Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-03-29
REGISTERING LETTERS.
A Process With Which Many Peo-
pie Are Not Familiar.
The Best Way to Send Money-Getting
Identifed-PrOvIsions for Safety-The
Government VIII Not Make
Losses Good.

A good m;.ny people have at some
time or othef occasion to send money to
some other city, and the best means of
doing it is often IL puZzling question.
Business men, of course, transact their
business by means of bank drafts, but
that is means not always open to the
general public, especially when it is
desired to send money in small sums.
When your friend has found himself
''broke" in distant city you can send
him remittance by telegraph; but
that is an expensive method and will
not be resorted to except when the case
be an urgent one. You want to send
him ten-dollar bill. You are a man
of small means. having no acquaintance
at the bank, so you can not send him
draft. Therefore you have either to
jnclose the bill in a registered letter.
get a postal money order, use an eX-
press money order, or run the risk of
sending the cash by ordinary post.
Postal money orders are Il safe enough
method, but the objection to them is
that it is matter of considerable
trouble to get one, for you may have to
wait ut the post-office half an hour for
your turn, and the person to whom you
remit the money may have still more
trouble to get the order cashed. This
is because the regulations established
by the Government are rather
strict The payee has to be identified
(not an easy matter if he be in
strange city,, and he has to answer Il
lot of questions propounded by the
man in the post-office. He must be
able to tell who sent the order, and he
must sign his name to the receipt
exactly rs it was written in the appli-
cation for the original order. This
often causes trouble and confusion. So
q postal-order does not exactly fill the
bill. Express orders many people
fanny better than postal orders, be-
cause 1t Is easier to procure them and
easier to get them cashed. The reg
istered letter. however. affords the
best plan of all. 1t is delivered at its
destination by the postal-carriers, and
is quite as safe rs any other method.
In addition, you get receipt showing
that your remittance has been re-
ceiyed.
Il would like to have this letter reg
istered, please
well"
The clerk in the registry department
takes the letter, finds that there is only
two-cent stamp affixed, and that it is
not sealed. The polite clerk hands it
back to the woman who gave it to him
and tells her 10 buy and affix Il ten-cent
stamp, securely seal the letter and then
bring it back.
Don't you want to see the money
before it is sealed up?''
mo. madam" he replies; 1--WE are
not permitted to know the contents of
letters. Is every thing in that letter
you want to sendP"
''Yes, sir"
"Then seal it."
The woman then goes away, and re-
turns after time with the letter prop
erly sealed. She may have affixed the
required ten-cent stamp Cor ten cents
in stamps of a smaller denomination,
which are just as valid for the purpose):
but often the letter is offered to the
clerk with the stamp unatfixed. In
that case the clerk hands it hack and
requests the person to stick it on her.
self.
Don't have to pay you ten cents
for registering the letter." the woman
asks.
No; you pay the fee when you put
the ten cents in stamps on the envel-
ope."
The letter is once more handed to
the clerk, who now satisfies himself
that sufficient stamps have been affixed.
The rate of postage is the same as on
an ordinary letter-two cents for each
ounce or fraction of an ounce. Then
the clerk asks:
WHO sends this letter?'
IL do, sir.''
well, want your name and adj
nress across one end or on the back"
MY name and address," with sur
prise.