The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-02-08
Postal Reform.
Washington star.l

Through your favor, for which feel CRATE
full, think your readers must be fully con-
WINGED of the expensive folly of the official pos
tage stamps; but SO long as Congress fails to
prohibit their use, it is very evident that the
farce of manufacturing, distributing, and hav-
ing to keep an account of them throughout the
ramifcstions of the various government offices
is to be continued
By an article you we're so kind as to publish
on.the Goth of January I called attention to the
fact that of 81 1914 1888, stated by the Postmast
er General as the excess of post Office receipts
over expenditure for the year ended June 30,
1882, the sum of $139.991 was taken directly
from the Treasury by the different government
departments to pay for official stamps Now, l
repeat for the hundredth time and defy sue
cessful contradiction, that all this is wholly
unnecessary trouble and expense, With two
exceptions, in every instance where the stamps
were used, the penalty enyelope-and there
must always be some kind of an envelope
would have served better, and, looking to the
danger of fraud, far safer process than the
stamp. The exceptions are in respect to the
payment, by government departments, of reg
istry fees and postage on letters received insult
hclently prepaid. And, how think you letter
to be registered by either of the executive de-
partments is treated? Why, they put their let
ter in penalty envelope, which carries it free,
and then put on a ten-cent official stamp to pay
the registry fee. This stamp, remember, has
first to be purchased of the manufacturer; then
it is delivered into the hands of the Third As
sistant Postmaster General and entered in his
accounts; then the department has to make
requisitiop for it, to be duly recorded; next, the
Third Assistant must fill the requisition and
keep record thereof; then the department
must note the receipt of the stamp, nav the
registry fee with and keep account of it, when
the registry clerk enters it in his account as SO
much postage received; then the postmaster
has to charge himself with it in his returns to
the SIKH Auditor, who, in his turn, has final
~ 10 ADJUST the accounti Yet the government
is not only not whit the gamer by all this tire
some process, but is the actual loser by as much
as the manufacture, stationery and almost end
less clerk hire in this silly business costs. So,
also, in respect to the payment of postage on
short-paid letters Nearly the same keeping
of accounts, from beginning TO end is required.
The postmaster has to take the stamps for
whatever amount is due, and return them as SO
much money to the Third Assistant, when, I
understand, they are burnt. But why destroy
them? Why not keep them ON this farcicai,
eternal round, until they are worn out? IL
would save buying new ones, and ii would go
to swell the post Office "Tece5ptS just as fairly
and truly if used twenty times as though used
But that is not the kind of economy am ad-
vocating. Some of the public offices pay their
registry and unpaid postage with the regular
postage stamps OF money; and, if paid at all,
this is what all the departments should do The
sensible way, however, would be to take no ac-
count of such postage at all, as it is only "tak-
ing money out of one pocket and putting it in
the other" but the evil of part-payment should
be corrected, as far as possible, by returning to
their writers all letters not fully prepaid, ex-
cept where it is evident that such omission was
not intentional.
NV illustration as regards the executive de-
partments will apply equally to all the govern
rneDt offices that continue the use of the official
stamps; and | know that with many officers, of
the army especially, the stamps are regarded
as an intolerable nuisance
Now, Senate bill No. 2406, introduced by Sem
ator Morgan, if passed into law, will, by abol-
ishing the stamps and extending the penalty
envelope "to all officers of the United States
government, including members of either
house of Congress" secure the desired reform.
In the interest of economy, convenience and
common sense, 1 beg Senators and Representa-
lives TO give this matter their careful atten-
ton. III there is a doubling one among them I
will esteem it favor to be called on to furnish
any information he may desire on the subject
Very respectfully, HoRArIo KING.