The Western news., 1908-04-08
THE NEW POST
OFFICE RULE
COUNTRY NEWSPAPER PUBLISH
ERS OBJECT TO ITS
ENFORCEMENT.

WASHINGTON, April 2.-The order
of the postoffice department issued
December 4, 1907, requiring the pub
fishers of newspapers, magazines and
other periodicals to maintain a prac-
tically paidup subscription list in order
to entitle their publications to tie
privileges of second-class matter, has
stirred up quite good deal of appre
hension on the part of publishers of
country newspapers, whose custom it
is to extend unlimited credit to many
of their subscribers.
These apprehensions have been
called to the attention of the Third
Assistant Postmaster General A. l..
Lawshe, who disclaims any intention
on the part of the department to en-
barrass the publishers of legitimate
newspapers or magazines or of plac
Quoting their business or interfering
with it. He claims the primary object
of the order in question is to correct
two great abuses of the SecOnd-claSS
mailing privileges which have resulted
from the carrying of expired subscrip-
tions for indefinite periods and from
the old 100 per cent. sample-copy priv
ilege-that is for every copy of the
: paper sent to a subscriber the pub
: Usher under the old regulations was
allowed to mail sample copy at the
5 second-class postal rate of one cent
S per pound.
/ The essential feature of the new
S regulations, Mr. Lawshe states, fixes a
l. reasonable limit for the carrying of
r expired subscriptions and reduce the
n sample-copy privileges to 10 per cent
: of the mailing of publications to sub
l. scribers.
:, In Effect Now.
e The new regulations, when issued
= provided that they should go into eff
<. feet on January /, 1908; later it was
l. decided to postpone the date unit
t, April 1, 1908, and yesterday the de
partment put the regulations into
force
The rule in reference to the renewa
of subscriptions is as follows:
"a reasonable time will be allowed
n publishers to secure renewals of sub
scriptions. but unless subscriptions ar
renewed after the term for which the.
are paid, within the following periods
Dailies, within three months.
Semi mOnthlies, within thre
months.
Monthlies, within four months.
Weeklies. within six months.
Bimonthlies, within six months
ST Quarteries, within six months.
- Tri-weeklies, within six months.
Semi-weekles, within one year
"They shall not be counted II III
IL legitimate list Of subscribers. an
w copies mailed on account Thereof sha
as not b accnrted for mailing At the SCI
,d ond-class postage rate of one cent
rcun6, but may be mailed at the tran
u cent fer each four ounces or fracti2
s thereof, prepared by stamps affiXet
,r, The right of a publisher to eXton
oh credit for subscriptions to his public
r tion is not denied or questioned, BIT
his compliance or noncompliance wit
co the regulation will be taken into &c
Ci1 in Lotto oi,,i, hat ~
Sc publication is entitled to transmissic
Nv at the Second-class postage rates.
nv Mr.. Lawshe says of this rule that
in careful reading will disclose that
m does not require payments of Subscri
90 tions in advance as some have Inferre
be 1t merely provides that subscription
not expressly renewed" within a give
time, which varies according to II
frequency of issue of the publcatio
may not be counted in the 'legitima
list of publications" required by la
Where the publisher extends cred
upon the express request of the su
scriber for a definite priod of tin
combined with a promise to pay az
IN specified time, it will hold that cop
in fulfilment of such renewal can
continued to be sent as to subscribe
=, except in cases where it appears III
n+ the practice is not indulged inin go,
ill faith, but for the purpose of evasion
:es
lof Plenty of Trouble