or fraction thereof: Provided, That the rate of postage on air mail of the first class weighing in excess of eight ounces shall be the rate provided for air parcels but in no case shall be less than 3 cents an ounce or fraction thereof. (As amended by Act of June 29, 1948, 62 Stat. 1097.) 1 DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC AIR MAIL-EXCEPTION SEC. 2 [39 U. S. C. A. 462a] As used in this Act, "domestic air mail" shall embrace all mailable matter being transported as mail by air within the continental United States, within any Territory or possession of the United States, within any geographical area which is a protectorate of the United States, or between any of the aforesaid: Provided, That with respect to mail transported under authority of section 1 of the Act of October 14, 1940 (54 Stat. 1175; 39 U. S. C., 1940 edition, 488a), the postage rate of 5 cents for each ounce or fraction of an ounce shall be applicable only to mail of the first class, and for all other classes the rates shall be as prescribed by that Act. EFFECTIVE DATE SEC. 3 [39 U. S. C. A. 463 note] This Act shall take effect on the first day of the second month following the month of enactment. POSTAL RATE REVISION AND FEDERAL EMPLOYEES SALARY ACT OF 1948 [Act of July 3, 1948, 62 Stat. 1260] AN ACT To provide for permanent postal rates and to provide pay increases for Government employees. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act shall be cited as the "Postal Rate Revision and Federal Employees Salary Act of 1948". TITLE II-POSTAL RATE REVISION AIR MAIL SEC. 201. The rate of postage on all domestic air mail as defined in Public Law 730, Seventy-ninth Congress,1 shall, except in the case of postal cards and private mailing or post cards, be 6 cents for each ounce or fraction thereof. The rate of postage on postal cards and private mailing or post cards (conforming to the conditions prescribed by the Act entitled "An Act to amend the postal laws relating to use of postal cards", approved May 19, 1898 (U. S. C., 1940 edition, title 39, sec. 281)), when sent by air mail, shall be 4 cents each. (Effective January 1, 1949.) 1 Effective October 1, 1946. 1 Act of August 14, 1946, 60 Stat. 1062. EXPERIMENTAL AIR MAIL ACT 1 [Act of April 15, 1938, 52 Stat. 218; as amended by Act of June 23, 1938 (Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938), 52 Stat. 973; Act of July 2, 1940,54 Stat. 735] AN ACT To provide for experimental air-mail services to further develop safety, efficiency, and economy, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, [Sections 1 and 2 repealed by the Act of July 2, 1940, and Sections 3,4, and 5 were amendments to the Air Mail Act of 1934] SEC. 6 [39 U. S. C. 470] Whenever he shall find it to be in the public interest, because of the nature of the terrain and the impracticability of surface transportation, the Postmaster General may award contracts for the transportation of any or all classes of mail by airplane upon star routes not over two hundred airplane-miles in length by direct flight between termini, payment for such service to be made from the appropriation for inland transportation by star routes: Provided, That all laws and regulations not in conflict with this section governing star routes shall be applicable to contracts made under the authority of this section: Provided further, That the base rate of pay which may be allowed in awarding such contracts shall not exceed 20 cents per airplane-mile for load not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds of mail, and not exceeding 1 cent per airplane-mile for each twenty pounds of mail carried in excess of the two-hundred-and-fifty-pound limit, except that in the discretion of the Postmaster General a higher base rate of pay may be allowed in awarding contract for carrying mail over circuitous routes of less than seventy-five miles in length: And provided further, That the provisions of the Act of June 12, 1934 (48 Stat. 933), as amended by the Act of August 14, 1935 (49 Stat. 614), shall not apply to the transportation of mail under this section: And provided further, That the Postmaster General shall not award more than five contracts for the transportation of mail under the authority of this section. TRANSPORTATION OF FOREIGN MAIL BY [Act of August 27, 1940, 54 Stat. 862] AN ACT Relating to transportation of foreign mail by aircraft Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled [49 U. S. C. 485a], That in all cases where, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (i) (2) of section 405 of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, approved June 23, 1938 (52 Stat. 973; U. S. C., 1934 edition, Supp. V, title 49, sec. 1 See sec. 405 (1) of the Civil Aeronautics Act. 401, and the following), the Postmaster General shall have heretofore fixed and put into effect, or shall hereafter fix and put into effect, the rates of compensation to be charged foreign countries for the transportation of their mail by air carriers and where the collections from such foreign countries of the amounts owing by them for such transportation are required by such subsection to be made by the United States for the account of such air carriers, the Postmaster General may simplify and expedite the settlement of accounts for such carriage by offsetting against any balance due a foreign country resulting from the transaction of international money order business or otherwise, such amounts as may be then due from such country to the United States and to the United States for the account of such carrier; and the Postmaster General and the General Accounting Office shall thereupon give the foreign country involved the appropriate credit for such payment by offset, paying to the carrier that portion of the amount so charged as may be owing to the carrier for its services in transporting the mail of such foreign country and depositing as "miscellaneous postal receipts" that portion of the amount so charged as may be due the United States on its own account: Provided, That no adjustment of accounts authorized by this Act shall apply to appropriations for fiscal years prior to the fiscal year 1940: Provided further, That any adjustments made under the authority of this section shall be subject to the right of the United States to deduct from any sums due or thereafter becoming due to a carrier