Evening star., 1877-12-12
The Abuse I'm the Sale Of Postage
Stamps.

loss OF the investment.
~~-
The Abuse I'm the Sale of Postage
stamps.
Many curious particulars in reference to the,
abuse in the sale of stamps by fourth-class
postmaSters are given i'm the report of Third
Assistant Postmaster General Hazen Since
the salary of these postmasters depends on the
number of stamps sold. a commission of from
40 to 90 per cent. being allowed on the revenue
thus collected. many questionable practices
for increasing the sale of stamps have arisen.
Dishonest pOstmaSters of this class have ex-
tended their operations beyond the range of
their delivery and have encrOached upon the
legitimate business of their upright brethren
and of the presidential pOstmasters. whose
salaries are fixed by law. The large commits
sion they receive enables them to dispose of
the postage stamps at discount, thus mOnop-
OliZing the trade. and still make a large profit.
This system is demOraliZing i'm its effects not
only to the postal service, but to the large and
increasing number of companies engaged i'm
every variety of private enterprise who are
offering inducements to thus dispose of stamps
in an illicit manner. Moreover. il is not an
equitable method of compensation, since the
principal business of the postmaster is to make
up. dispatch. receive, and distribute the mails
and of these operations his sale of stamps.
sometimes increased by their Use i'm exchange
for goods or in payment of private obligations
or a. D medium of traffic. gives no indication
1t Is. of course, evident that the system un-
justly decreases the salaries of the fourth
class pnStmaSters. who do not indulge in these
practices. and whose postal territories are en-
croaehed upon by their enterprsing neigh
bors; and since the present plan of cOmpensa-
tiOn tends, by continually decreasing the
stamp-business of the presidential offices to
cause only about half of the amount re-
ceived from the sale of stamps to accrue to the
government, the increase in the number sold
does not prevent the revenues of the depart
ment from being seriously impaired. One pc
culiar result of the system is that fOurth-elaSs
postmasters are enabled in some instances to
receive larger salaries than their presidential
brethren. Before an office can be assigned an
annual salary, the returns for four quarters
are required by law. in order that equitable
compensation may be declared. The amount
received in box rents and commissions during
this period may be largely in excess of the reg
ular salary whichis assigned the postmaster on
the returns of the four quarters. Thus for
instance, the postmaster at a certain city in
Dakota. if his business continues at its present
rate, will receive a salary for the year of about
s6,742.9S. and the returns upon which it is
received will entitle him to a future salary of
only $3.50 per annum. The 300 post offices
In the United States represent too wide an
area of territory to be accurately examined
by special agents. but something has been
attempted i'm this way, and the reports,
together with letters from pOstmasters them
selves. furnish very good idea of the
extent of the evil Postage stamps have
become a sort of money, and a deprecated
money at that. Large business houses carry
On operations in this stamp money and offer il
for sale a Mormon bought new sets of furni-
ture for his entire house, and paid for the
same in postage stamps. To show the expan-
sive action on salaries of the present law
Marlborough Center. in Maine, may be cited.
In the quarter before the law was passed the
sale of stamps there represented salary of
about $50 per annum; the sales during the
quarter after the passage of the law gave
salary of $3.50. Various sewing machine
companies, dealers in jewelry. publishers, ETC..
have become regular traders in Stamps. selling
their goods to pOstmaSterS at a discount, and
receiving postage stamps al q discount in re-
turn, an operation profitable to both parties.
A person has written To the postmaster at OK
ford, Ala, Offering to take 800 worth of stamps
month from him if he will sell at q discount.
The postmaster at a small town I'm New jersey
sold stamps last year amounting To- 81, 1880,
when his previous sales had not amounted to
So per annum. And reports from every sec
tiOn of the country give similar startling exhi-
bits. The evil is widespread and growing, and
must be checked. The Postmaster General
proposes to put stop To it by changing the
basis of compensation from the number of
stamps sold To the number cancelled: but if
Congress should decline to authorize this
change, he recommends that penalties be es-
tablished against both buyer and seller in eases
OF specializing in stamps, and that pOstmas-
tiers be required To make report under oath
the number of stamps legitimately sold at their
face value
In accordance with the suggestion of the
Postmaster General a bill has been introduced
in the House by Representative joyce pro-
yiding that the compensation of fourth class
postmasters shall be paid on the basis of stamps
Cancelled.