The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-09-28
REGISTERED LETTERS.
One Branch Of the Postal Service That
Needs Encouragement.

The postal service of the United
States Is about as undeveloped, when
compared with that of foreign coun
tries, as the railroad service in those
countries is behind the times wner
compared with the state of advance
ment "railroading" has reached in
America. In Canada it costs but 2
cents to register a domestic letter
and but 3 cents to register q foreign
letter. In the United States it costs
10 cents to register letter, whether
it is to 60 from Astoria to Portland
or from Astoria to New Orleans.
While other postal charges have
been reduced from time to time, the
registration fee has remained the
same for more than twenty years.
II the government could afford to dc
the service Immediately after the war
when the cost of everything 'buyable
was much greater than it is now, fol
10 cents, it ought certainly to be able
to do it now for q much less amount
The fact is there is no reason. save
the law to that effect, why we should
pay more than cents for the regis
tering of domestic letter, which is
cents, or more than twice as much as
is charged by the Canadian govern.
ment.
The present charges are 80 high
that they amount to q prohibitive taz
on the sending of small amounts OF
money by registered letter. This is
much to be regretted, as Of all the
means that have been devised. for
sending money through the mails
there is none which has so much to
recommend it to popular favor as this.
The postof6ce money order is rem
dered as often as not more of an an
noyance than a benefit by the exasper-
sting red tape through which one has
to go either to draw or collect 1T; and
the postal note affords no security
whatever. The money order device,
because of the red tape in which it is
enshrouded, is also an unjust tax
upon the country to the amount OF
millions of dollars which find their
way TO the treasury from postoffices
throughout the country, where for
some of many reasons orders which
have been issued have not been col
lected.
The registered letter at once avoids
the red tape Of the money order and
the risk Of the postal note. 1t has,
moreover, many advantages pos.
sessed by neither of the other con-
trivances for the safe transmission of
money through the mails. Not the
least important of these is the fact
that the sender of each letter or par
eel obtains receipt from the person
to whom it is addressed by the first
returning mail, which not only tells
him that the money or other valua-
BILE thing has reached its destination,
but which may be of great value us
evidence should the sending of the
package ever be called in question.
That the registry system is not
more generally made use of is solely
due to the exorbitant charges asked
for the service. The cost to main
tain and conduct it can be but little.
il any, greater than in other coun.
tries, and congress cannot improve
the postal service in any way that
will benefit the people more than the
reduction Of the registration fee to an
amount sufficient simply to cover the
cost of its maintenance, which. it
seems, cannot possibly be more than
D cents per letter or package.