The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1881-03-25

n. Y. Sun. Z
"Over s5l, 10000 in hard cash
passed through our hands last
year, said Mr.. VIM. Plimley, the
general superintendent OF the mon
ey-or,ler department in the New
York postofiice, yesterday. "By
cur hands mean the whole de-
partment. New York does about
ene-eighth OF the entire business
of America. | can safely say that
the system now in vogue is as per
teet as We can reasonably expect
il TO be, no matter how much pol
ishing We give 1t.
alt seems Incredible that this
vast affair is so young in years. IL
was only sixteen years ago that Y.
+. Mcdonald conceived and started
the idea of the money-order de-
partment into lite. Before that 1t
was only by the most elaborate
care and lynx-eyed precaution that
even small amounts OF money could
be sent from one point TO another
with any certainty ot safe carriage;
but now its safety has become such
an assured tact that people never
consider the idea ot losing their
money at all, but simply make out
an order aud send it on Its way.
Who ever hears of IA loss n0w-a-
daysi Mr.. Mcdonald, the origina'
tor OF the scheme, is row at its
head. He is the chief of the mon
ey order :, stem at Washington. A
recent recommendation 0t his IN
relation to the fees charged for
sending money through the money
orler department is reduction
from ten to five cents on amounts
not exceeding 81; aud on orders
over S5 aud not over $40, Il reduc.
ton from ten cents to eight cents,
and an extension of the limit OF
the amount that may he sent IN any
case from $50 to Sl00 am III
favor of Chief McDouald's recon-
mcndation, aud think, though | am
by no means sure, that Postmaster
James. now that he is IN the cahl.
net AS pos.master-ge general, will view
1t favorably also.n
"What is the smallest amount
you ever made out an order for|
"nne cent."
"Many Of them "
"yery few. They were probably
sent for u Joke. Quite "A number
have been sent Tor five, ten or ff
teen cents, but people in general
fail TO see the wisdom OF paying a fe,
. of ten cents for sending tive.'
"Very good.'
t The clerk bowed and withdrew
. and Mr.. Plimley turned to the re
} porter and said "The increase II
! the amount of money we handle
will interest IT not astonish you
: The number OF mouey orders is
sued during the fiscal year wal
7,24O,537 tor the whole Uulte,
States. This in money reached th'
enormous sum of SlOO,352,SlS 81
/, Over Il hundred millions passed II
|. safety through our hands. Til
!. tees paid to the postothce depart
4 nent reached the aggregate 0
h $g16.452 80. For the transaction
g of all this an immense amount q
Il correspondence is necessary. w
II wrote nearly 10000 letters las
e year,
n "You spoke of the increase"
y "True. II you are not tired q
o figures | will 81 e you some mor'
!, In 1870 We had !, ,l51,37S transa.
is tions, amounting in money to Sf3
Il 652,273 81. This was an lncreas
!. over 1878 OF 100,1l9 transaction
It and S5,OOO,0OO. The next sea
is 1880, showed ,35l, ,O95 transaction
r, amounting in all to Sol, ,23,74O o
e. This was a gai. over the previou
fl. year of 1S0, ,720 transactions, an
N s7,570,475 81. The work Is CO..
ne stantly increasing. The aveas
u. OF all the orders is Sl3.'