The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-08-03

postal notes. Since silver change sup
planted paper shinplAsters there has
been no convenient way of RENTING
small sums. Ten cents is too much TO
pay for money order for less Than 50
postage stamps are bad currency because
they are irredeenable, and silver is too
heavy Ia he sent under letter postage,
too liable Ia break through the
envelope, and standing tempta-
tinn to dishonesty. The new
notes will be very simple. They
are To la handsomely engraved, and in
size and appearance will not be- unlike
greet backs or bank notes. They will
bG payable to bearer ~ any time within
three months from the close Of tn. month
at issue, at any money order office desig-
mated 10y the applicant, and the amount
az cacii note Will be punchcd out of
rows Of figures indicating dollars, dimes
and cents, IL The Office of issue. This d.
vice will make the raising" OF mole
| impossible, and the high tiniAh OF the
engraving will be II safeguard against
scheme will he confined 10 pt rsOGs with
n reach of non-y-Ordcr offices Tor the
present. partly because congress ami TIE
department are uncertain how it will
work, amt partly because its extension
Ia all of the $4,000 post offices in the
county would entail an appalling
amount III accounting.
The postal notes are likely to pass
into use as currency to some extent, and
will bc fully available for that purpose
within the neighborhOod of the offices
on which they are drawn. and within
the three months of their life. In order
to secure prompt presentation for pay
mcnt, and TO guard against undue infia-
ton, it is provided that after note be-
comes nuilawed the holder can get the
money only by forwarding it 10 Wash
ing,nn for redemption and paying an
other B cent fee 1t is obvious that the
notes will not lie so safe as money orders,
becruse thew are to be payable To bearer,
and no duplicates will be issued in case
of loss ar theft. But the public will
consider the convenience and cheapness
OF the notes Il full counterbalance for the
risk. The post Office officials believe
the 3 cent fee will just cover the expense
of the service, but there will be a
diminution of the postal revenues to the
amount la which these cheap notes
supersede the more exI ensiYe orders.
1t is to be said, however, that there is
now a direct loss on every order for less
than $15 issued. For sums less than $15
the charge is 10 cents, and the average
cost of each order 10 the government is
10 6 cents. By taking out of the order
accounts mass Of small orders on
which there Is loss, and, under the
nc~ system, making them pay expenses,
and 10y charging the scope of the order
system for the transmission of large
sums, on which there is handsome
profit, the department is likely to find
its net income increased rather than d.
minishch. At present fOrty-six orders
in every 100 are for sums Of So or less,
for each OF which 10 cents is received,
ami on each of which deficit of 212
cents occurs. The new system will COW
or most of these small orders, and thus "A
reduction of the Ice will actually enrich
the department.
There will be some regret that the fee
for money orders under $40 is not to be
fixed at CT nls instead of 8. The
scheme adopted by the house would be
more satisfactory with that change; and
with orders for $40 to $50, instead of
$40 to $l5, at 10 cents. We apprehend
that The working of the postal note
scheme will be so successful that con-
gross will come to this further reform
within a year or two. The postofllce
committee is, perhaps, wisely c"nserva-
tive and unwilling TO imperil the postal
revenue by further reductions at pres
ent. With the changes indicated above,
in connection with the postal notes, our
money order fees would correspond very
closely with those eXacted in Great
Britain.