The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-02-15

tne Infee girls DaS 10 turn the pocket
shaft every time the feeder calls ''tally,"
and another has to count the cards in
any one pocket, so as to see that the
count of the boy who feeds in the strips
is correct. Every twenty-five strips pro-
duces $50 cards, delivered equally in ten
pockets. II, any one of them contains
twenty-five cards, each of the other nine
must contain like number. In order
to. equalize the labor among the three
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. She third girl is
therefore required tesempty and pack. up
thoc contents of four pockets, with nothing
Helse todo. The yellow paper band that IS
wrapped about each package oftwenty-
five cards isready gummed, so that the
three poeket-tenders are able to work
with alaerity, as it is evident that they
must doin order to stack up all the post
akcards 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 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 cardbosrtt IS received.
from the paper-mill, could be operated
in a room thirty feet square. This, of
courses would not be sufficient for storing
material and stock
The Government makes contracts for
postal cards to continue in force. four.
years. The present contract was entered
into ON July1,, 1881, with Messrs. Wool
worth & Graham, of New York. It 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 aud girls Managers, i ennplOye es
and all hands boardin the village, which
is little more than sn1ile from the works.
This force produces and packs an
baverage of about ,250,000 postal cards
each working day. The total product
last year was. 350, 900, 900, and as the
cards are. all made at Castleton factory,
tthei prodtict measures the number of
cards atsed in the country. If the de-
mand at the factory averages 1850. 900
a day, it follows that only an average of
one and a quarter card is used daily by
! every fifty people in the, country. This
shows-a less general use of postal cards
/ than many nymightestimate without some
thing ike definite data. The rate in
crease in the ejiseef carsfs during the year
ended June 80, 1879, over previous years
ANas 1902 percent.g FQrthesyear ended
June 80, 1880, 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 tirstgauthorized in this coun-
try. tas' iss!e 5fs aaeg7Yu z1ya
ni The costo postal-cards to the Cover
ment under the present. contract, as
t-compared with the cost under former
contracts is omething remarkable, when
it is observed that the size and quality
are either the same or. better. The con
tract price for four years prior 20 July l.,
4 1877, was 81 s3955 per 1,000;, for the four
years ending June so, 1881, il was 90
cents per i, 200. but sunder=the present
contract il, is onlYs54 43 cents per !, ZOO.
Being sold at $40 per 1, 900 to the public,
the Government receives SO .491 per
1000 for carrying them broadcast
Through the mails. "A thousand postal
cards weigh six pounds and a quarter,
according to the Government's contract
fwith Messrs. Woolworth & Graham. The
/ cost of the agency for salary on agent
and assistants was, for the year ending
June 80, 1881, $780, Il A
I All orders for cards are sent by local
/ postpasters to the Past-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 otherentries of a 'red7 tape
nature. One copy of the schedule is
sent tosAgent Tanafer at Gastleton, and
another is Kept in the Department. The
orders are filled at once. AL amounts
UNDER 1900 are sent in rnail-sacks.
Orders for .2,O00 or more are sent in
wooden cases under the Post office
registry system. The packing cases are
graduated in size to contain 1000, 4,00G
5000, 8,o0o, 12,000. 16. 600, &c, 900 and
25,000 cards insoigiAai packagesof SOC
each. : : 2 va .-s7a-A - "a 'FsAss g
se Ceolnesa ErGE
IL EAsserenfrl. a1biph schair and q osthae.