First and Third Class

First and Third Class

Mail Defined by P.O.

At times during the year when thank-you notes and other remembrances are especially in order, parents call the post office and are surprised and offended to learn that handwritten items require first-class postage. Their argument usually is that the Postal Service discriminates against initiative and creative effort by requiring a higher rate of postage on items wrifr ten by children than by materials machine-produced by mailers in large volume.

It seems strange that a piece of third-class advertising matter will be accepted with' less postage than the carefully contrived letter of some child who wants to remember a parent or other relative on a special occasion. But there is an explanation if one considers the matter at length. The basic reason for charging more for handwritten items is that matter of this type is classified as firstclass. Postal regulations provide that all matter wholly or partly in writing, except authorized additions to second, third, or fourth-class matter, is considered to be first-class mail. Also, first-class mail is entitled to more expeditious handling and may be forwarded or returned. (

The general rule governing what rate of postage is appropriate as between first and third-class is that handwritten items require the first-class rate of postage and machine processed or printed matter calls for the third-class rate of postage. This means, for example, that those things that are written in long-hand or on a typewriter are automatically first-class, while words, let- ' ters, characters, figures, or images, or any combination thereof, reproduced on paper by any process other than hand writing or typewriting are entitled to postage at the third class rate.