SHOW MENU

Postage Act 1825
(6 Geo 4 c.68, 22nd June 1825)

6 George IV cap 68 An Act to regulate the Conveyance of printed Votes and Proceedings in Parliament, and printed Newspapers, by Packet Boats between Great Britain and Ireland, and the British Colonies, and also in the United Kingdom.
[22d June 1825]

'WHEREAS it is expedient to regulate the Conveyance of printed Votes and Proceedings in Parliament, and printed Newspapers, by Packet Boats, between Great Britain and Ireland, and the British Colonies:' May it therefore please Your Majesty that it may be enacted ; and be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That from and after the Tenth Day of October One thousand eight hundred and twenty five, it shall and may be lawful for His Majesty's Postmaster General, and his Deputy and Deputies by him thereunto authorized, to receive printed Votes and Proceedings in Parliament, and also printed Newspapers, or other printed Papers liable to the Stamp Duties, and duly stamped for Conveyance by Packet Boats from Great Britain and Ireland to any of His Majesty's Colonies and Possessions beyond the Seas ; and for His Majesty's Postmaster General and his Deputy and Deputies, to and for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to demand, have, receive and take for the Conveyance of every such printed Vote, Proceeding or Paper as aforesaid, the Sum of One Penny Halfpenny ; the said Sum of One Penny Halfpenny to be paid when the said printed Votes, Proceedings and printed Papers shall be put into the Post Office, provided the same be sent without a Cover, or in Covers open at the Sides ; and provided every printed Newspaper or other printed Paper liable to the Stamp Duty be put into the Post Office in any Town or Place in Great Britain or Ireland, on the Day on which the same shall be published, such Day to be ascertained by the Date of the same.

II. And be it further enacted, That from and after the said Tenth Day of October One thousand eight hundred and twenty five, it shall and may be lawful for His Majesty's Postmaster General, and his Deputy and Deputies in His Majesty's Colonies and Possessions beyond the Seas, to receive Newspapers printed within such Colonies or Possessions for Conveyance by Packet Boats to Great Britain and Ireland; and for His Majesty's Postmaster General and his Deputy and Deputies in Great Britain and Ireland, to and for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to demand, have, receive, and take, for the Conveyance of every such Paper as aforesaid, the Sum of Three Pence, to be paid on the Delivery thereof to the Person or Persons to whom the same shall be addressed, provided every such Paper be sent without a Cover, or in a Cover open at the Sides.

III. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for His Majesty's Postmaster General, or any of the Officers employed under him respectively, to examine and search any Packet sent without a Cover, or in a Cover open at the Sides, in order to discover whether any other Paper or Thing whatsoever be enclosed or concealed in or with such printed Papers as is hereby permitted to be sent at the Rates aforesaid, and in order to discover whether the printed Newspapers or other printed Papers sent from Great Britain or Ireland, and liable to the Stamp Duties, shall have been duly stamped ; and in case any such other Paper or Thing whatsoever shall be found to be enclosed or concealed in or with such printed Paper as aforesaid, or in case there shall be any Writing, other than the Superscription upon such printed Paper, or upon the Cover containing the same, the whole of such Packet shall be charged with Treble the Postage of a Letter ; and in case any Newspaper or other printed Paper sent from Great Britain or Ireland, and liable to the Stamp Duties, shall not have been put into a Post Office on the Day on which it shall appear by the Date thereof to have been published, it shall be charged with a Rate of Postage equal to that of a Single Letter sent by the Post to the Place to which such printed Newspaper shall be addressed ; and in case any such Newspaper shall appear not to have been duly stamped, every such Officer is hereby required to stop the same, and send it to the Commissioners of the Stamp Duties, either at London or Dublin, as the Case may be.

IV. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That nothing herein contained shall extend to charge with a greater Rate of Postage than One Penny Halfpenny any Newspaper which shall be published in Great Britain or Ireland on a Sunday, provided such Newspaper shall be put into the Post Office, or into any Receiving Office appointed by the Postmaster General, in the Course of the ensuing Day.

V. And be it further enacted, That all printed Papers to be conveyed under the Provisions of this Act shall be delivered to the Postmaster General, or his Deputy or Deputies, at such Hours in the Day and under all such Regulations as the Postmaster General for the Time being shall in his Discretion from time to time appoint.

VI. And be it further enacted, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to oblige any Person or Persons to send any printed Votes, Proceedings in Parliament, or printed Newspapers to or from the British Colonies or Possessions through His Majesty's Post Office ; but that it shall and may be lawful for all Persons to send printed Votes, Proceedings and printed Newspapers to and from such Colonies and Possessions in any Manner they may find practicable and convenient.

