Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-04

"A Clerk Discovers that the Departments
Efficiency is ThreAtened.


Efficiency is ThrcAtened
apo you know what the effect Of this
new postal law Will be on the depart
mentY' asked postal clerk Of NEWS
reporter Yesterday The reply being in
the negative, the stamp cancellor edged
into corner and whispered significantly:
"WeH, you can lust announce that the
service is in serious danger Of being
crippled. The department is about to be
swamped.o
81 see you don't understand" he con-
tluued Nv ednesday morning the new
law wcntinto effect, and a two-cent stamp
will now carry twice as big letter as
before
"rho business men are loading down
the mail bags with ounce letters then,
En-"
ono, it amt that. We don't mind that,
Of course, and the Increase there is not
as heavy as you would expect either.
They will write all they have TO say
whether 10 weighs half an ounce or halt
"a pound. Their correspondence mas to
go, but as rule they do not write long
letters. Generally they put all they
want 20 say on one sheet and small one
at that. The danger is not from the com
merciRl people. II is these Young girls
and the fellows that are stuck on them.
Why, they write pretty near book OF
gush and love TO one another. Some Of
their letters are regular duodecimO vol
umes. These little calico seraphs never
know when to stop when they once get a
sheet headed 10 "Denr Charley" And
the young fellows They take box of
pink note paper and there is mighty
little left when they stop. Postage used
to be "A big item in the expense account Of
the So "a week clerk. Their love letters
were big enough then, but ever since
Congress got to tinkering at reduced
postage IL has been growing evil. When
tWo-cent stamps were substituted for the
green three centers two years ago this
class OF tinted periumed mail matter at
once increased in volume. Congress
ought to be more careful. II is well
enough to reduce the postage on
business mail, but on such stuff as this it
ought TO put the postage higher. tell
you it is going 10 interfere with
the proper handling Of the mails.
But there is some talk OF
the Postmaster General issuing a order
covering the question and requiring SEN
timental correspondents TO put four cents
worth of postage on all of their letters
that weigh between One-half and one
ounce"
Elsewhere a great many mistakes have
been made by persons who supposed
that if "A two-cent stamp Will carry let
ter weighing an ounce, one cent ought TO
carry Tor half ounce letter. Postmaster
Wilson says that this has not occurred
here yet Every day four or i've letters
having only a one cent stamp are dropped
IN the Office or IN a box.
The ounce standard for letter weight
has long been in use in England. This
rate OF two cents per ounce, or fraction
thereof, will be the regular rate for letters
and sealed packages, except drop or local
letters, which are one cent. Tire rate of
newspapers, when mailed by the publish
ers, is reduced from two cents to one cent
per pound. If others than the publishers
mail them, one cent is charged for every
four ounces, or four cents pound. Mark
ing an article, without writing, does not
increase the rate. Some of the postal
regulations are very peculiar, and at
times porpleX the best Of the clerks.
A photograph weighing an ounce and
half, inclosed In an unsealed envelope.
will 70 all the way to England with only
a one cent stamp. II addressed to At
lanta it will take TWO cents to send it, as
the foreign and domestic postal regula-
tiOus are different.
An engraving or chrome weighing two
ounces or less Is mailable at one cent,
while the oil painting, Of which both are
copies, must have two cent stamp if it
weighs two ounces. Half cent an ounce
is charged on Autographs, and one cent
on drawings.