The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-08-17
STAMP cANcELiNo MACHINES.

Ingenious Appliances Used In the Boston
Postofiice-Labor Saved.
These canceling machines are very in
genious devices indeed, and remarkable labor
savers. Each one of them does work equal
to that of four Of the quickest men in the do
partment. It is their business to cancel the
stamps Of the letters us they are received.
And thereby hangs tale. The Boston office
is the only postoffice in tho United States
that has the canceling machine. These in
genious appliances were invented and per-
fected some three or four years ago, and
they were placed in the postoffice for the
purpose of demonstrating their practicability
and their powers as labor savers. AS has
been said before, each Of these machines does
the work Of four men, and, consequently,
great saving is effected for the public service.
Letters and postal cards, as they fall upon
the table aforesaid -Niagaras of them are
continually streaming through the aper-
tures-are taken by the men and "faced" di-
rectly into the hopper Of the machine, where
they are automatically adjusted, stamped,
packed and propelled toward the sorting
cases, ready for distribution to outgoing
mails, all by ono continuous mechanical
operation.
These machines are speeded to run little
faster than the fastest operator can "face"
letters into them, the average speed being
from 100 to $50 letters per minute. The ma
chimes, Of course, save all the time and, space
necessary by the old hand processes. The
Boston postoft1ce pays a yearly profit of
nearly 81 SOC, 600 to the government. The
people who contribute to this profit, and are
thereby entitled to quick service, will sec
that here is tho vital point in the transmits
ion of mails, of greater importance even
than the increased speed Of fast mail trains,
because fast mails trains are not especially
valuable if the mails are left behind through
the inability of the clerks to prepare such
vast masses of matter for transportation.
The demands upon the postofice department
for more rapid transmission Of mails are fire.
quent and pressing. The working forces
have been doubled and the speed of fast
trains quickened, but the demand for still
mail matter are deposited in postoffices only
few moments before the closing Of mails,
and upon each separate letter the stamps
must be Cancelled and the postmark inn
pressed before it can leave for its destination
The work when done by hand is a source of
great delay, and often is so imperfect that
it is difficult to read the postmark.
The postofice department has accepted the
ten machines in the Boston Office at yearly
rental of $500 each, including care, repairs
and renewal Ten more machines are about
to be placed in position, and $500 more will
probably be required to supply all the large
postofices in the country. Strange as it may
seem, the postofhce, although Of tho greatest
Importance to the public, is, perhaps, the last
field in which labor saving machinery has
been adopted. 1t may be well to say that
these canceling machines were invented by a
Bostonian, Mr. Etheridge, and that they are
owned by Boston parties The machines have
now become absolutely indispensable, and
the ten now in operation save the labor and
salaries Of forty men. Their operation is
amazingly quick, and they will cancel 1000
letters in tho time it takes to write this para
graph.-Boston Herald