The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-07

Edwin C. Madden. Third Assistant Post
mater General. issued to-day his annual
report, in which he gives clsar detail
g all branches Of the postal service
coming within his jurisdiction, namely.
the financial system collecting and pay
ment OF moneys, the supervision and col-
lection of postal revenue; the classic
cation of mail matter; the registry sys-
TEN: the supervision OF the special de-
livery system. and the supervision Of
proposals and letting OF contracts for
furnishing the department with stamps,
etc.
Special attention is directed by Mr..
Madden to the abuses of the second class
mail matter privilege. In this eonnec-
ton he says;
"The abuses OF the second class of mail
matter have been reeited regularly in
the annual reports of this. bureau for
many years past, and number of times
the same subject has received special
consideration in the reports of the Post
master General, all for the purpose of
impressing Congress with the necessity
OF some legislation to relieve Tbs service
of the enormous and unjustifable burden
which it is made to bear through the
operation of Law which, enacted for a
public benefit, is turned to private ad-
vantage So far no relief has been given.
It can scarcely be necessary to recite
again or expatiate on these abuses, for
nothing new can be said on the subject
Enough il is to mention that they still
exist and flourish, with the exception
that during the year one of them has
been ct=.2 and another has BEEN cur
tailed almost to extinction
Il refer. first. to the sample copy
abuse. The adoption of a rule limiting
the number of sample copies which may
be sent with each issue of a publication
to an amount equal to the subscription
list has been efTectu.I- The rule is &C
copied as beneficent one h. ali the pro-
pTietoFs of publications Of l5aquestionabie
legal second-clasS status. 1t is only those
who have profited by the sample abuse
who complain of the restriction. II may
be found that the sample copy privilege
must be restricted still further, and if 50.
it were best that it come through Con-
gressienal action
The second abuse which has been cur
tailed and may be said to be almost ez-
tinguished. is that of bulk subscriptions,
a most insidious scheme to evade the re-
ouirement of the law that the publication
to be admitted to second-class rates of
postage. must possess q legitimate list OF
subseri, yars' The law contemplates that
before entry to the secOnd-cidss and dur
quiremsnt Of the law that the publication
shall have public sanction through sub
scription process of the voluntary individ-
ual variety While such subscriptions are
held to be the intent of the law. the De-
Dartment does. by suffeTance. allow that
one person may subscribe for another.
within reasonable limits as TO number,
and esneciaIly when not for advertising
-.---- IL esrTf1= <rTva
tions,' the public sanction or test which
lae Law requires is circumvented, one
person subscribing for numbers OF others
without limit This practice was boon
to the publishers of house organs and
other advertising sheets, because II
course such publications could not COM
nand public patronage, of the voluntary
individual kind, on merit. Thus, the al
lowing Of bulk subscriptions opened vide
the door to these abuses. but such are moi
now permitted to be counted in making
I'D the legitimate list of subscribers re-
CURED by law. and as rapidly as possible
the Department is wedding out OF the
second class those publications which are
circulated on such subscription lists. The
thorough application of the ruling viii go
a long way toward relieving the Depart
ment OF the burden Of carrying ad.ertis-
ing sheets at this Improbable rate OF
postage
u l.
report to you that during the past year the
abuses of the second class CT mail matter
have MOI multiplied: anF more than that
they haze b2en eliminated. curtailed. and
cured to q considerable t'egree- OF the
abuses whic1 remain and flourish may be
named +-BGjN serials (alleged periodi-
cals). ";S-Ssli.,lms for subscriptions, and
the stRefrsrc e unsold matter to news
agents legislation on these is a great
necessi =. = - il is hoped that the bill now
pending il :Gngress. the aim of which is
to corrse+ - least two of the abuses men
toned 2 Il rot fail to become a law Per
haps the third abuse may be corrected il
an administrative way"
Regarding private mailing cards, the re-
port says their use has rot noticeably d.
minished the issue OF the Government pos
tai caIuS Mr. Madden recommends an ap-
preparation of SO eco for pamphlet con
tanning in a convenient way ror reference
all manner OF postal information. h, says
the passage Of The bill providing for z
reply envelope" and ''reply postal
card, " will be great service to the mer-
chants of the country Mr. Madden also
recommends consolidation of third and
f0Urth-c3ass matter.