Whereas the News-papers of the several Colonies on this Continent,
heretofore permitted to be sent by the Post free of Charge, are of late
years so much increased as to become extremely burthensome to the
Riders, who demand additional Salaries or Allowances from the Post
Office on that Account, and it is not reasonable that the Office which
receives no Benefit from the Carriage of News-papers, should be at any
Expence for such Carriage; and Whereas the Printers of News-papers
complain that they frequently receive orders for News-papers from
distant Post-Offices, which they comply with by sending the Papers
tho they know not the Persons to whom the Papers are to be directed,
and have no convenient Means of collecting the Money, so that much
of it is lost; and that for Want of due Notice when distant Subscribers
die, become Bankrupt, or remove out of the County, they continue
to send Papers some years directed to such Persons, whereby the Posts
are loaded with Many Papers to No Purpose, and the Loss so great to
the Printers, as that they cannot afford to make any Allowance to the
Riders for carrying the Papers; And whereas some of the Riders do,
and others may demand exorbitant Rates of Persons living on the Roads,
for carrying and delivering the Papers that do not go into Any Office,
but are delivered by the Riders themselves.
To remedy these Inconveniences, and yet not to discourage the Spreading of News-papers, which are on many Occasions useful to Government, and advantageous to Commerce, and to the Publick; You are, after the first Day of June Next, to deliver No News-paper at your Office (except the single Papers exchanged between Printer and Printer) but to such Persons only as do agree to pay you, for the Use of the Rider which brings such papers a small addition Consideration per Annum, for each Paper, over and above the Price of the Papers: that is to say, For any Distance not exceeding 50 miles, each Paper is carried, the Sum of 9d. Ster. per Annum, or an equivalent in Currency: For any Distance exceeding 50 miles, and not exceeding One Hundred Miles the Sum of One Shilling and Six Pence Ster. per Annum; and in the same proportion for every other Fifty Miles which such Paper shall be car- ried; which Money for the Rider or Riders, together with the Price of the Papers for the Printers, you are to receive and pay respectively once a Year at least, deducting for your Care and Trouble therein a Commission of Twenty per cent. And you are to send no Order to any Printer for Papers, except the Persons, to whom the Papers are to be sent, are in your Opinion responsible, and such as you will be account- able for. And you are to suffer no Rider employed or paid by you to receive more than the rates above for carrying any Papers by them de- livered on their respective Roads: Nor to carry and deliver any Papers but such as they will be accountable for to the Printers, in considera- tion of an Allowance of the same Commission as aforesaid for Collect- ing and paying the Money.
And as some of the Papers pass thro' the Hands of several Riders
