Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-02-15
LESS DEMAND FOR PAPERIcITy COUNCIL MEETING
Fake Publications Get Blow
From Washington.
REGULATIONS IN ?. o. DEPT,
Uncle sam Getting Tired Of Carrying
Purely Advertising Matter At !
Loss.

Loss.
Washington, 3. G., February San
imense reduction in the demand for
print paper is one Of the postal regu-
la4ions adopted b. the postofFice de
pertinent with the idea of correcting
ssrsous abuses Of the seconiclass
Taa'l ling privilege.
Third Assistant Postmaster General
A. L. Lawson. who instituted the new
regulations which became effective
little more than a month ago, is In
sistent in declaring that the order
will not affect any legitimate publ
cation It is certain. on the other
hand, that the publications which are
spread broadcast over the country
merely for the sake of getting the adj
refreshments 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 periodical or
not. The price was purely nominal in
most instances. The advertisers paid
the freight, so to say. and the gov
eminent carried the fake publications
practically free through the mails.
Now the situation has been changed
Hereafter. the government win not
have the mails burdened with enor
nous subscription lists that are not
genuine or with sample copies of this
publication or that which does not pay
its own way through the mails.
An official of the postoffice depart
ment who has done some figuring on
the matter, says that during the
month of January nearly 100000
less copies of purely advertising pub
locations were carried in the mails
than were carried during the month
of December, before the new 'egula-
these publications have been transpor-
ted by the postoffice department at
pound rates. precisely as are rear
newspapers.
@7This constituted an abuse OF the
mail privilege. said Mr.. Lawshe,
''that never was within the -ontem-
.1.4:~.- - ,rr,,,.x.1.e.c -,-to,, +bat ,>art of
the postal law was enacted. The
sending of vast amounts of second
class matter through the mails does
not increase the revenues of the de-
partment to any great extent, but It
does increase tremendously the ex-
pense and trouble The sample
copy abuse also has been carried to
an extreme. 1t is an absolute fact
that some publishers rarely If ever
take a name from their subscription
books after it mas been placed there
on, Notwithstanding the fact that the
subscription has expired and the sub
scriber no longer wants the pablica-
JIO0. lneSt Cu0uliiOllS are utdit WIN
in the regulations and, once they are
under stood and conformed to by pub
fishers. the result will be beneficial
not only to the government, but also
to publishers.
Heretofore, the second class mat
ter has amounted to nearly seventy
per cent of all the matter carriedl
through the mails, and yet has yield
ed less than five per 'ent of the rev
enues Under the new regulations
this proportion will be changed.
believe the second class matter will
amount, when business is adjusted to
the regulations to not more than fifty.
per cent OF the mail matter AID that
the revenues from this class will show
an appreciate increase
1t is not unlikely too, 1t has been
pointed ont, that the serious shortage
in print paper and consequent in
creased price. may be affected to pub
fishers advantage by the decreased
demand for paper.