The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-03-23

what Provision Has Been Made for Sending
small Sums Of Money Through the Mall.
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Small Sums Of Money Through the Mall
Washington Special
The law authorizing the Scent postal
note" directs that It's provisions shall be put
into operation by the Postmaster General
within six months after the date Of its APP
proval by the President The act was signed
ON March 3 and the postal notes must, there
fore, be ready for the public by Sept 3,
1883, ut the latest The department officials
are not ready to state precisely the time ut
which they can be issued, but there
seems to be no good reason why
they should not be available ut
the opening Of the new fiscal year July i,
as 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,
are to be furnished by the Public Printer and
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, IL
their estimates are below those received
from private persons model or the pro
posed postal note is printed on the back OF
the reports of the committees OF both
houses II is about as long IA a greenback.
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 hg-
ures. One, representing dollars, Is mum
bered up TO 4; The second, representing
dimes, is numbered up to 8; the third, rep
resenting cents, is also numbered up TO q
and each series ends with a cipher. The
note liz for sums less than So. The Postmas-
ter at the office issuing the note will punch
the month and the year, the number of doll
airs, 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 sum from | cent up TO S4.@ NO
written application will be necessary. The
note will be bought like postage stamp and
xkfill hn nm N
within three months from the last day of the
month of issue. The body of the note IL q
form stating the office at which IL is issued
aud the office TO which it is 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 IL lis believed that
its convenience to all classes OF people
will be so great as TO render the
decrease in security of trifiing Importance
1t lis expected that it will take the place for
transmission of money through the mails OF
the old fractional currency. Since that was
withdrawn there has been no safe and agree
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 4,462,920 OF these
postal orders, amounting to 92, coo, 9l7, 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 the
British postal note. The note, costing three
cents, can be issued. as already stated, for
any sum from | cent up TO $3.50, 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 q 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 a 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 $40, cents; be-
tween $40 and SIS, 10 cents; between SIS
and $50, Is cents between $50 and $40, -
cents, between $40 and $50. - cents; be-
tween $50 and $50 30cents; between 600 and
$40 80 cents; between $40 and $50. 40 cents
between $50 and $780, 45 cents No money
order is TO be issued for a greater sum than
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