Postage

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Postage \Post"age\, n.
     The price established by law to be paid for the conveyance of
     a letter or other mailable matter by a public post.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Postage stamp}, a government stamp required to be put upon


        articles sent by mail in payment of the postage, esp. an
        adhesive stamp issued and sold for that purpose.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  postage
       n 1: the charge for mailing something
       2: a token that postal fees have been paid [syn: {postage stamp},
           {stamp}]

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  POSTAGE. The money charged by law for carrying letters, packets and 
  documents by mail. By act of congress of March 3, 1851, Minot's Statute at 
  Large, U. S. 587, it is enacted as follows: 
       2.-Sec. 1. That from and after the thirtieth day of June, eighteen 
  hundred and fifty-one, in lieu of the rates of postage now established by 
  law, there shall be charged the following rates, to with or every single 
  letter in manuscript, or paper of any kind, upon which information shall be 
  asked for, or communicated, in writing, or, by marks or signs, conveyed in 
  the mail for any distance between places within the United State's, not 
  exceeding three thousand miles, when the postage upon such letter shall have 
  been prepaid, three cents, and five cents when the postage thereon shall not 
  have been prepaid; and for any distance exceeding three thousand miles, 
  double those rates. For every such, single letter or paper when conveyed 
  wholly or in part by sea, and to or from a foreign country, for any distance 
  over twenty-five hundred miles, twenty cents, and for any distance under 
  twenty-five hundred miles, ten cents, (excepting, however, all cases where 
  such postages have been or shall be adjusted at different rates, by postal 
  treaty or convention already concluded or hereafter to be made;) and for a 
  double letter there shall be charged double the rates above specified; and 
  for a treble letter, treble those rates; and for a quadruple letter, 
  quadruple those rates; and every letter or parcel not exceeding half an 
  ounce in weight shall be deemed a single letter, and every additional weight 
  of half an ounce, or additional weight of less than half an ounce, shall be 
  charged with an additional single postage. And all drop letters, or letters 
  placed in any post office, not for transmission, but for delivery only, 
  shall be charged with postage at the rate of one cent each; and all letters 
  which shall hereafter be advertised as remaining over or uncalled for in any 
  post office, shall be charged with one cent in addition to the regular 
  postage, both to be accounted for as other postages are. 
       3.-Sec. 2. That all newspapers not exceeding three ounces in weight, 
  sent from the office of publication to actual and bona fide subscribers, 
  shall be charged with postage as follows, to wit: All newspapers published 
  weekly only, shall circulate in the mail free of postage within the county 
  where published, and that the postage on the regular numbers of a newspaper 
  published weekly, for any distance not exceeding fifty miles out of the 
  county where published, shall be five cents per quarter; for any distance 
  exceeding fifty miles and not exceeding three hundred miles, ten cents per 
  quarter; for any distance exceeding three hundred miles and not exceeding 
  one thousand miles, fifteen cents per quarter; for any distance exceeding 
  one thousand miles and not exceeding two thousand miles, twenty cents per 
  quarter; for any distance exceeding two thousand miles and not exceeding 
  four thousand miles, twenty-five cents per quarter; for any distance 
  exceeding four thousand miles, thirty cents per quarter; and all newspapers 
  published monthly, and sent to actual and bona fide subscribers, shall be 
  charged with one-fourth the foregoing rates; and on all such newspapers 
  published semi-monthly shall be charged with one-half the foregoing rates; 
  and papers published semi-weekly shall be charged double those rates; 
  triweekly, treble those rates; and oftener than tri-weekly, five times, 
  those rates. And there shall be charged upon every other newspaper, and each 
  circular not sealed, handbill, engraving, pamphlet, periodical, magazine, 
  book, and every other description of printed matter, which shall be 
  unconnected with any manuscript or written matter, and which it may be 
  lawful to transmit through the mail, of no greater weight than one ounce, 
  for any distance not exceeding five hundred miles, one cent; and for each 
  additional ounce or fraction of an ounce, one cent; for any distance 
  exceeding five hundred miles and not exceeding one thousand five hundred 
