seems always to have enjoyed a lower rate of postage than the written
letter. Before the Revolution there was diversity of practice as regards
the rate of postage charged on newspapers. Some privileged papers paid
only 5 or 6 deniers the sheet, while others paid 8 deniers. All the
rates were purely arbitrary. When the Committee on Public Taxation of
the National Assembly considered the question of fixing the rate for
newspapers, they considered not only how to regularize the rate, but
also whether they could raise it. Viewed from the economic standpoint,
the rate was thought by some to be inadequate.[357] The Committee was
satisfied that not only would the new rates cover the cost of the
service, but that there would also be a slight profit, although they
felt it would not be proper, or even possible, to make that part of the
business of the Post Office a really lucrative source of revenue.[358]
The decree of 17-22 August 1791 established the rate of 8 deniers per
sheet for daily newspapers (and other daily publications), and 12
deniers per sheet for other periodical publications. Pamphlets or
unbound books were charged a sou the sheet. Bound books were not allowed
to pass by post. It is unlikely that these rates were remunerative. They
were modified several times during the next few years; but although the
modifications were in the direction of increase, the rates for
newspapers still compared very favourably with the rates for
letters.[359]
A law of 6 messidor, an IV (1795), established a rate of 5 centimes for
newspapers and other periodical publications delivered in the place of
publication, and 10 centimes for all other destinations; but this
discrimination was removed by the law of 4 thermidor, an IV, which
substituted a general rate of 4 centimes the sheet. An attempt was made
by the administration to raise the rates on newspapers and books. As
regards newspapers the proposal was, however, rejected by the Conseil
des Anciens.
In 1796 a new rate for newspapers and other periodical publications was
established, viz. 4 centimes for each sheet. For other printed matter
the rate was fixed at 5 centimes per sheet.[360] This law failed to
prescribe the limits of size of the sheets according to which postage
was to be charged, an omission supplied by an ordinance of the 5th March
1823, which fixed the dimension of the sheet at 24 centimetres by 38.
The newspapers interested tried to resist this restriction, contending
that the ordinance was illegal, because the laws of 1796 prescribed no
limit and the Government could not impose one by ordinance: for such a
purpose a new law was necessary.
The law of the 27 frimaire, an VIII (17th December 1799), had
established a scale of charges according to weight, and the rates were
fixed according to the distance actually traversed, under the
arrangements then existing. This restriction, which was unfortunate,
because the services existing during the Revolutionary period were not
of a character to serve as a basis for the future, was felt to be
onerous, and numerous complaints were lodged by communes which felt
themselves placed under a disadvantage.
In 1827 the rates were revised and placed on a more stable basis.[361]
The principle first established in 1791, of charge according to the
distance between two places reckoned as the crow flies, was
re-established; and a provision was inserted in the law to meet the
difficulty which had arisen as to the legality of the ordinance of 1823,
purporting to fix the size of the sheets on which the postage on printed
matter was calculated. Postage on newspapers and periodicals was made 5
centimes for each sheet of 30 square decimetres for all destinations;
but the charge was reduced by one-half for newspapers and periodicals
circulated within the department where they were published, the reduced
rate being established with the view of protection of the country Press,
whose subscribers were in general local, against the competition of the
Parisian Press. In 1830 the rate of 5 centimes the sheet for newspapers
and other periodical publications was reduced to 4 centimes. The rates
of 1827 remained otherwise unchanged.
In 1850 the newspaper tax and the postage were assimilated--that is to
say, newspapers were subjected only to one tax, and payment of that tax
secured the right of transmission by post. The tax was at the rate of 5
centimes per sheet of 72 square decimetres or less for newspapers
published in the departments of Seine and Seine-et-Oise, and 2 centimes
for those published elsewhere. All newspapers on which a tax of 5
centimes was paid, were entitled to free transmission by post throughout
France. Those on which a tax of 2 centimes was paid, were entitled to
free transmission by post within the department in which they were
published and the adjoining departments. In order to obtain transmission
by post throughout France, an additional sum of 3 centimes per paper
must be paid on these latter newspapers.[362] The Minister of Justice,
in introducing the measure in the National Assembly, explained that it
would serve a double purpose: on the one hand it would give an increase
of revenue of some six millions a year; and on the other it would
safeguard society against detestable doctrines, because it would fall
specially on those evil newspapers and books[363] which were circulated
at a low price in town and country, propagating prejudices and error,
exciting the passions and corrupting the conscience of the public.[364]
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1852, desirous that there should be no
obstacle in the way of his ultimate assumption of absolute power and the
Imperial crown, issued a decree further restricting the Press in France.
