Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-08-10
SOUVENIR POSTALS.
Lack of knowledge of Postal Laws
Bother Some.

The souvenir postal fad is raging all
over the country ana Augusta has 1t
along with the other MLil.e cities. The
huSiut - has crown 10 such proTor-
tiuns and the cards have assumed such
variety Of form. size and material. that
They are causing 4 great deal of bother
Ia tn, rnstoffiCe authorities and clerks
in this city and the same is probably
trl:t. Of other IostufiiCeS in the country.
4 law was enacted by Congress a
fcsy years ago which provided that
cards of the same size and weight as
th, ordinary postal cards might Re
sent through the mails as ordinary pos
TIL cards ruviding 4 one cent STAMP
VAS AFFIXED. Many of the printed
,aldS sold rs souvenir postal cards
meet these requirements and can lie
written uTnn and sent through the
mails with Il one cent stamp affixed
The trouble is. however. that not all
ur indeed most of the souvenir cards
do meet the government require
mruts. Many If them arc mu,', p =
-. tlan ordinary cards ana they are
made Of leather and wood and almost
every thinE .ls"
All uf .nesc cards are mlilabIe as
merchandise at the rate of ou. cent
an ounce. hut ii anything is written
upon them. then they Require letter
postage. which is two cents un ounce.
The leather cards which aYr 80 popular
this season. ar,. Of about the same size
us tic ordinary cards ANA would DC
mailHhlr il WRIT. Il upon il il W''rc rot
for the fact that they are much thicker
than the ordinary postal cards This
bans them from ia mails except ms
nv rChaniiSe ana if written upon. l,';er
Postage must be ilid.
The wooden souvenirs lrr generally
much larger and heavicr than urli-
nary postal cards ana generally weigh
more than an ounce. tp"n tHeS,' if
there is any writing four cents in
stamps must be affixed.
These few facts cover TIN. govern
ncut regulations ana if everybody was
familiar with them and oh, ycd them
I'll. y would save themselves ARA the
l".StntfiCe PEOPLE much trouble and
more Of the souvenirs would reach
their destination. But the trouble is
that 10 many peonlc all souvenirs look
alike" AMI they atiiX one cent stamps
- 49, tAii'' AiNti' " my tittia VII
thr back ana dump them into the lct-
ter boxes. Naturally the great ma
jority Of them do not reach their des-
tination ami then there is sorrow and
disappointment.
y young lady went u the stamp win
dow few days ago with a big bundle
Of the leather cards i'll her
hands. with written messages
on their backs, and asked the
clerk for one cent stamps They We
provided for her. but divining the use
she intended to put them to. the clerl,
informed her that with the messages
on the back her cards were NOT mail
able for one cent. but that letter post
age would he paid. The lady asked for
further explanation and the law was
expounded to her. she exclaimed that
she could now understand why 50
many of her cards had not reached
their destination.
The Augusta office gets scores of
these cards every day and thare is n
smaller proportion or people who
think that when they have bought
their cards they are entitled to SEND
them without any postage at all. Quite
4 number SO to waste in this way. but
for this there is. of course, no excuse.