the rate is one cent for four ounces or
fractional part thereof.
Weekly newspapers when deposited by the
publisher OF. news agents in letter-earrier
Office, for delivery by carriers, or otherwise are
subject only to the rate Of one cent pound or
fraction the eof.
All second-class publications, when sent by
the publisher or a news-agent by mail. to let
ter-carrier office located either in the county
OF publication or elsewhere. are subject to
postage at the rate OF one cent pound, which
entities them to delivery by the carriers.
On Third Glass ldtter.--The rate of postage
on thrd-eass matter is one cent for each two
ounces or fractional part thereof.
On Fourth-Cdss Moft'r.-The rate OF postage
~, fNvrrT al nos ,4N1l oArNfo