The publication of newspapers or periodicals dealing with political or
economic questions, unless authorized by the Government, was forbidden;
and the rates of postage in force prior to the law of 1850 were imposed
on newspapers, in addition to the tax imposed by that law.[365] The same
principles led to the discrimination introduced in 1856 between
political and non-political papers. The former were subjected to a
higher rate of postage than newspapers of a non-political character,
because the Government felt it to be necessary that there should be some
moderating influence to check the effect of political journals in times
of intense political excitement, and adopted this expedient.[366]
The rates for printed matter had for a long period caused considerable
confusion, and given rise to many complaints from members of the public.
They were still determined according to the linear surface of the
sheets, a method which was found to cause considerable embarrassment and
difficulty in its practical application. To all other classes of postal
traffic the more logical and more convenient principle of charge
according to weight had already been applied, and in 1856 this
principle was applied also to printed matter of all descriptions. Weight
was made the basis of the charge, without reference to superficies or to
distance, except that for political reasons the privilege of half-rates
for newspapers circulating in the department in which they were
published was continued.[367] The reduction of the actual rates made by
this law was slight, and was estimated not to have any appreciable
effect on the total revenue. In any case the question was "regarded less
from the financial point of view than from the point of view of the
satisfaction which it would give to the needs of commerce and industry
and of private intercourse in general."[368] The new rate was 1 centime
for each 10 grammes, with a minimum of 4 centimes for political, and 2
centimes for non-political newspapers.
This reduction of rate, together with the reduction for other printed
matter, for samples, and for commercial papers, resulted in a large
increase in the number of bulky packets sent by post. In order to ensure
prompt delivery, it was found necessary in Paris to separate to some
extent the letter-post traffic from the traffic sent at the lower rates,
and the principle of providing a separate staff of postmen for the
delivery of newspapers, magazines, samples, etc., was introduced.[369]
The application of this principle has since been extended, and the two
kinds of traffic are now dealt with in Paris altogether separately, by
separate staffs of officers.
The newspaper rates were next revised in 1878. The discrimination
between political and non-political newspapers was abolished, but the
privilege accorded to local newspapers was continued. The new rates
were:--
1. Two centimes for the first 25 grammes and 1 centime for each
further 25 grammes or fraction of 25 grammes for newspapers
published in the departments of Seine and Seine-et-Oise and
circulating outside the department where published; and for
newspapers published in other departments and circulating outside
the department where published and the adjacent departments.
2. One centime for the first 25 grammes and 1/2 centime for each
additional 25 grammes or fraction of 25 grammes for newspapers
published in the departments of Seine or Seine-et-Oise and
circulating within the department where published.
3. One centime for the first 50 grammes and 1/2 centime for each
additional 25 grammes or fraction of 25 grammes for provincial
papers other than those of Seine and Seine-et-Oise, circulating
within the department where published or adjacent departments.
The existing rate for inland newspapers, which is based on the law of
the 16th April 1895, is as follows:--
Two centimes for each copy up to 50 grammes, and 1 centime for each
25 grammes or fraction of 25 grammes above 50 grammes.
Only half these rates is charged when the papers circulate within the
department in which they are published or the adjacent department.
In 1908[370] the rates in respect of newspapers sorted and bundled
according to the offices of destination and the post routes, were
reduced to 1 centime for the first 50 grammes and 1 centime for each
additional 25 grammes or fraction of 25 grammes--half this rate being
charged for papers circulating within the department of publication or
the adjacent departments.
The value of a centime is roughly one-tenth of a penny. It is hardly
necessary, therefore, to point out that these rates are divorced
entirely from economic considerations, and are to be explained only on
political and administrative grounds.[371] It has been estimated that
in 1895 the loss on printed matter of all kinds was 36 million francs.
In France, as in other countries, the privilege of transmitting
periodical publications at a specially low rate of postage was much
availed of for the transmission of advertising matter, of publications
which were essentially of the character of catalogues or prospectuses
rather than newspapers properly speaking. A law of 1908,[372] passed
with a view, among other things, of minimizing this abuse of the
privilege, restricted the application of the reduced rate to
publications issued not less frequently than once a month. The new
regulation had good results, restricting, as was desired, the number of
periodical publications not legitimately entitled to the privilege. It
had also a result which was regarded by Parliament as undesirable: it
shut out from the privilege the numerous quarterly journals of
scientific and learned societies.[373]
By the same law the minimum rate of postage for small packets of printed
matter sent under loose band, the _imprim['e]s non urgent_, was raised from
1 centime to 2 centimes. The result of this was a little unsatisfactory.
In order to evade the higher charge, advertisers took to printing in
newspapers, circulating at 1 centime, announcements formerly sent out
separately as loose leaflets, a man[oe]uvre which struck doubly: not
only was the legitimate rate of postage evaded, but instead of dealing
with the matter as non-urgent at its convenience, the Post Office was
obliged to treat it in the same way as all other newspaper matter--that
is, to give it the benefit of equal treatment with matter sent at the
letter rate.
NOTE ON SUPPLEMENTS.
