Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-05-02
Postal Facilities.

Postal Facilities.
In times like these people have good
opportunity to appreciate the accommo-
dations of the post-office. When the
railways are all running on time, when
all the machinery is smooth, and the
mails come and 20 to the minute, peo-
pie accept the work OF the post-ofhce
without stopping to think how much 1t
does or how we'll it does it. 1t PICKS
your letter up from the street box IN
front of your residence, sends 1t to It's
destination, gets the answer in the same
manner, brings it back and deposits it
in your own hand in your own house.
1t has not been necessary for you to step
out Of doors, except 20 far as the street
letter box in depositing your letter.
With such exactness and certainty does
it do this that one may calculate, If his
correspondent is prompt, the precise
day and hour when the carrier will ap-
pear at the door with the answer, even
though the distance travelled is thous-
andsIof miles. But now that the storms
are on, the post. office is in confusion.
No one knows when the mail will come,
nor what they will contain on arrival.
The contrast withthe usual and ordinary
regularity is sharp and disagreeable.
Anxiety takes the place of confidence.
Business is changed, social and family
matters are thrown in confusion. We
look at the postman afar off with eager
eyes, and watch his approaching foot
goes, but he leaves nothing behind.
Tedium and monotony reign. In q
newspaper. Office it is like the coming
of the end of the world. The great
mountain of exchanges has melted and
gone, and nothing now stands in its
place. The editor is as helpless as an
army cut off from its base of supplies.
He brandishes his shears, but nowhere
do they find anything to cut. He looks
into vacancy, scratches his head and
thinks. Nothing comes. There is no
substitute for ample mail. The paper
is due in the morning. Time refuses
to wait, and something must be done.
Rain or shine, snow or frost, the paper
knows no cessation. In the absence of
something, it must be made out of
nothing. Three or four days can be
tided over, but a week, or q month |!
| The result would be fatal. The post
Office owes much to the press, and
the press is equally indebted to the
post-office. ,..y.,.; ........ ..,.,,... 80.
But the post-office does much besides
transmitting letters with regularity and
bringing exchanges to newspapers, It
acts as an exchange and banking office.
It will send by means Of the money-or-
der system small sums OF money to all
the financial points in the United
States, including every city and nearly.
every village. It does this at the
merest trife OF expense, and with GER
tainty which is positively absolute.
The system is such that money order
can never be lost beyond redemption.
1t will not only send money in this way
throughout the United States, but to
all places in England, Ireland, Scot
land, the Dominion of Canada and the
German states. To all points where
there arel no money order offices, the
registered letter will carry money ard
va liable documents with almost equal
sal ETY.. 1t is as safe to send money in
re gistered letter as it is to 60 and carry
it yourself. The government does not
| guarantee the mail against robbery, and
it does not guarantee You from high
waymen. 1t will pursue and punish
the criminals in either case, but it does
not make up the loss. That, if any,
the individual must suffer. But bolts
and bars and safes and vaults are not
more secure than the post-office trans.
missions of money when secured in
any Of the ways which the post office
provides.
The post-office also acts as an express
company. 1t will take packages of
merchandise, within the limit of four
pounds in weight, to any part of the
country for sixteen cents q pound, and
in exactly that ratio for fractions under.
A diamond ring, weighing one ounce,
will go to Alaska for one cent, and for
ten cents more will be receipted for and
registered. For the limit of weight
and for short distances the express
companies are cheaper, but for long
distances, to western or southern states,
or across tho continent, the post office
charge is so Insignificant to be almost
ridiculous. The new system of regis
tration for such packages makes them
absolutely safe, and they are handled
with as much care as letters. The time
is coming when the post-office will build
elevators for people and lift them over
mountains. Its accommodations to-day,
as compared with what they were even
ten years ago, are wonderful Elmna
Advertiser.
e. Snake Bites.