The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-09-22
The Postal Notes Explained.


Washington, Sept. S.-Dr. Mae
donald superintendent of the
money order division of the Post
Office Department, in a Star inter
view, gives some interesting and
timely information concerning the
method of the new postal note
system. The number of questions
asked at postoffices shows that
the nature of the issue is not gen.
orally understood.
Now,n said the doctor, IL will
tell you all about the postal note
in very few words. The postal
note is simply form of money
orders-of cheap money orders
for sums less than %, payable to
bearer. 1t is not issued in lieu of
ordinary money order, but con-
currently with money orders, for
sums less than S.. That is te say
the public have the option of pur-
chasing from the postmaster at
the Office of issue a money order
or postal note for sums under s5
just as they prefer. Ifa man pur-
chase money order he pays fee
of s cents, and the Postoffiee De-
partment assumes the responsible.
ity of seeing that 1t is paid to the
proper person. Ifhe buys pos
talnote he pays tee of three
cents, and then transmits 1t thr'o
the mail at his own risk. The
} chief difference between a money
order and a postal note is that
while one is made payable to a
designated person the other is
/ made payable to bearer"
"Then, if a letter containing a
postal note is rified, the thief can
, /, readily get it--cashedi"
"Yes," said the doctor, "the
bearer of postal note is paid the
money, but the wrong person
, especially if he had robbed the
mails, would find some diffic ulty
about cashing the note, perhaps
more than they would be ready tC
: meet. For instance, whoevel
sends the note can take descrip
/. tion of it; that is the name of thu
office from which it was issued
and the one where 1t is sent, ant
!, the amount, Then the one whit
Il uses it has to sign his name at thu
y bottom and if the postmaste
g does not know him, he can also b.
i required to sign the note on tn
back in addition. 1t will not b
). so easy matter as you suppose
Besides as o rule, the amount
= will be so small as to discourag
al the running of any such risk.
y "The primary design of tn
IN postal note," resumed the Doctor
q after this DEPRESSION, is to TAX
the place of fractional currency
There has been general deman
from newspaper publishers, dea
ers in articles of merchandise {
~ small value and others, for som'
IL thing that could be used in maxim
N small remittances by mail. Ord
er nary postage stamps could not U
5g redeemed. and coin was not avail
able because it was neither sal
I'll nor convenient. The postal moi
meets this demand.'
"Suppose a merchant receive
a large quantity of these note
IN must he take them to the postoifi'
~ himself 7 asked the reporter.
er "Certainly not,Y was the repl
or "These notes are payable to bes
pt er, just as a check is. The me
chant gives them to his messeng
or clerk, and he can get the
casbed at the postoffice. He do
nv not have the trouble of assignir
r as in the case of a money ordel
"Can't he pay them out again
,bl tradef
art "If the customer will recel
ION them he cam" said the doctor vi
The a smile. "These notes are n
legal tender, and there Is no
, lection on the part of any to t.
them. I see they have been
ays fused at the United States Tres
ry because they had no facilit
for cashing them. There must
y. some one to take the postal no
Y to the post Office, either at
Office drawn upon or at the Oh
'vs of issue. The notes are paya
,as s anly at the post Office. No do
tor they will be offered OF the ban
ear and it will simply be a question
. convenience whether they
taken or not.D
. swell, doctor, why dld
~ have them such an ugly color ]
u, "The object Of that color Is
w ,,.ka tho nota anti-DhOfOgTap