The record-union., 1899-12-07
A POSTAL ABUSE.

In his recent report the PoStma ster
General says that the nation loses S20,-
100000 year, and this fact makes the
Postal Department report a deficiency
annually and prevents it's establishing
the betterments and engagements it
postage SO much desired. Why is there
loss so great? What is the source of
this deficit? Why is the Postoffice De-
partment unable to prevent it?
These questions are easily answered,
and the replies lay bare the whole i'm
portant matter. There Is a loss of
S2O.OO0,OOO annually, because of the
frauds practiced upon the Government
in mailing as second-class matter at
the pound rate papers and books which
ought to go as third-class matter and
pay third class rates. Because of these
abuses the Postal Department is not
self-supporting. If the frauds were
crushed out the Department would be
self-supporting, and. more. it would
yield a revenue to the Government, or
enable postage to be reduced to that
extent
Second-class matter is paid for at
the pound rate Of 1 cent. Third-class
matter is paid for at the rate of a cent
for each two ounces, or fraction. Thus
it will be seen that if third-class mat
ter is smuggled in at second class rates
4
a pound But as a matter of fact the
third class matter because of the "frac-
tional" charge really pays 14.75 cents a
pound, so that the Government loses
a pound.
The frauds which the Postmaster
General denounces as Outrageous
monstrous, fungous growth, fragrant
etc. are Of three classes, namely, the
transmission Of paper covered books
under the guise that they are period
icals. They are dated and numbered
and agents orders are treated as Sub
scriptions-" This class by thousands
of tons load up the mails as second
class matter, the rate Of which was
intended only for legitimate, regularly
published newspapers having bona fide
general subscription lists, and engaged
in disseminating news and other in
formation. These paper covered books
as second class matter constitute an
enormous fraud. The Postmaster Gen
eral sayssof them:
Their consecutive numbering" is a
travesty; their issuance at STATED in
tervals'' parody; their subscription
list a fiction; their claim of being pub
lished '4for the dissemination of infor
nation of a public character a bur-
lesque. There is nothing to distinguish
them in substance from bound books
and the discrimination in their favor is
most unjust to the publishers of finer
literature.
The second order of frauds are "house
organs and so-called trade journals
characterized them. bogus trade jour
nails" There are plenty of genuine
trade journals, legitimate in all re-
spects. But the class referred to is
made up of those sheets which are adj
vertising circulars only, with a little
scissored matter thrown in to give e
seeming of information" These bogus
sheets wiring in at the second-class
rate.
The third order of frauds consist d
sample copy cheats. The law wisely
permits legitimate journal with reg
ular subscription list to send out a
second-class rates a sample copy to in
duce new subscriptions in a new quar-
ter. But the frauds cloak scheme t.
scatter sheets widely, to multiply dis
tribution, solely as the plea and pledgs
for advertising. The sample copy abuse
is the life of the "house organ" shee1
published for no other purpose than x
promote the advertising OF a single