VII. And be it further enacted, That all the Powers, Provisions, Privileges, Advantages, Disabilities, Penalties, Forfeitures and Distribution thereof, and all Clauses and other Matters and Things contained in any Act or Acts of Parliament in force at the Time of the passing of this Act relating to the Post Office, or any Rates or Duties payable on the Port or Conveyance of Letters or Packets, and not repealed or altered by this Act, shall, so far as the same are applicable, continue in force and be applied and extended, and shall be construed to apply and extend to this present Act, and to the Rates and Duties hereby granted, as fully and effectually, to all Intents and Purposes, as if the same had been particularly repeated and re-enacted in the Body of this Act.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That the Monies to arise by the several Rates and Duties as afore said, except the Monies which shall be necessary to defray such Expence as shall be incurred in the Management and Collection of the same, shall be paid into the Receipt of the Exchequer at Westminster, and carried to and made Part of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

'IX. And Whereas by an Act made in the Fourth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for preventing Frauds and Abuses in relation to the sending and receiving Letters and Packets free from the Duty of Postage, reciting that forasmuch as it had been usual for the Clerks in the Offices of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, and also for certain Officers in the Office of His Majesty's Postmaster General, to frank printed Votes and Proceedings in Parliament, and printed Newspapers, to be sent by the Post, it was enacted, that it should be lawful for such Clerks and Officers as aforesaid, being thereunto licensed by His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, or His Majesty's Postmaster General respectively, to continue to frank such printed Votes and Proceedings in Parliament and printed Newspapers, in such Manner as they had theretofore been accustomed to frank the same : And Whereas the Emoluments arising from the Privilege of franking Newspapers to the Colonies, now enjoyed by certain Officers in the Office of His Majesty's Postmaster General, by virtue of the said in part recited Act of the Fourth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third and the Powers therein contained, will be reduced by the Operation and Effect of this Act: And Whereas it is just and reasonable that a Compensation should be made to the said Officers as a Recompence for the Loss of such Privileges;' Be it therefore further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or any Three of them, by Warrant under their Hands, to authorize and direct the Postmaster General to make such Compensation to the said Officers as the said Commissioners shall think reasonable, which Compensation shall be charged upon and payable out of the Revenue of the General Post Office.

'X. And Whereas by an Act passed in the Forty second Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act to authorize the sending and receiving of Letters and Packets, Votes, Proceedings in Parliament and printed Newspapers by the Post, free from the Duty of Postage, by the Members of the Two Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom, and by certain Public Officers therein named; and for reducing the Postage on such Votes, Proceedings and Newspapers when sent by any other Persons; it was amongst other things enacted, that it should be lawful for every Member of both Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom, and certain Clerks of the Two Houses of Parliament therein particularly mentioned, to send by the Post within the said United Kingdom any printed Votes, Proceedings in Parliament, or printed Newspapers, free from the Duty of Postage, so as the same be sent without Covers or in Covers open at the Sides, which should be signed on the Outside thereof by the Hand of any Member of Parliament, or either of the said respective Clerks, in such Manner as had been theretofore practised ; and also, that it should be lawful to and for each and every Member of both the said Two Houses of Parliament, and for each and every of the said respective Clerks, to authorize printed Votes, Proceedings in Parliament and printed Newspapers, to be sent by the Post free from the Duty of Postage, addressed to him at such Place and Places within the said United Kingdom as he should have previously given Notice in Writing to the Postmaster General either at London or Dublin: And Whereas it is expedient that certain Parts of the said last mentioned Act should be repealed;' Be it therefore further enacted, That from and after the passing of this Act, so much of the said last mentioned Act as requires that Newspapers, to be sent by the Post free from the Duty of Postage, should be signed on the Outside thereof by the Hand of any Member of Parliament or the respective Clerks of the Two Houses of Parliament, and that Newspapers should be addressed to any such Member or any such Clerk at such Place and Places within the said United Kingdom as he shall have previously given Notice in Writing to the Postmaster General either at London or Dublin, shall be repealed, and the same is hereby repealed.

XI. And be it further enacted, That if any Action or Suit shall be commenced against any Person or Persons for any Thing done in pursuance of this Act, the same shall be commenced within Twelve Months after the Fact committed, and not afterwards ; and the Defendant or Defendants in such Action shall and may plead the General Issue, and give this Act and the Special Matter in Evidence, and that the same was done in pursuance and by the Authority of this Act ; and if it shall appear so to be done, or that such Action or Suit shall be commenced after the Time before limited for bringing the same, that then the Jury shall find for the Defendant or Defendants; and upon a Verdict for the Defendant, or if the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs shall be nonsuited, or discontinue his, her or their Action or Suit after the Defendant or Defendants shall have appeared, or if upon Demurrer, Judgment shall be given against the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs, the Defendant or Defendants shall and may recover Treble Costs, and have the like Remedy for the same as any Defendant or Defendants hath or have in any other Cases by Law.