such amounts as may have been paid it on account of foreign countries which amounts, for any reason, the United States shall have been unable to collect, either by offset or otherwise, from the debtor country. SEC. 2 [49 U. S. C. 485b] In any case where collections are to be made by the United States from a foreign country for the transportation of mails of such countries for the account of an air carrier pursuant to section 405 (i) (2) of the Civil Aeronautics Act, whether such transportation occurred before or after the passage of this Act, the Postmaster General, taking into consideration the state of the balance carried in the appropriation, in his discretion, is hereby authorized to make advances to such air carrier out of sums appropriated for "balances due foreign countries", upon determination by the Postmaster General from time to time of the amounts due from any such foreign countries for transportation, and thereafter such amounts shall be collected by the United States from foreign countries by setoff, or otherwise, in the manner hereinbefore provided, and the appropriation for payment of "balances due foreign countries" shall be reimbursed by collections so made by the United States: Provided, however, That if the United States shall fail to collect any such amount or any part of such amount from such foreign country owing same within twelve months after the United States has paid such amount to the carrier, the United States may deduct such uncollected amounts from any sums owing by it to the carrier. SEC. 3 [49 U. S. C. 485c] The General Accounting Office shall make the necessary credits and debits in the respective appropriations and accounts involved and adopt such procedure as may be necessary to conform to and effect the purposes of this Act. AIR PARCEL POST ACT [Act of June 29, 1948, 62 Stat. 1097] AN ACT To provide for an air parcel-post service, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the rate of postage on mailable matter exceeding eight ounces in weight, but not weighing more than than seventy pounds nor measuring more than one hundred inches in length and girth combined, when carried by air and including other transportation to and from air-mail routes, shall, except as otherwise herein provided, be determined on the basis of the eight postal zones established for fourth-class matter, as follows: (1) For delivery within the first or second zones, 55 cents for the first pound, or fraction of a pound in excess of eight ounces, plus 4 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof. (2) For delivery within the third zone, 60 cents for the first pound, or fraction of a pound in excess of eight ounces, plus 8 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof. (3) For delivery within the fourth zone, 65 cents for the first pound, or fraction of a pound in excess of eight ounces, plus 14 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof. (4) For delivery within the fifth zone, 70 cents for the first pound, or fraction of a pound in excess of eight ounces, plus 24 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof. (5) For delivery within the sixth zone, 75 cents for the first pound, or fraction of a pound in excess of eight ounces, plus 33 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof." (6) For delivery within the seventh zone, 75 cents for the first pound, or fraction of a pound in excess of eight ounces, plus 45 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof. (7) For delivery within the eighth zone, which, with respect to air parcel post, shall include all offices located in continental United States beyond the seventh zone, 80 cents for the first pound or fraction thereof over eight ounces, plus 65 cents for each additional pound or fraction thereof. (8) For air parcels exchanged between offices in continental United States and offices in Territories and possessions of the United States, in either direction, and between offices within such Territories and possessions, the applicable zone rate shown in paragraphs (1) to (6) of this section shall apply to and including the seventh zone: Provided, That for offices falling in the eighth zone the rate of postage for air parcels weighing in excess of eight ounces shall be 80 cents for each pound or fraction thereof. (9) Mailable matter of light weight in relation to size shall be subject to such surcharge as may be determined by the Postmaster General to be warranted by reason of the extra space and care required in handling and transporting such mail matter. (10) The Postmaster General is authorized and directed to make such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 (52 Stat. 973), as amended, or any order, rule, or regula tion made by the Civil Aeronautics Board thereunder, as may be necessary for the safe and expeditious transportation by air of mail matter weighing in excess of eight ounces. (11) The Postmaster General is further authorized and directed for the period of two years, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (1) to (9), inclusive, of this section, to adjust from time to time the weight limit, size, rate of postage, zone or zones or conditions, or either, in order to promote the service to the public and assure the receipt of revenue from such service adequate to pay the cost thereof. SEC. 2. The Postmaster General is hereby authorized, in the disbursement of the appropriation for domestic air-mail service, to apply a part thereof to the purpose of leasing suitable quarters at public airports for use in the handling and distribution of air mail at a reasonable rental to be paid quarterly or monthly, for a term not exceeding twenty years. SEC. 3. Section 1 of the Act of August 14, 1946 (Public Law 730, Seventy-ninth Congress, second session), entitled "An Act to fix the rate of postage on domestic air mail, and for other purposes", is hereby amended to read as follows: "The rate of postage on domestic air mail weighing eight ounces or less shall be 5 cents for each ounce or fraction thereof: Provided, That the rate of postage on air mail of the first class weighing in excess of eight ounces shall be the rate provided for air parcels but in no case shall be less than 3 cents an ounce or fraction thereof." SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect on the first day of the third month following the month of enactment. |