The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-03-29
TIE POSTAL NOTES.
what Provision Has Been Made for Sending
Small sums Of Money Through the Mall.
4

what PROVISION Has Been Made Tor Sending
Small sums Of Money Through the Mall.
Washington Special.j
The law authorizing the Scent spostal
note" directs that Its provisions shall be put
into operation by the Postmaster General
within six months after the date of its APP
proyal by the President The act was signed
on March 3 and the postal notes must, there
fore. be ready for the public by Sept .,
1883, ut the latest The department officials
are not ready to state precisely the time at
which they can be issued, Int there
seems to be no good reason why
they should not be available ut
the opening Of the new fiscal year, July |,
rs the new law requires little additional
machinery. Some time will be consumed in
advertising for proposals for the new blanks,
etc, that are necessary. which, however.
IRE to be furnished by the Public Printer and
tie bureau of Engraving and Printing. II
their estimates are below those. received
from private persons A model OF the pro-
posed postal note u printed on the back Of
the reports of the committees Ut both
houses 1t Is about as long rs agTeenback.
At the right hand are two columns giving
the months of the year, and the dates
Of twelve years beginning with the present.
At the left hand are three columns of fig
nres. One. representing dollars, Is num-
bered up to 4, the second, representing
dimes is numbered mp to =: the third, rep
Tesenting cents, Is also numbered up to y,
and each series ends with cipher The
note IL for sums less than S5. The Postmas-
ter ct the Office issuing the note will punch
the month and the year. the number OF doll
ars, number of dimes and number of cents
in their respective columns. thus preventing
any alteration of the amount or date BY
this system the postal notes can be issued
for any sim from l cent mp to $I.9 No
written application will be necessary. The
note will be bought like a postage stamp and
will be payable to the bearer at any time
within three months from the last day of tho
month of issue The body OF the note Is q
form stating the Office at which it is issued
ard the office to which 1t il sent When
paid the person obtaining payment puts his
signature upon the note. 1t is not claimed
that the postal note furnishes the same ele-
ments OF security as the postal order now in
use, where the senders name Is privately
forwarded to the Office where the order
is to be paid; but it is believed that
its convenience to all classes Of people
will be 50 great US to render the
decrease in security Of trifling importance
II is expected that 1t will take the place for
transmission of money through the mails Of
the old fractional currency. Since that was
able way of transmitting small sums except
by postage stamps, which are not regarded
with favor as currency, or by the cumber-
some process of the postal order. The pos
tai note system has been in use in Great
Britain just two years with great popular
acceptance The last annual report
Of the British Postmaster Gen.
eral shows that 4, AL so of these
postal orders, amounting to fo,GOu, OF, had
been issued in one year. The average time
they were In circulation was six days. show
ing that there was no foundation for the
idea that they would be devoted to perma-
nent use as currency. The United States
postal note is, however, better adapted to
public use in several respects than theI
British postal note. The note costing three
cents. can be issued, rs already stated for
any sum from | cent up to 34ga. while
the British notes can be issued only for
ten fixed amounts from shilling to ~
shillings, no provisions being made for inter-
mediate sums. Our postal note will require
only single blank form, while the
British system calls for ten different
blanks for the ten grades of orders The fee
for the lowest British postal note Is q half
penny; for the highest, pence. The fee for
United States postal note will be the same in
all cases up to s5-3 cents The new rates
for postal orders, which are to some extent
reductions on existing rates. are as follows:
For orders not exceeding Sl0, 8 cents; be-
tween $40 and SIS, 10 cents; between SIS
and $50. Is cents: between $50 and $40, 70
cents; between $40 and $50. % cents; be-
tween $50 and 500 80 cents; between $40 and
$40, So cents: between SO and $50 40 cents;
between $50 and SION. 45 cents No money
order is to be issued for q greater sum than
SlU0