Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-04-18
MUST STAMP
The ENVELOPE
POST CARD AGITATION CALLS
FORTH RULING FROM POST.
MASTER GENERAL.
HUNDREDS ARE LOST
Transparent Envelopes Cause Many
Cards to be Thrown Out
Mica, Tinsel, Etc, Make En-
closing Necessary.

Owing to the great amount of agita-
tion that has been going on for some
time past regarding post cards and
the regular government postal cards,
Postmaster F. w. Wilson has in order
to acquaint the public with the postal
requirements given out the following
instructions from the postmaster gen
eral for the proper mailing of these
cards that have become so great n
factor in the postal service:
Rules Noted.
In order to afford users Of govern
ment postal cards substantially the
same privileges accorded users of
post cards, section 416 Of the Postal
Laws and regulations is hereby
amended to read as follows, and post
al cards in conformity with paragraph
(a) will be issued by the depart
ment:
Sec. 416. Postal cards issued by
the postoff1ce department may bear
written, printed or other additions as
follows:
"(a) The face of the card may be
divided by vertical line placed ap-
proximately one-third of the distance
from the left end of the card; the
space to the left of the line to be
used for message, etc, but the space
to the right for the address only.
"(b) Addresses upon postal cards
may be either written, printed,
or affixed thereto, at the option of the
sender. (Act of July IL, 1876, ch. 179,
Supp. 110.)
"(c) Very thin sheets of paper
may be attached to the card on con-
dition that they completely adhere
thereto. Such sheets may bear both
writing and printing.
"(d) Advertisements, illustrations
or writing may appear on the back of
the card and on the left third of the
face.
"2. The addition to postal card of
matter other than as above authorized
will subject the card, when sent in the
mails, to postage according to the
character Of the message-at the let
ter rate If wholly or partly in writing
or the third class rate if entirely in
print. In either case the postage
value of the stamp impressed upon the
card will not be impaired.
"3. Postal cards must be treated IN
all respects as sealed letters, except
| that when undeliverable., to, the ad-
dresses they may not be returned to
the sender. (See secs. SAB and 67s.l
a. Postal cards bearing particles
of glass, metal, mica, sand, tinsel, or
other similar substances, are unmail-
able, except when inclosed in en-
velopes with proper postage attached,
or when treated in such manner as
will prevent the Objectionable sub
c a P,.Ny
juring persons handling the mails"
This order took effect August l.,
1907:
the foregoing regarding cards con-
taining particles Of glass, MICA metal,
sand, tinsel, etc., many cards are
daily disqualified by the postoff1ce
authorities because this section is dis
regarded by many sending cards.
There are some, too, who to overcome
the objections of this section mail
their cards in a transparent envelope
in which circular hole has been cut
out over the stamp which is affixed
to the card.
Stamp the Envelope.
This has been the means of dis
qualifying hundreds of cards as it S
essential that the stamp, when the
card is enclosed in one Of the enve-
lopes of this kind, must be affixed to
the stamp and not the card. 1t is also
necessary when card is enclosed
whether sealed or not in an envelope
of any kind that two cent stamp be
affixed to the envelope the same as
regular mail matter. If, however,
there be no writing on the card but
the address, and it be placed in 4
transparent envelope with stamp on
the envelope, it may be sent for one
cent. The objection to mica, glass.
tinsel and such other materials is
due to the danger Of poisoning from
the handling of such cards by post
office employees.
AS a result of numerous complaints
of postal and post cards being defaced
by postmarking, the postmaster gem
eral has ordered discontinuance .,f
postmarking cards at the office ad.
dress except the cancellation of the
stamp. The postal card fad has reach
ed enormous proportions and the new
ruling is expected by postal officials
to be received with delight by thou
sands Of collectors.
Such move had been contemplated
for some time. AS result of the rul-
ing there will be less work for the
postal clerks. In the future when the
cards are received all that will remain
to do is deliver them, as 1t will not be
necessary to run them through the
stamping machine. However, the new
plan will have bad feature. Here
after there will be no record of when
the card is received. and some times
this is very important, but on souvenir
cards the date of its reception is not
regarded as material in most cases
Wilson and George Stockmen spent
Saturday at Ft. Madison.
The West Point baseball team Voc