Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-03-18
WALHALIiA, 8. O.:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1s, 1908.
THE NEW POSTAL LAW.


on which the subscription price Is
not paid. Some seem to feel that
the ruling is scheme gotten up by
the newspapers to compel payment
OF subscriptions; on the other hand,
some newspapers have been liberal
in their denunciations of the rule as
injurious to their business However
that may be we are not prepared to
say, as TIE rulirs has not yet be-
come effective. After April 1st, the
date for the rule to become effective,
we can tell more about it. We do
not, however, see where it can work
a hardship either to the subscriber
or the newspaper The subscriber
pays for his paper. Chat is, the great
majority do), and 1t is only ques-
tion of paying for it as it comes due,
'or letting it run for years, then pay
ing four or five dollars at ID time. "
the new rule is complied with IL will,
we think, be more satisfactory all
around. 1t Is easy to pay for pa
per one year at time, and 1t is
hard sometimes, after running on
credit for years and years, to come
down with from $500 to $1,000.
That, too, is an injustice to the news
paper, and If practiced to a great
extent would swamp half the week.
lies in the State for the simple rea-
son that the newspapers cannot car
ry accounts year after year with their
supply houses except on q basis Of
paying interest on bills. 1t brings it
down to a simple proposition of the
newspaper paying cash for material,
supplies and labor and selling the
output on credit with no interest; or,
lacking cash, forces the newspaper
to borrow at interest and sell on
credit without interest Both Of the
propositions are totally lacking In
sound business principles, and either,
if practiced to a great extent, will
prove disastrous.
AS matter Of fact, we fail to sec
where there is any injustice in the
post office ruling.
The following statement Of facts
by TIL I'd Assistant Postmaster Gene
raj Lawshe, the author Of the new
regulations, may prove interesting to
many:
Certain pr'.li,;,t;ons which are
spread broadcast over the country
merely for the sake of getting the ad-
NertiSementS they contain before the
people practically will be driven out
OF business. Hundreds of periodicals
heretofore have been published whose
subscription lists were padded to the
utmost limit. 1t made no difference
to the publisher whether people paid
the subscription price of the periodi-
cal or not. The price was purely
nominal in most instances. The ad-
Vert.sers paid the freight so they
cay, and the government carried the
through the mails
Now the situation has been
changed. Hereafter the government
will not have the mails burdened
with enormous subsc. i;'tIun li.'ts that
are not genuine, or with sample
copies of this publication or that
which does not pay It's own way
through the mails During the
month of January nearly 20,O0O,OOC
less copies Of purely advertising pub
lications were carried in the mails
than were carried during the month
OF December before the new regula-
tions became effective. Heretofore
these publications have been trans
ported by the department az pound
rates, precisely as real newspapers.
"This constituted an abuse OF the
mail privilege that never was within
contemplation Of Congress when that
part OF the postal law was enacted.
The sending OF vast amounts of sec
ond class matter through the mails
does not increase the revenue OF the
department to any great extent, but
1T does increase tremendously the
expense and trouble. The sample
copy abuse has also been carried to
extremes.
at Is an absolute fact that some
publishers rarely, if ever, take q
name from their subscription lists
after it has been placed thereon, not
withstanding the fact that the sub
scription has expired and the sub
gscriber no longer wants the publica &.
fJon. These conditions are dealt with
In the regulations, and once they are
understood and conformed to by pub
lishers the result will be beneficial,
moi only to the gov ernment, but also
10 publishers and subscribers.
Heretofore the second-class mat
ter has amounted to nearly seventy
per cent of all the matter carried
through the malls, and yet has yield
ed less than five per cent Of the reve-
nues. Under the regulations this
proportion will be changed. / be-
1ieve the second class matter will
arount, when business is adjusted to
the new regulations TO not more than
fifty per cent Of the mail matter, and
that the revenues from this class
will show an appreciable increase"