f this it was desired to secure
the untrammelled publication and distribution of reports of the debates.
This was attained by exempting from postage the supplements of journals
when they were devoted entirely to the reproduction of the official
reports of the proceedings of the Chambers, the _motifs des projets de
lois_, reports of parliamentary commissions, or official documents
deposited by the Government at the office of the Chambers.

The Press law of the 11th May 1868 extended the exemption to supplements
devoted to the extent of one half to the publication of reports of
parliamentary debates or documents, but only on condition that the
supplements contained no advertisements. The privilege was continued by
the law of 1878.[374] In order to obtain the privilege the supplements
must be printed on sheets detached from the main publication, but they
must be enclosed with the publication. They must not exceed in size that
part of the paper subject to postage, and if sent separately, they are
liable to postage at the ordinary rate. In 1869 the official reports of
parliamentary debates were exempted from postage when sent by the
printer to the editors of country papers, or by those editors to their
subscribers, if enclosed with the local paper.

M. Jaccottey's view is that in order to conform to the spirit of the
law, the rate for periodicals ought to be confined to newspapers and
other periodical publications devoted to letters, science, and arts; and
that it is an abuse of the privilege that commercial advertising should
avail itself of the privilege by, say, publishing at regular intervals
successive editions of library catalogues, or by borrowing the titles
of illustrated journals, their outside covers, and the methods of
distribution, and inserting in them prospectuses which are not of the
nature of periodicals.[375]

Ordinary supplements may be enclosed in newspapers. They are weighed
with the paper, and postage is charged according to the total weight. If
sent separately, they are regarded as a number of the paper, and postage
is charged accordingly. In order to obtain the benefit of the privileged
rate, all supplements must bear printed indication of the fact that they
are supplements, and must bear the title and date of the main
paper.[376]

These definitions were amplified by the administration in 1896 by an
instruction (No. 468) which provided that detached advertisement sheets
of any sort, issued exceptio