DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

WASHINGTON,

January 15, 1897.

The Director

of the Geological Survey.

Sir:

Your letter of the 9th instant has been received enclosing
a printed copy of an article written by Dr. George F. Becker, an
employe of the Survey, and published in the Journal of Geology, re-
garding his recent investigation of the gold resources of Alaska.
You request to be advised as to whether it is permissible for the
author to send printed copies of such article to whomsoever he de-
sires by mail under the Government frank.

In response thereto I have to state that Section 5 of the Act
of Congress, approved March 3, 1877 (19 Stats. 335) governing the
transmitting of matter through the mail free of postage, provides -

"That it shall be lawful to transmit through the mail free of
postage any letters, packages or other matters RELATING EXCLUSIVELY
TO THE BUSINESS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES: provided
that every such letter or package to entitle it to pass free
shall bear over the words "official business" an endorsement
showing also the name of the Department, and, if from a bureau or
office the names of the bureau or office, as the case may be,
whence transmitted. And if any person shall make use of any such
official envelope to avoid the payment of postage on his private
letter, package, or other matter in the mail, the person so
offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and subject to
a fine of three hundred dollars, to be prosecuted in any court of
competent jurisdiction."

From your statement of the case it would appear that the
article which Dr. Becker desires to mail free of postage is a per-
sonal matter with him and does not relate to the business of the
Government, and he cannot therefore send the same through the mails
free. The Survey, however, if it so desires in response to in-
quiries requesting information regarding gold deposits in Alaska,
can send copies of Dr. Becker's article as part of an official
response to such communications.