The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-09
FRANK E. HOWE. Editor and Publisher
Pay In Advance or Get No Paper

little more shiftless than other bust
ness houses in making collections es-
pecially for subscriptions. One result
has been that cheap mail order pub
LEGATIONS have taken advantage of the
special low rate OF newspaper post
age and have flooded the mails with
papers sent to any and every address
that they could get hold Of Most If
these papers were never paid for. the
publishers getting their profit entire
ly from the advertisers.
This crowding of the mails with
more or less undesirable matter has
grown to be such an expense to the
postoffice department thar new regu-
lations governing newspaper and
periodical postage have been put in
to effect. The chief of these new
rules is that hereafter the cheap post
age rate of one cent per pound given
to newspapers will be allowed only for
papers paid for in advance In other
words subscribers in order to take
papers will have to pay in advance
each year.
On the whole we expect this new
rule will work some difficulty and
misunderstanding at first, bur that af-
ter it is thoroughly understood and in
force 1t will prove more pleasing and
satisfactory to both subscribers and
publishers.
1t will save the takers of news.
papers from having accounts ac
cumulate against them which some
times get so large as to make a
hard bill to pay, and it will give the
publishers their money to use when
they most need it and it will prevent
their getting stung by numerous
deadbeats who promise well but
never pay.
The gist of the departments ruling
is its decision that bona fide sub
scription list is a paid subscription
list, and the new regulations limit the
second-class privilege to publications
whose subscriptions are not long
overdue. 1t was found that many
papers were carrying subscribers who
were six. eight and ten dollars in ar
rears, and 1t was held by the depart
ment that these were of no legitimate
benefit to the paper itself. except to
give it fictitious circulation, while
they were a serious expense to the
government.
| The right of publisher to fix the
price of his publication. to club with
other papers or to offer premiums,
prizes or commissions for subscrip.
tons is not questioned by the depart
ment, although such methods will be
taken into account in deciding claims.
A reasonable time will be allowed pub
fishers to secure renewals of sub
scriptions, but unless they are re-
newed within certain specified periods.
the second-class privilege will be with
drawn and the publisher will be com
PEELED to pay the transient second.
class postage rate of one cent for
each four ounces or fraction thereof,
to be prepaid by stamps affixed The
periods specified by the department
are as follows: Dailies, within three
months; tri-weeklies, within six
months semi-weeklies, within nine
months weeklies, within one year;
semi-monthlies, within four months;
bi-monthlies, within six months; quar-
terlies. within six months.
OF course the postoffice department
at Washington cannot check up in
dividual subscription lists to learn
whether or not its regulations are be
ing violated, but postmasters in the
various cities and town will be re
CURED to study the character of the
newspaper circulation going through
their offices, and keep it within the
prescribed limits. This means, OF
course, radical trimming of good
many subscription lists; but the cor
respondence of the department al
ready indicates that comparatively
little trouble will be made by the news
papers and magazines. AS a rule
they have cheerfully accepted the new
Regulation and are revising their sub
scription lists accordingly.
The second important innovation
relates to the sample copy privilege
Heretofore publishers have been al
lowed to send out at the pound rat,
sample copies equal to one hundred
per cent of their paid circulation. Elk
perience has demonstrated, according
to Mr.. Lawshe, that with the dali,
and weekly newspapers this privileg,
1 has been availed of to the extent o
only 81 per cent of the regular cir
culation. With periodicals the figur,
Is 20 per cent, while publications O
all kinds have averaged only fou
per cent use of their second elias,
privilege. The new ruling allows tn,
publisher to mail as samples ten PEI
| cent of his regular circulation; ant
this privilege is cumulative. That 1,
to say, a weekly paper of 1000 cur
culation may send out a hundred
copies additional as samples eaci
week; or it may reserve the ten pei
cent privilege for year, II 1t chooses
thus allowing the issue of 5000 copie.