The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-10-21

imately the number of pieces Of each
sort Of mail matter tran smitted by the
post-oiiices OF the country in the course
of year. To keep an accurate record
of each days work throughout the year
would add to the labor of the Offices and
involve delays that would cost more
than the information would be worth.
Accordingly the department has been
content to make one weeks work, as
determined by actual count, the basis of
an estimate for the year. A week
thought likely to be one of average pos
tai activity is selected. and all the matter
received for transmission at each of the
post-offices is classified and counted, the
aggregate of such original business dur
ing the appointed time being reckoned
as the fifty-second part of the business
of the year. Obviously the closeness of
the approximation hinges entirely upon
the fitness of the selected week to repre-
sent the average weekly work ofthe year.
Knowing approximately the number
of pieces OF each sort OF mail matter
handled, it is possible to estimate rough
ly the revenue the Government ought to
receive from the sale Of stamps, cards,
stamped envelopes. etc., and from other
postal charges The estimate would
necessarily involve good deal of as.
sumption and guesswork; yet il the es-
timated or calculated volume of business
done is not unreasonably wide of the
truth. the estimated revenue ought to be
something near the actual revenue as re-
ported in sales of stamps and the rest.
The Eceniag Post has gone to the
trouble of collating the statistics given
in the last annual report of the Postofiice
department, and comparing the sums
which. according to its calculation.
should have been paid for the convey
ance of the matter embraced in the
years work as officially estimated, with
the sums actually received, finding very
serious discrepancies.
The sale of stamps. cards, stamped en-
velopes, ETC., for the year aggregated
e34, 625, 436. Assuming the department S
estimate of annual business to be correct,
and the Posi- $ analysis of it equally cor
rect, the department should have re-
ceived from the sources named $42. 1885,
8l5.. The deficiency in receipts for the
amount of matter conveyed thus exceed
ed eight million dollars. The Post re-
marks; a. The immense deficiency in the
number of postage stamps sold, accord
ing to the departments figures, is made
especially striking by adding together
the postage values of the letters and
postal cards which made up the first
class mail. By SO doing we obtain the
sum of 4.628, 784.84. II we deduct
from this the S34. 625. 49, 81 of postage
stamps sold, without allowing for the
special stamps and wrappers not used on
letters, we have deficiency of $3, 348. SO
leaving the whole of the second, third
and fourth class mails to be carried for
nothing. and treating registration as
free. II the 81, $50, ga of newspaper and
periodical stamps and the $l31, 154. 60 of
newspaper wrappers be deducted from
the sum total Of stamps sold. and the re-
mainder be deducted from the value of
the first-cIass mail, adeficiencyjof 81 $685.
1873 appears in the revenue from that
class of matter alone s
The experienced postmaster of this
city, Mr.. Pearson, to whom the Posts
figures and deductions were submitted,
mentioned four causes which might have
contributed to produce the discrepancy:
~ Issued but unused stamps carried
over from the previous year; (2) over
estimation Of the number Of pieces of
mail matter handled; (3) unwise selec-
tion of the time for making the seven
days count, the week chosen being first
before the holiday season. when the
mails are more heavily loaded than at
any other period; % the washing and
fraudulent reissue of stamps. That the
last cause was very efficient one, MIR.
Pearson did not believe. He admitted
that there were various WAYS Of washing
cancelled stamps so that they could, be
used again. and it was possible that por-
sons in different parts of the country
practiced these methods independently
of each other; he was confident. how
ever, that no organized conspiracy ex-
listed for this purpose, since it would not
be possible to dispose Of large quantities
Of washed stamps without the plot be-
ing discovered. y - ~.
The assumption that the concerted
washing OF stamps on . large scale
would be necessary TO cause the Govern
mentto lose materially by reused stamps
will hardly hold. There are nearly
5000 post-offices In the country. and
If the department were to carry from
each Office single fraudulsntly stamped
letter day. the Government would be
cheated to the extent Of nearly hall .
million dollars a year. II may not be
possible to dispose Of $4,000, 600 worth
of washed stamps in bulk; vet out of
ten million letter writers it would not be
possible to find enough who are willing
to use again cleaned or imperfectly cam