The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1906-05-09
NEEDS REVISION.
Law Covering Periodical Mail Has Defects,
and Postmaster General Makes Rec.
concentrations to Congress.

subject of secondclass mail matte
with a view to ascertaining wha
notifications of the present second
class laws are necessary, the com
mission to reuder its report to Con
gress not later than December 10
1906.
In order that all interests shall
be represented he has recommend
ed that the commission consist o.
seven persons and be made up a:
follows. One Senator selected by
the president of the Senate, one
Representative selected by the
Speaker of the House, one officer
of the Postofice Department, one
representative of the publishers Of
the daily newspaper, one repres-
entative of the publishers OF
weekly, seni-weekly and tri-weekly
newspapers and one representative
of the publishers of periodicals and
magazines.
Members to be appointed by the
President from those recommended
by the publishers of such news
papers and periodicals and a
seventh member to be selected by
the six whose manner of selection
is so specifically specified. The
commission will have the power
to employ clerks and stenograph-
ers, administer oaths, send for
persons and papers and do all things
necessary for the carrying out of
its objects.
The Postmaster General, in his
recent annual report, recommend
ed to Congress thorough review
of the whole subject of second
class mail matter and the en-
actment of a statute to take the
place of those existing which would
render unnecessary the considera-
ton of such questions as those
upon which second-class matter
now depend.
In now recommending this COM
mission the Postmaster General, in
his communication to the Com
mittee OH Postofices and Post
Roads of the Senate, says:
The existing statutes regulat-
ing the second-class mail matter
are out of date; they do not meet
modern requirements of the publish
ing industry, and the administra-
ton of them unnecessarily and
unreasonably hampers the publish
ers of bona fde newspapers and
periodicals.
AS an illustration OF what is
involved in administration it may
be stated that the question of what
is bona fide newspaper or peri
odical is one about which there
may be and often is much differ
ence of opinion. The same is true
of what constitutes a known Office
of publication, what constitutes a
publication originated and publish
ed for the dissemination of in
formation of a public character;
what is devoted to literature, the
sciences, arts or some special in
dustry; what is a legitimate list of
All of these questions,
AtONChOl, AuuSl DG QGtGI IulDSQ III
each case before second-class entry
can be granted, but a publication
having met all the conditions is
positively prohibited admission if |
it be designed principally for adj
vertising purposes or for free
at nominal rates.
Even after the right Of publ
cation to pass in the mails at the
second-class rates of postage has
been determined there are six
different rates that postage is ap-
plicable thereto when the matter
IS mailed by publishers and news
agents, and when mailed by the
general public is provided still an
other-a seventh rate.
Each rate is dependent upon
The circumstances of time, place
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