The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-23
Postage Stamp Losses.

bOl VI lilttli llltttJtl I'll dINIllGbtu ny lIlN
post-ol1ices of the country in the courst
of a year. To keep an accurate RECORD
of each days work throughout the yea
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 beer
content to make one weeks work, Il,
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-olliceS is classified and counted, the
aggregate of such original business dur
ing the appointed time being rcckOned
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 20 repre-
sent the average weekly work of the 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 Il good deal Of as
sumption and guesswork; yet if the es-
timHted or calculated volume OF business
done is not unrcaSonably 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 Evening Post has gone to the
.troIpie OF colIatlng the statistics given
ID 'Ae last annual report OF the PoStotfice
'trVlhehI' ana comparing the sums
WIHcA, according to It's calculation,
Hhouia nave been paid Tor the convey
"-l'' OF the matter embraced in the
year work rs officially estimated, with
tlie sums actually received, finding very
discrepancies.
ne sale OF stamps, cards, stamped en-
Ne'opeS, etc, Tor the year aggregated
- t'7z9,.tJ ,. Assuming the department
estimate OF annual business tobe correct,
ana the F5% analysis OF it equally cor
rect the d'p&rtment should have re-
ENiFed rom the sources named SIP, 49,
SD. The deficiency in receipts for the
OF matter conveyed thus exceed
ed eight million dollars, The Post re-
marks: - The immense deficiency in the
member Of postage stamps sold, accord
lnE 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 S3l,626, 7S4.84 If we deduct
from this the S34, 625, 1851 of postage
stamps sold, without allowing for the
special stamps and wrappers not used on
letters, we have deficiency of $3, 348. 90
leaving the whole of the second, third
and fourth class mails to be carried for
and treating registration as
free. If the 81, 1913, GA of newspaper and
periodical stamps and the S431, 1880 of
wrappers be deducted from
the sum total of stamps sold, and the re-
malnder be deducted from the value of
The iirst-class mail, adefciencylof 81, $685.
1913 appears in the revenue from that
class of matter alone"
The experienced postmaster of this
city, Mr.. Pearson, to whom the POST
figures and deductions were submitted,
mentioned four causes which might have
to produce the discrepancy:
~ 'N vi 1919 suomi 70 N''LllCt
over from the previous year; (2) over
estimation OF the number Of pieces of
maui matter handledi 60 unwiSe Seiec-
tlon OF The Tune 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; (4) the washing and
fraudulent reissue OF stamps. That the
last cause was very efficient one, Mr..
IearSon ana not believe. lie admitted
IllI Ihere were various ways OF washing
Cancelled stamps SO that they could be
USED again, and 1t was possible that per-
sons IN different parts OF the country
pracViCeo thcSe methods independently
OF eacn otheri 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.
The assumption that the concerted
washing of stamps on a large scale
would be necessary TO catrsa the Govern-
mentto lose materially by reused stamps
viii hardly hold There are nearly
$1,000 post-oflices in the country. and
if the department were to carry from
each Office a single fraudulentlv slammed
letter IA day, the Government would be
cheated to the extent of nearly half n
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