New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-09
CYPRESS MONEY ORDERS.

THE SYSTEM.
new feature of pnblic interest has been added
10 its business by the American Express Com
panv Beginning with this month the company
has pat into effect a cheap money order system.
designed especially for the transmission of small
sums of money! Hitherto the express companies
have sent money by packages from place to place
at a minimum cost of - cents for sums OF T2O ana
under. The charges under the new order
system are . cents for amounts of 50 and under,
down TO 81. the smallest limit and cents for sums
more than 50 and no more than So This highest
rate is cents less than the Post Office charges for
sums of $40 and less The time during which
payment of the orders on presentation will be made
is limited to three months from their date of issue,
but if for some reason the holder Of the order fails
to present it in time there will be no difficulty IN
obtaining the money afterward Generous proyl-
sions are made by the company for refunding
the money in the case of orders which have been
lost or mslad.
The success of the new system being not COM
pletely assured the company applies 1t to small
sums at the outset because the Post Once statistics
prove that the greatest proportion Of its money
order business consists in the transmission OF small
amounts. OF every 1000 Post Office money orders
issued in the Northern States, about 800 are for
sums of 50 or less and about 300 for sums between
- and $40. 1t Is said that this proportion Is pre-
served in the business done in other parts OF the
country. Another fact proved by statistics is that
the larger part OF the orders issued IS paid III the
principal cities. 1t recently ascertained By the
Department that for certain period of time at
seven principal cities exclusive of New York
Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, st. Louis, Cmcin-
natl san Francisco and BaltmoreJ the value OF the
orders issued was $6,63J.9J out of SlO2, 7J9C9j
for the whole United states, and that OF the orders
paid So, o29,4i5 out OF TlO6,I'o,O93 1or the
entire country.
The American Express Company therefore pro
poses to pay orders ut 4J7 of its Offices, distributed
in nineteen different States but 10 issue tncm az
of its offices. more than 4.oO0 IN number lie
paving offices include - III Name, - III New
Hampshire 81 in Vermont, - IN MASSACHUSETTS,, -
in New York State, in New-Jersey . IN fennsyl-
wanna Il in Ohio, - in Indiana. IN Kentucky.
10 in Michigan, 90 III ILLINOIS, - IN w IsconaIIi' 10
Kansas, 3 in Nebraska and in Dakota The com
pany has nine offices in New ork Clty, al 2l OF
which orders will be pad. The lines OF TaiToad
over which the company reaches ITS I,OOO ohces
are moie than $1,000 niles IN extent In the
course of time its officers hope to make arrange
ments with other CONNECTING eNpfrss eomP9niI,S 10y
which the number OF Issuing Offices VIII ne III
creased to between $4,000 and 10000 II TINS IS
done the express money order iacules VIII be laf
extended than those OF the Iost Olce Depart
Agents of the company are supplied with the
money orders bound In sniall-sIed DOCKS, cach
containing >, To- - or % orders. Each ofdet can
he issued for the maximum amount tClO OF lOr |
cent fractional amounts down to -, By the use OF
ingenious 1OIll OF coupon dlidtlltu ~ ''t' II |
order. Orders are Issued payable on prtsenta-
tion or only ACCORDING to advice Of the re- |
mittcr or 10 the order of a certain person. |
as the renitter prefers. Where money Is sent |
PAYABLE per advice of the Iemtter, adyce |
card, - for mailing with the order are furnished
nv the company without extra charge. in the |
event of delay nOn-recept of the advice card"
payment will he made, provided tne payee Is
known to the agent OF the company, or under the |
written guarantee oil Il reSponS'oic PcI'on Nno"H ~
II Is proposed for the convenience Of peIso fire.
ouently having to send snail sums OF money To
distant places, TO sell books directly 10 lhem 10
that orders can be filled ont by them at any time
and sent away without going TO the companys |
Offices. If the system works satisfactorily IL l. al
most certain that books Will De Issued Tor larger
separate orders than SO. Other provisions that !
Will increase the utility of the Order-bOOk system
are now under consideration by the managers OF |
the company. At the company Offices Orders VIII |
La issurd t6rou gout the day 80 Ion rs the Office,
are open At the Post ONCE no money orders are |
issued after 3 O'CLOCK III the afternoon. -
NJ. +. Berry, genesil agent of the American TX
pres, Company, recently said to a tribune re- |
porter: We have decided to adopt the money |
order system for transmitting money more rs |
means to advertise our general business than WIN
the expectation OF realizing great piohiS IRON IT, |
Our margin of profit on the new business VIII be |
very small But recognized the fact that II was
utterly impossible further to reduce our CHARGES
under the package system. while at the same time
the public was clamOrne for rednetious IL became
simply question as 10 whether we should give up |
the business OF transmitting money or ADOPT new
method attractive and convenient 10 the public |
We think money order system VII! nj ihe |
Iill' For people III TINS city thcTe Will ne Ho |
climbing OF long flights of stairs no tedious waiting
in n long line, and no bOthersOme filling ont OF |
blanks as Is the case at the Posi- ONCE Our clerks
will do all the writing necessary 80 lhat loIelRierS
or stupid persons, or persons VINO cannot Teau OF
write will not have to bunder about the place |
until some outsider takes pity on them ana writes
ont their applications Then by selling onT books ID
PERSONS who wish them the trouble OF waiting at
the Offices will be largely avoided. There Will be
no difficulty III obtaining lne reiundlhs ol money On
orders lost accidentally destroyed. IL man
loses Government money order lie can only ger
back his money after long process OF red tape has
been gone through. The three dlltlenI ways III
which the orders can be made payable also Will be
an advantageous feature OF our system. Another
conVenirnce will result from our issuing orders
long as the Offices open-yes, until the shutters
are put up-instead Of during only few hours OF
the day 1t will be interest to cater to the
convenience of the public instead OF to compcate
our methods We will conduct the money order
branch of our business rs business ASSOCIATION
depending on the patronage OF the pubic, anu OF
course politics Will not Inquire In tne lltet III an
We do not wish to anagOnize the Government.
but we believe that proposed innovation VIII be
n benefit to an enormous portion OF the public.
Bv-the-by" continued Mr.. Berry, it is not
inappropriate that the American Company should
be the first to adopt this scheme ne founders OF
the company in the early days of the National
letter post carried letters III opposition to the GOv-
crnment in New York state at or cents a letter
Il forget whlch-where the Cox eminent postage
charge was % cents They met with considerable
persecution from Government officers nut the people
sustained them, and their action ultimately com
pellcd the first heavy reduction III postage rates
after which the lettercarrylng business was I'M
profitable tc them and it was given up Before the
Government reduction made, Henry Wells,
one of the founders of this company, made propo-
stion To do the lettercarryng business OF the Gov
eminent for certain sum- which would have given
the public postage rates much lower than those
which prevailed at that time. BOUNDS, SIR, was
the reply of Major Hcbbic, the FIRST Assistant
Postmaster General, that would throw 10000
postlnasters out of employment"
IJETHODIST EPISCOPAL CONFERENCES.
MELVILLE, n. j., March S.-The Nev-Jersey
Crrrnce of the Methodist Episcopal Church convened