New-York tribune., 1907-01-28
POSTAL REFORM PLANS.
SECOND CLASS CHANGES.
Joint Commission Urges RecIaSaf-
cation and Careful Weighing.

are the following:
A newspaper or other periodical may be in part
composed of advertisements which are permanently
inserted in attached to the same. but such ad-
neTusements shall not constitute more than ann nIty "
me tn9 ,pgolicaton; nor shall any advertisement, Dc
paper, nor upon paper of greater weight than the
text of such publication.
An issue Of newspaper or other periodical may
be composed OF parts sections but all such parts
and W sna m be made OF te same sane Sax aSen o
M form one complete and tdentna0lg or
periodical shall apply equally TO each and every sec
With regular issue of a newspaper other
peIodical supplement may be incl3sed or folde6,
SUBSTANCE than sn NOT no Te Tcep in on the case Of
maps and plans i iiiustratve Of the text shall be Of
Ion. No supplement shall be composed OF or con
nned TO matter germane TO the regular }sSqe a anu
SITPphed T go IN order to complete mater ieit loo
FICTION RULED OUT.
The proposed law refuses the second class rate
to periodical publications consisting wholly sub
stantia!ly of fiction
With each issue OF a newspaper other periodi-
cal the publisher may mail at The second class rate
of postage samples OF such issue. but mot 10 ex-
ceed 10 per OF the total number Of the copies
OF each issue mailed by him TO actual subscribers
the appears by sworn statement OF such
issue" required to be submitted to the postmaster
at the Office of mailing.
A Postal Appeals Commission in the POstofice
Department ia provided for. 1t is TO consist of
three members OF whom shall be person
who has had actual experience I'm the publishing
business. and one member OF ten years standing
at the bar Of the highest court OF some state or
territory the District OF Columbia The commits
sion is TO enter upon its duties on July l.
The proprietor or publisher of any periodical pub
lication which the Postmaster General has refused
to admit TO the second class may appeal to the
commission and II shall determine such appeal
with respect we'll to matters OF fact matters
OF law. The Postmaster General may require an
opinion OF the commission regarding questions OF
law respecting the classification Of mail matter
If in the Judgment OF the Postmaster General the
class privilege OF any publication should be sus-
pended revoked or annuled he must submit the
case by petition or by information to the commis-
sion.
ITS FINDINGS CONCLUSIVE.
Its findings on any appeal from a refusal TO ad-
nit second class publications or for the removal
from the second class the suspension annulment
revocation of its second class privilege shall be
final and conclusive
The construction or application OF any law or
statute relating to classification OF mail matter
made by the commission shall be controlling upon
the postoffcs and all Its employees. unless over
ruled by some competent OF the United States
Proprietors and publishers of newspapers peri
odicals may apply to have the entered
second class matter. such application be verified
by the oath OF the applicant and accompanied by a
copy Of the newspaper periodical. as we'll a
fec OF S. Pending final action upon application
the Postmaster General is authorized 10 issue a
temporary permit tor the transmission OF pub
hcation at second class rates.
The requirement is made that where an article
is offered for sale In combination with tho sub
scrPton for newspaper periodical admitted
TO the second class the price or such article shall
be clearly stated I'm such publication, together with
the price OF the publication
The commission urgently recommends a new
weighing similar 10 that In progress but extended
TO embrace for the SIX months beginning on July /
A ofa
transported throughout the entire United States
class by class counting OF all pieces mail mat
ter, class BY class: weighing and counting COM
bined OF the individual pieces OF third. fourth and
second class matter. according TO its natural sub
division in such manner to show not merely
the average weight of piece OF such matter but
the average weight OF the Individual pieces
ing 10 the classification in respect OF character
and method OF handling: the ascertainment OF the
average haul Of all classes OF matter under each
subdivision Of these classes. and the ascertain
Inent Of the average load OF railway postoce cars
as well as the average load Of storage
URGES GENERAL INQUIRY
Continuing the report says:
This commission is in accord with the views OF
the Postmaster General that the whole business
system OF the postal service should be examined
ana LED & by set Of expert aGc0Gntans and
professions outside the department:
made through the agency Of Congress The com
mission realizes that this is task OF great magn
terests are at stake 1t involves first Of all the
II viii skOTy nvovo more 90 G tha1 thet
for the rate at which tho postal service is grow
penditure is $3.50 100000 or even $sOooo60O The OBJ
lect Of this inquiry is not temporary or PTOvis
enterprise known as tho postal service organized
trative basis II involves more than that
It involves the way in which the urden CT that
various classes and elements of me immense public
We recommend the scheme OF progressive reduc-
ton of compensation for mail carried I'm excess OF
five thousand pounds per day which is embodied in
weight in excess OF five thousand pounds. It
daily average weight or five thousand pounds for
the that do not believe that density of
that degree only permits sufficient economies in the
methods OF transportation justify lowered COM
pensaton. Where the daily weight, however is in
excess OF five thousand pounds. We think that the
be increasingly utilized. The scheme OF re-
duction which recommend is therefore progress
sive. beginning with per cent reduction be-
tween 5000 pounds and iS 600 pounds and increasing
10 per cent between as 900 and 5000 pounds and
thereafter at the reduced rate OF SIS ton mile
sal g. In Judgment 1000 pounds may be safely
taken the point whore the returns from the in
Increase in the mail handled simply duplica-
ton Of traffic, and the next $1,000 pounds cannot be
pounds 1t is estimated by the ofioials Of the rail-
way mail service that the total decrease in com
Inended Will be. for the fiscal year 1903. approx
mately sS.oOocoo.
DEFECTS IN PRESENT SYSTEM.
The commission points out that there four
cardinal defects in the present system Of charges
for second class matter. follows:
The difference between the second class rate ano
great, In other words, the second class rate is
Wholly dissmiiar services are performed for the
substantially similar services charged differ
The second class rate is probably too low. abso-