Nothing seems to have resulted from his recommendations, however. The inconveniences of the system led to calling the attention of Congress to the matter again in the Report of the Postmaster General, in 1873. He says:
"In my report for 1869, I had the honor to suggest a plan for the prepayment of postage on newspapers and other matter of the second class by weight of packages rather than by the present system, which requires the manipulation of each particular paper, and allows the payment of postage at either the mailing office, or the office of delivery. A careful revision of the subject confirms me in the opinion, that the postage on all such matter should be collected in advance at the mailing office. * * * No stamps are used for the payment of such postage; and the Department is compelled to accept in full satisfaction whatever sums of money postmasters choose to charge against themselves. So execrably bad is this system, that postal officers of high standing have estimated that not more than one-third of the postage properly chargeable on newspapers is accounted for and paid over. Furthermore, disputes are continually arising, as to whether the sheets they transmit, come within the meaning of the term newspapers. * * * I respectfully submit the following plan for the prepayment of postage on newspapers of the second class, and urge its adoption. Let all publishers, their business managers or agents, be required at the beginning of every quarter, to state under oath the number of papers of a certain name, they will send by mail during the quarter, and pay the postage thereon in advance. On the other hand, postmasters to make return of all newspapers, with particulars, mailed to regular subscribers. No stamps would be required. Every paper answering to the description would be forwarded. No manipulation of each paper would be required, and the saving to publishers in time and labor, would, it is thought, be greater than the amount paid for postage, while the saving to the Department, would justify a reduction of 40 per cent in the rates, on this class of matter. Periodicals to come under the same law."
The result of the deliberations upon this suggestion, was the passage by Congress of the following law:
XLIII Congress, Statute 1, Chapter 456, approved June 23rd, 1874, "Section 5. That on and after the first day of January, 1875, all newspapers and periodical publications mailed from a known office of publication or news agency and addressed to regular subscribers or news agents shall be charged the following rates:
On newspapers and periodical publications issued weekly and more frequently than once a week, two cents for each pound or fraction thereof, and on those issued less frequently than once a week three cents for each pound or fraction thereof, provided that nothing in this Act shall be held to change or amend Section 99 of the Act entitled: An Act to revise, consolidate and amend the statutes relating to the Post Office Department, approved June 8th, 1872.
Sec. 6. That on and after the first day of January, 1875, upon the receipt of such newspapers and periodical publications at the office of mailing, they shall be weighed in bulk, and postage paid thereon by a special adhesive stamp; to be devised and furnished by the Postmaster General, which shall be affixed to such matter or to the sack containing the same; or upon a memorandum of such mailing, or otherwise as the Postmaster General may from time to time provide by regulation, etc., etc."
The report of the Postmaster General also states Nov. 14th 1874, that being confined to these three modes of collecting this postage,
"It was deemed best to recommend the adoption of the system of prepayment by postage stamps 'affixed to a memorandum of mailing' or in other words, to a stub in a book retained by the postmaster at the mailing office; a receipt, showing the weight of matter and the amount paid, being given by the postmaster to the person mailing the same; the stamps affixed to the stub, to be cancelled by a cutting punch, thus preventing their reuse. * * * The Postmaster General having approved the recommendations, a series of stamps have been devised of twenty four denominations, by means of which any sum which is a multiple of either the two or three cent rate, from two cents to seventy-two dollars, can be made by the use of not more than five stamps."
In the report dated November 15th, 1875, we find the following observations and descriptions of this issue which will further explain the mode of using them, which seems to be little understood, except by publishers and post office officials.
"On the first day of January 1875, the new law, requiring prepayment of postage by stamps, on all newspapers and periodicals sent from a known office of publication, to regular subscribers through the mails, went into operation. The system inaugurated to carry the law into effect, was approved in October, 1874 and has been found by experience to be admirably adapted to the purposes for which it was devised. No complaints of abuses on the part of publishers or postmasters, have been received at this office during the nine months, that have elapsed since the law went into effect. Indeed, it has worked so well in all its details, and has given such general satisfaction, that the idea of returning to the old system, or materially modifying the new one, ought not to be entertained.