A decree of the 24th November 1860 gave to the two Chambers the
constitutional right of discussing the policy of the Government at home
and abroad, and as a natural corollary of this it was desired to secure
the untrammelled publication and distribution of reports of the debates.
This was attained by exempting from postage the supplements of journals
when they were devoted entirely to the reproduction of the official
reports of the proceedings of the Chambers, the _motifs des projets de
lois_, reports of parliamentary commissions, or official documents
deposited by the Government at the office of the Chambers.
The Press law of the 11th May 1868 extended the exemption to supplements
devoted to the extent of one half to the publication of reports of
parliamentary debates or documents, but only on condition that the
supplements contained no advertisements. The privilege was continued by
the law of 1878.[374] In order to obtain the privilege the supplements
must be printed on sheets detached from the main publication, but they
must be enclosed with the publication. They must not exceed in size that
part of the paper subject to postage, and if sent separately, they are
liable to postage at the ordinary rate. In 1869 the official reports of
parliamentary debates were exempted from postage when sent by the
printer to the editors of country papers, or by those editors to their
subscribers, if enclosed with the local paper.
M. Jaccottey's view is that in order to conform to the spirit of the
law, the rate for periodicals ought to be confined to newspapers and
other periodical publications devoted to letters, science, and arts; and
that it is an abuse of the privilege that commercial advertising should
avail itself of the privilege by, say, publishing at regular intervals
successive editions of library catalogues, or by borrowing the titles
of illustrated journals, their outside covers, and the methods of
distribution, and inserting in them prospectuses which are not of the
nature of periodicals.[375]
Ordinary supplements may be enclosed in newspapers. They are weighed
with the paper, and postage is charged according to the total weight. If
sent separately, they are regarded as a number of the paper, and postage
is charged accordingly. In order to obtain the benefit of the privileged
rate, all supplements must bear printed indication of the fact that they
are supplements, and must bear the title and date of the main
paper.[376]
These definitions were amplified by the administration in 1896 by an
instruction (No. 468) which provided that detached advertisement sheets
of any sort, issued exceptionally (feuilletons, fiction, stop press
news, late articles, pictures, artistic engravings, or others), which
are the genuine production of the publication, whatever the size and
shape or pagination, ought to be regarded as fulfilling the conditions
prescribed by law for supplements and to be admitted to the privilege of
the reduced rate.
* * * * *
NEWSPAPER POST IN GERMANY
From the time of their first publication in Germany, newspapers have
been distributed through the post. Little is known of the precise
arrangements under which they were at first transmitted, but there is no
doubt that they were accorded privileged conditions as compared with
ordinary letters. The postmasters were themselves largely interested in
the publication of newspapers.[377] By 1712 the conduct of newspaper
businesses by postmasters had become recognized as a common and
long-established arrangement.[378]
The distribution of the newspapers was largely made through the post,
and a rate of charge, built up of two elements, came into existence. The
first element was the "discount" (_der Rabatt_). This was a payment made
by the publisher to the postmaster as remuneration for the work of the
latter in connection with the posting and despatch of the papers and the
collection of subscriptions. This discount was arranged between the
postmaster and the publisher, and generally took the form of a fixed
percentage proportion of the published price (_Erlasspreis_). The second
element was the "percentage" (_die Provision_). This was in addition to
the published price. It was collected from the addressee, and belonged
partly to the postmaster at the place of destination and partly to the
postmaster at the place of publication.[379] The rates were fixed by the
postmasters at their discretion, and gross irregularities and anomalies
in the rates resulted. Public complaint arose, and it was found
necessary for the State to assume control of the traffic and fix
definite rates of charge. This course was first adopted in Prussia in
1821, when the following rates were established[380]:--
4 pf. for each whole sheet of the primary publication (_Hauptblattes_)
2-1/2 pf. " half " " " "
1-1/2 pf. " quarter " " " "
1-1/2 pf. " whole " supplement
1 pf. " half " "
This method of charge did not, however, prove altogether satisfactory,
because the term "sheet" was not defined with any degree of precision.
It was thought that a better basis for the rate might be found in the
price at which the newspapers were sold to the public, because, it was
argued, the price must stand in exact proportion to the number and size
of the copies, and also to their real value. Accordingly, in 1848 the
rate was fixed generally at 25 per cent. of the published price.[381] At
a somewhat later date this rate was reduced to 12-1/2 per cent. of the
published price in the case of newspapers appearing less frequently than
four times a month.[382] In 1871 the minimum yearly rate payable in
respect of any newspaper was fixed at 4 sgr.[383]
The application of this tariff resulted in many cases in considerable
discrepancies between the amount charged and the service rendered. The
improvements in the manufacture of paper and in the methods of printing,
particularly the introduction of the rotary press, had cheapened the
processes of production, and led to a great expansion of the newspaper
trade. With this expansion came a more than proportionate expansion of
the business of advertising. The result was that, as in England and
America, the newspapers increased in bulk; but so far from there being
a corresponding increase in price, there was in point of fact a very
considerable decrease. Moreover, advertisements became a more important
source of revenue than the subscriptions themselves. A rate of charge
based on the selling price, which might have been reasonable when
newspapers were produced under the old conditions, was totally
inapplicable under the altered circumstances.[384]
The financial results proved extremely unsatisfactory. From the causes
indicated, the average weight of the individual copies of newspapers
continued to increase, while at the same time the price (and with the
price, the postage) continued to decrease.
