The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-01-27

girls, the one who turns the pocket-shaft
and the one who counts the contents of
one of the pockets empty and pack up
each three pockets. The third girl is
therefore required to empty and pack up
the contents flour pockets, with nothing
else to do. Theyellow paper band that is
wrapped about each package OF twenty
| iiYe cards is ready gummed, SO that the
three pocket-tenders are able TO work
with alacrity as it is evident that they
must do in order to stack mp all the post
al-cards used in the United States. The
packages of twenty-five each are placed
| IN piles of ten each, and two OF these
piles are packed into a strawboard box,
each box thus containing 500 cards. The
Strawboard boxes are made rapidly on
the spot'by an ingenious machine The
| whole machinery for making postal
cards, after the cardboard is received
from the paper-mill, could be operated
in a room Thirty feet Square. This, of
course, would not be sufficient for storing
material and stock, .....trf.
The Government makes contracts for
postal cards to continue in force four
wears. The present contractwas entered
into on July l, 1881, with Messrs. Wool
worth q Graham, of New York. 1t is
understood that the Fort Orange Paper
Company now participates in the con-
tract. The Government agency is in
charge of Mr.. Alfred Tanner, of Kings
ton, who has seven clerks and assistants
to do the bookkeeping, shipping and
supervision. These are employed by the
Government under the direction of the
Third Assistant Postmaster General
The contractors employ in the card fac
tory proper about twenty persons--men,
boys and girls Managers, employees
and all hands board in the village, which
is little more than mile from the works.
This force produces and packs an
average of about 100000 postal cards
each working day. The total product
last year was 350,000,000, and as the
cards are all made at Castleton factory,
the product measures the number of
cards used in the country. If the de-
mand at the factory averages /, $50, 900
q day, it follows that only an average of
one and quarter card is used daily by
every fifty people in the country This
shows less general use of postal cards
than many might estmatewithout some
thing like definite data. The rate of in
crease in the use Of cards during the year
ended June so, 1879, over previous years
was 1902 per cent. For the year ended
June 80, $780, the increase was % per
cent, and for the last fiscal year it was
about the same. The increase is believed
to be mostly in business quarters, where
they are used for advertising. For pri-
vate correspondence the cards do not
seem to be as popular as they were when
they were first authorized in this coun-
try,
The cost of postal-cards to the Cover
ment under the present contract, as
compared with the cost under former
contracts is something remarkable, when
it is observed that the size and quality
are either the same or better The CON
tract price for four years prior TO July l,
1877, was S1.39B per ZOO; for the,four
years ending June 80, 1881, twas $50
cents per 1000, but under the present
contract it is only 54.43 cents per 1000.
Being sold at $40 per l, 900 to the public,
the Government receives S9.49I per
1000 for carrying them broadcast
through the mails. A thousand postal
Se'AuS NClSh SlA pOuuuS anu IL qudrIGI,
according to the Government contract
with Messrs. Woolworth & Graham. The
cost of the agency for salary on agent
and assistants was, for the year ending
June 80. 1881, $500.
All orders for cards are sent by local
postmasters to the Post-office Depart
ment at Washington. Each days orders
are there made up into schedule con-
tanning the name of the Post-office. the
name of the Postmaster who makes the
order, the number of the cards wanted,
and several other entries of ''red-tape''
nature. One copy of the schedule is
sent to Agent Tanner at Castleton, and
another is keptin the Department. The
orders are filled at once. All amounts
under 1000 are sent in mail-sacks.
Orders for 1000 or more are sent in
wooden cases under the Post-office
registry system. The packing cases are
gradua d in size to contain 1900, 1900
5000, 1900, $4,000, 10000, 10000 and
$4,000 cards in original packages of 500
each. 7''''N" ''' '''
.. .... .