The Mena weekly star., 1906-05-10
SUGGESTS \ COMMISSION.
Postmaster General Wants Laws Governing Second Class Mail
 Matter Reviewed.
DOES NOT MEET NEEDS OF MODERN TIMES
Would Have the Body cohsise VI
 Persons Representing the Dinereh' A terests Involved-Three to pe Appo' ed by the President and Three o' '"o Two Houses of Congress.

xuasbinpton. May 8.-Postmaster General Cortelyou has reconiinenueN to congress the appointment or d con r,;ss;on to inquire into the sup1ec. oi aaaond class mail matter with view .o ascartaining what notifications or the present second class laws are necessary. the commission to render its report to congress not later .hah December 10, 1906.
 |, order that all interests shall be represented. he has recominehucu that the commission consists or seven persons and be made up as Ioiio"s' One senator. selected by the preslueh' of the senate: one representative se- lected by the speaker of the nouse' one officer of the postoffice department selected by the postmaster generai' one representative of the pubic pup fishers of daily newspapers; one re- presentative of the publishers of week. lv. semi weekly and tri-weekly news papers. and one representative or the publishers of periodicals and maga- zines. The last three to be appointed by the president of the United States from among those recommended 10 him by representative associations or publishers of such newspapers and periodicals, and seventh member to be selected by the six whose manner of selection is so specifically provided. An appropriation of s25,0o0 is asked to defray the cost of the investigation.
 The postmaster general in his re- cent annual reports recommends to congress. thorough review of the whole subject of second class mail matter, and the enactment of statute to take the place of those existing which would render unnecessary the consideration of such questions as those upon which second class matter now depend.
 In now recommending this commits sion the postmaster general in his communication to the committee on postoffice and post roads of the sen- ate says:
 "The existing statutes regulating the second class of mail matter are out of date; they do not meet modern requirements of the publishing in- dustry and the administration of them unnecessarily and unreasonably hampers the publishers of bona fide newspapers and periodicals.
 As an illustration of what is in- volved in administration it may be stated that the question of what is a bona ffde newspaper or periodical is one about which there may be and often is much difference of opinion. The same is true of what constitutes a known office of publication. what constitutes publication originated and published for the dissemination of information of a public character what is devoted to literature, the SCI ences, arts or some special industry what is legitimate list of subscri- bers. All of these questions must however, be determined in each casa before second-class entry can be granted; but publication having met all finds is positively prohibited ad- mission if it be designed primarily Tor advertising purposes, or for free circulation, or for circulation at nom lnal rates. That such questions. es- pecially the latter, are subtle and complex and render administration ex- eeedingly difficult scarcely need to he stated"
 postmaster General Cortelyou ex- presses the belief that such commis- sion If appointed will be able to make recommendations to congress which Will result in the passage of a law that will be equitable to publishers. relieve them from present annoyances and re- strictions, and at the same time pro- tect the interests of the government