  miles, double those rates; for any distance, exceeding one thousand five 
  hundred miles and not exceeding two thousand five hundred miles, treble 
  those rates; for any distance exceeding two thousand five hundred miles and 
  not exceeding three thousand five hundred miles, four times those rates; for 
  any distance exceeding three thousand five hundred miles, five times those 
  rates. Subscribers to all periodicals shall be required to pay one quarter's 
  postage in advance, and in all such cases the postage shall be one-half the 
  foregoing rates. Bound books, and parcels of printed matter not weighing 
  over thirty-two ounces, shall be deemed mailable matter under the provisions 
  of this section. And the postage on all printed matter other than newspapers 
  and periodicals published at intervals not exceeding three months, and sent 
  from the office of publication, to actual and bona fide subscribers, to be 
  prepaid; and in ascertaining the weight of newspapers for the purpose of 
  determining the amount of postage chargeable thereon, they shall be weighed 
  when in a dry state, And whenever any printed matter on which the postage is 
  required by this section to be prepaid, shall, through the inattention of 
  postmasters or otherwise, be sent without prepayment, the same shall be 
  charged with double the amount of postage which would have been chargeable 
  thereon if the postage had been prepaid; but nothing in this act contained 
  shall subject to postage any matter which is exempted from the payment of 
  postage by any existing law, And the postmaster general, by and with the 
  advice and consent of the president of the United States, shall be, and he 
  hereby is, authorized to reduce or enlarge, from time to time, the rates of 
  postage upon all letters. and other mailable matter conveyed between the 
  United States and any foreign country for the purpose of making better 
  postal arrangements with other governments, or counteracting any adverse 
  measures affecting our postal intercourse with foreign countries, and 
  postmasters at the office of delivery are hereby authorized, and it shall be 
  their duty, to remove the wrappers and envelopes from all printed matter and 
  pamphlets not charged with letter postage, for the purpose of ascertaining 
  whether there is upon or connected with any such printed matter, or in such 
  package, any matter or thing which would authorize or require the charge of 
  a higher rate of postage thereon. And all publishers of pamphlets, 
  periodicals, magazines, and newspapers, which shall not exceed sixteen 
  ounces in weight, shall be allowed. to interchange their publications 
  reciprocally, free of postage: Provided, That such interchange shall be 
  confined to a single copy of each publication: And provided, also, That said 
  publishers may enclose in their publications the bills for subscriptions 
  thereto, without any additional charge for postage; And provided, further, 
  Thai in all cases where newspapers shall not contain over three hundred 
  square inches, they may be transmitted through the mails by the publishers 
  to bona fide subscribers, at one-fourth the rates fixed by this act. 
       5. By the act of March 3, 1845, providing for the transportation of the 
  mail between the United States and foreign countries, it is enacted by the 
  3d section, that the rates of postage to be charged and collected on all 
  letters, packages, newspapers, and pamphlets, or other printed matter, 
  between the ports of the United States and the ports of foreign governments 
  enumerated herein, transported in the United States mail under the 
  provisions of this act, shall be as follows: Upon all letters and packages 
  not exceeding one-half ounce in weight, between any of the ports of the 
  United States and the ports of England or France, or any other foreign port 
  not less than three thousand miles distant twenty-four cents, with the 
  inland postage of the United States added when sent through the United 
  States mail to or from the post office at a port of the United States; upon 
  letters and packets over one-half an ounce in weight, and not exceeding one 
  ounce, forty-eight cents; and for every additional half ounce or fraction of 
  an ounce, fifteen cents; upon all letters and packets not, exceeding one-
  half ounce, gent through the United States mail between the ports of the 
  United States and any of the West India islands, or islands in the Gulf of 
  Mexico, ten cents; and twenty cents upon letters and packets not exceeding 
  one ounce; and five cents for every additional half ounce or fraction of an 
  ounce; upon each newspaper, pamphlet, and price current, sent in the mail 
  between the United States and any of the ports and places above enumerated, 
  three cents, with inland United States postage added when the same is 
  transported to or from said port of the United States in the United States 
  mail.