In 1897 the administration of the Imperial Post Office estimated that
the total cost of the transmission of newspapers by post in Germany, for
staff, post offices, transport, equipment, etc., was 6,178,362 M., or
about 66/100 pf. per copy.[385] The number of newspapers transmitted by
post in Germany was at that time about a thousand millions annually, and
the total postage received in respect of them was less than 5 million
M., or on the average about 1/2 pf. per copy;[386] in the case of a
number of papers the postage was as little as 1/12 pf. per copy.[387]
The annual loss to the administration on account of the newspaper
traffic was therefore on the average 16/100 pf. per copy, or a total of
about 1,600,000 M. a year.
For many years the question was before the Budget Commission of the
Reichstag, and a change soon followed the publication of this estimate.
New rates, based on entirely new principles, were established in 1899.
When the Act establishing the new rates was in preparation, the Imperial
Post Office administration based their proposals mainly on the principle
that the charges should cover the cost of the service rendered.[388] The
original proposals to the Reichstag were accordingly calculated to
secure an increased revenue of 1-1/4 million M. The Budget Commission,
however, so modified the proposals as to reduce this amount to 300,000
M., and further modifications were made in the Reichstag itself, with
the result that under the new rates the administration was left to work
with an even greater loss than formerly.[389]
The large publications of the great cities, supported as they were to a
large extent by the advertisements they carried, had obtained a wide
circulation, to the prejudice of the provincial Press.[390] With a view
to affording some measure of protection to the provincial Press as
against the Press of the large cities, proposals were made in the
Reichstag for the adoption of a zone rate for newspapers on the ground
that the cost to the Post Office for distributing newspapers at great
distances was appreciably greater than the cost of distribution in the
case of newspapers sent short distances only, and that a zone rate would
therefore be just.[391] The authorities were not, however, prepared to
adopt this proposal, which they characterized as retrograde and
unnecessary.[392] They considered that if the rate were raised for the
longer distances the traffic would be taken away from the Post Office by
private enterprise, and if the rate for the shorter distances were
further lowered, the revenue from newspapers would be still further, and
undesirably, reduced.
The new scheme of rates of 1899 was based on three considerations: the
length of time covered by the subscription, the frequency of issue, and
the weight of the newspaper; and the rates were reckoned in the
following way:--
(_a_) Two pf. for each month of sending.
(_b_) 15 pf. yearly for papers appearing once weekly or less
frequently, and 15 pf. yearly more for each further publication
weekly.
(_c_) 10 pf. yearly for each kilogramme of the yearly weight,
subject to a free weight of 1 kilogramme yearly for each of so many
editions as the rate (_b_) is applied to.[393]
The weight for any year was to be fixed according to the actual weight
of the numbers of the paper during the previous year, and for new
publications the rate was to be applied quarterly on the basis of the
weight of such numbers as had appeared. The publisher was required to
deposit with the Post Office a complete copy of each issue for the
purpose of calculating the weight charge.
Financially, the result of the rates has been unsatisfactory; the
amendments of the proposals of the postal administration which were made
by the Reichstag could hardly have had any other effect. From the year
1871 to the year 1902 the increase in the number of newspapers was 508
per cent. (1871, 202-4/5 millions; 1902, 1,157 millions), but the
increase in newspaper postage was only about 378 per cent. (1,760,326 M.
in 1871 and 6,659,735 M. in 1902); and if the cost of the service
remained approximately the same as in 1897, which there is little reason
to doubt, the loss to the administration was about a million Marks.
In the case of a number of papers a higher rate of postage became
payable; but in the case of some of the expensive illustrated and
scientific publications the new rate represented a considerable
reduction. Thus, in one case, the rate became 2 M. 9 pf. instead of 96
pf. yearly, while in another the rate was reduced from 7 M. 20 pf. to 50
pf. yearly.[394]
But the reduction of rate did not represent the whole disadvantage. The
greater part of the issue of illustrated and scientific journals and
trade papers had formerly been distributed through the ordinary channels
of the publishing trade. Now that the postage rates were in many cases
so largely reduced, it became cheaper in those cases to distribute a
larger number by post, and this course was naturally adopted. Increase
in the number sent by post in such circumstances simply resulted in
increased financial loss.