Show First Class Postage Needed On Some Items At times during the year when you thank notes and other remembrances are es- es especially es in order parents call the post office and are sur and often offended to learn that handwritten or typewritten items require first class postage Their argument usually Is that the Postal Service dis- dis discriminates criminates against initiative diS 1 and creative effort by tag ing a higher rate of postage on items written by children than on materials machine produced bY mailers in large volume WHEN ONE at first con con- considers alders siders the matter says Post Post- Postmaster master Orbo Goodrich it does seem strange that a piece of class third advertising matter will be accepted with less postage postage than the carefully contrived letter of some child who wants to remember a parent or relative on a special cial occasion But there is an explanation The basic reason for tor ing for handwritten and written type items is that matter of this type is classi classi- classified fied as first class Postal re- re regulations regulations provide that all mat mat- matter matter ter wholly or partly in writ writ- writing ing except authorized addi addi- addi additions to second third or fourth class matter is consid- consid considered ered to be first class mall mail Also first class mall mail is en- en entitled entitled titled to snore more expeditious handling and may be forward forward- forwarded forwarded ed or re returned and in addi- addi addition addition tion is afforded absolute privacy privacy vacy THE GENERAL rule gOY gov governing what rate of postage is appropriate as between first and third class is that hand hand- handwritten written and written type items require the first class rate of postage and machine processed process process- processed ed or printed matter calls for forthe forthe the third class rate of postage This means for example that those things that are written in longhand or on a typewriter are automatically first class and are given pre pre- preferential preferential handling Including forwarding and return while words letters characters fig fig- figures ures or images or any combination combi- combi combination nation thereof reproduced on paper by any process other than handwriting or type typewriting writing are entitled to post post- postage age at the third class rate but butare butare are entitled only to third class services Postmaster Goodrich said |