Year: 1874

THE POSTAGE ON NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS TO


RE PREPAID IN BULK-A BENEFICIAL EFFECT EX-


PECTED.


The law passed at the last session OF Con-
gress providing for the prepayment at the mailing
office OF all newspapers and periodicals sent Dy puosh-
ers to subscribers will 90 into effect on jan IL Is
anticipated by the postal authorities that 1t viii nave
marked and beneficial effect upon the revenues Oh the
Department by securing the collection OF very large
amount OF postage which, owing TO the complicated and
defective nature OF the present laws and regulations on
that subject has not been collected The new law VIII
work thorough and radical change in the system IN
two important respects a. In providing for the pre-
payment OF postage on newspapers and perlodicaiS
according to weight in bulk instead Of rating each
newspaper or magazine according to its specific weight
and (2) in requiring the prepayment OF the post
age 10 the postmaster at the Office OF dc
pos and at the time of deposit instead OF leaving such
TO bemade quarterlyteher at the office Of
deposit OF the Office OF delivery as at present.


The general regulations for the guidance OF postmas
ters in respect TO the method OF collection aud the Keep
ing OF the records and accounts under the new system
are now IN course OF preparation IN tne DEson S e VI
vision OF Gen L. W BaroeI, Third Assistant Postmas
terGenera ana WIN oe ssuet IL M ~ 'o thev ~
viii involve. At the New York office Postmaster James
and his assistants are busily engaged III arrange
ments for promptly meeting the demands which
the contemplated change Will make upon then. Inc
nan of PROPOSED operations is as follows: AS each ed
tion of newspaper or magazine arrives from the publ
cation Office C Will be weighed by clerks detailed for
The purpose f required in the OF the messen


ger or representative OF the puDsher the proper tare
allowed for sacks in which the publications are n-
closed and postage paid the net weight at the rate
Of cents per pound for newspapers and cents per
pound for magazines. numbered receipt naming the
weight and OF postage paid Will be given to the
messenger and the stub the receipt book, which
Will bear a corresponding number, Will be entered the
same items OF weight and amount paid. To
this stuD will be affixed stamps, specially designed
for this use and known as postage receipt stamps,
representing a value equivalent to the sum paid for
postage In each case These stamps Will be affixed by
the Post Office officials aud Cancelled by them at the


time of USE and, with the stubs, will be cent 70 the
PosOco Department the close OF each quarter. with
the POstmasters accounts. As the stamps will be fur
nished aud charged to all Postmasters at their face
value It will be that those thus Cancelled and re-
turned Will checks and vouchers OF the
amount received for newspaper postage during eaca
quarter They he used only In the manner described
above being yalueess for prepayment OF postage wnen
attached mail matter, and their use Is confined TO
POsmasters, they offer temptation TO cOunterfeters


AS the weight OF the newspapers received daily from
publishers for mailing at the New York office IS about
tuns the receipts from that source alone Will be more
than $4,000 per day and nearly s5i60O per year. The
last report the POstmasteTGenerd to Congress shows
that the total receipts of newspaper and pamphlet post
age throughout tue entire country for e year ending
June 3O 1873 only s07299S 49, AS NewYork alone
will collect over onethrd Of that sum annually, under
the system there would to DO every reason TO
look for heavy addition on the credit side OF the
next financial exhibit of the PostOihce Department.