THE NEWSPAPER IN AMERICA.

Southland Times, Issue 1136, 5 April 1869, Page 2

THE NEWSPAPER IN AMERICA.

(American Correspondent of the* Times.') The newspaper in America is regarded as a useful and necessary institution, and one which it is as • much the duty of the Go f eminent and people to support as the public school system, or any other of the many indispensable things that the community carries on for its benefit. This usefulness of the newspaper is recognised by the G-overnment in every way. Every law passed by the Federal Congress is re. quired to be published in a certain num. ber of newspapers in every state in the Union ; the same is the case with every treaty ratified, with every Presidential proclamation, and with other official acts of our rulers. Nothing can be bought or sold by G-overnment without advertisement duly made. In these ways millions of dollars are distributed over the country among the newspaper profession. When Congress, at the close of the war, lessened the heavy taxation upon the people, the first tax removed was the inland duty upon advertisements, and the importance of the newspaper business was recognised by exempting it from restriction. But the G-overn-ment even goes further than this, and holds it to be its duty actually to facilitate the newspaper circulation. Every advantage that can be apked in the way of postal facilities is extended to newspaper circulation. The "exchange papers " iv every newspaper-office are an important source of information, and there are few American editors who do not exchange their paper with several hundred contemporaries. By law the Post-office department carries all these exchange papers free of cost, either^ to sender or receiver. The San Francisco publisher drops his journal daily, into the post-office at that city ; and it is carried 3000 miles to Philadelphia; the Philadelphia publisher receives it, and in turn sends his paper to San Francisco. Not a penny is paid for this service, yet it goea on between the many newspaper offices of the country, and tons of mail-matter are carried in this way at the public cost. The Post Office does even more, for it gives each publisher a post-office box on its premises to receive his hundreds of exchanges daily, to be his exclusive property so long as thus used, and this, too, without any pay. 1000 dols a year from each would scarcely pay for the service thus done for every newspaper in tha country, and done voluntarily and gladly by the Government. The Post Office does much more than this, for it considers it to be the wisest policy to benefit, the subscribers as well as the publishers of newspapers. The newspaper mails are carried with the same speed and care as the letter mails, but at a much lower rate. Letter postage from any part of the United States to any other, provided the distance be not more' than 3000 miles, is at the rate of three cents for a halfounce. Newspaper postage for^ the same distance is but two cents a single rate, and this single rate is anything less than four ozs., so that the sender may put half a dozen newspapers in one package, provided it does not weigh over four ounces, and still pay only two cents, postage for it. Besides this, the Post Office grants a commutation to regular newspaper subscribers. The subscriber to a daily newspaper would have to pay at the regular rate two cents, postage a day, but by merely exhibiting a receipt from the publisher showing him to be a subscriber, he is entitled to the commutation, and pays 30c. in advance for three months, at the Post Office where lie receives his paper. For Idol. 20c. a year, therefore, be can get through the post his 310 daily newspapers that otherwise would have cost over six dollars postage. These advantages are extended to all publications— daily, weekly, or monthly. The publishers of weekly papers have an additional advantage, as they can send by mail, free of charge for postage, one copy of their paper each week to any subscriber within the county where the paper is published. These are actual encouragements to the public to subscribe, and they are granted by the Government in order to assist a business which is thought to be of incalculable benefit to the country. Books, authors' MSS., proof sheets, &c, are also carried by mail at much less than the regular rates, and for the Bime reason. The railway, steamboat, express, and telegraph companies, . also, for the same cause, grant facilities for the gathering of news and the circulation of newspapers not enjoyed by the general public. While all the transportation' lines give every facility for the carriage of nowspaper bundles from the cities to rural newsmen and agents, they rarely thiuk of charging anything for the service, mid the telegraph companies, recognising the newspapers as among . their best customers, transmit their news messages at from one-third to one-half ; the ordinary rates. This, too, is done in ; „ order to facilitate the operations of an-,-. important business.