The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-08
POSTAL RULES CHANGED
RADICAL DEPARTURE BY THE
DEPARTMENT.
Publications Not Carrying News or
Current Literature Must Pay More.
Other Changes.

Very important changes have been
made in the re -ulations regarding sec
| ond class postal matter. Heretofore
| papers, periodicals.. books, etc, have
been Unfortunately accepted into
this class and forwarded at the low
rate of one cent per pound From the
! best of calculations it costs the gov
eminent between six and EIGHT cents
a pound to carry second class mat
ter, so that every year there has been
a tremendous deficit from that source
| Books and all publications not strict
| ly of a news or literary character have
| therefore, been made third class mat
ter and must pay one cent for four
ounces in place of one cent a pound.
Postmaster General Smith believes
that by the change the department
will make millions of money and
will pull up to almost self sustain
ing basis. 4
The change will also probably prove
a protection to the mails. On the main
land the mails are flooded with papers
that are no more than advertising
DODGERS. They possess some literature.
but are sent out for the sole purpose
of selling something else. They will
| now have to pay the higher rate of
postage. A severe rap will be given to
cheap books, which are issued as peri
odicals by large publishing houses as
they are classed as having the distin-
gushing characteristics of books and
are relegated to the third class. The
first change in the regulations is de-
finition, and reads as follows:
Periodical publications herein re-
fererred to are held not to include those
having the characteristics of books, but
only such as consist of current news or
miscellaneous literary matter, or both
mot excluding advertising), and con-
form to the statutory characteristics
of second class matter"
Under the head of Subscription
place and list, change is made in
the law so that persons or corporations
receiving the benefit of the pound rate
must have a legitimate list of sub
scribers equal to fifty per cent of it's
issue. The value of the publication as
a news or literary journal must be
shown before the privilege is extended
Another change is as follows: News
agents are not entitled to return I'M
sold second-class publications at the
pound rate of postage either to the
publishers or other news agents; but
when such matter is mailed for said
purpose, postage thereon at the rate
of one cent for each four ounces or
fraction thereof, must be prepaid by
stamps affixed"
bearing on the above, the department
says: 1T will be observed that under
amended Section 276, only publications
which are devoted, primarily to the
dissemination of current news or mis-
cellaneous literary matter Cor both)
will be admissible to the second-class.
Publications having the essential or
distinguishing features of books will be
excluded"
An interesting comparison has just
been issued by the postoffice depart
ment. Does anyone know that the Ho-
nolulu postoffice is doing more bust
ness than was at one time done in the
entire United States? Well, such is the
truth.
In the year 1890 there was little
over $4,000 of postoffice business done
in the entire United States. The fig
ures just issued show that Honolulu
last year did 100000 of business or
more than fifty per cent in advance of
Uncle Sam in his younger days.