Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-10-01
A GROWL AT THE POSTAL DEPART
MENT

1t is probably well known to the travel
ing, and what is known as 'the stranger
public" that the most difficult of things
to accomplish is to procure by purchase a
postage stamp in a city without going to
the postoffice. We knew of an instance
recently where citizen desiring to mail
package after the postoffice stamp-win-
dow closed, traversed almost the entire
length of and K streets in the vain en-
deavor to purchase ten cents worth of
postage stamps. Our own experience in
San Francisco recently was, that between
Mason and Battery streets, on Market, and
between Post and Washington streets, on
Montgomery and Kearny, such thing as
postage stamp could not be procured
even at double its value, except at one OBJ
scure place, the very last one would be
likely to enter upon such quest. AS to
procuringa special delivery stamp in either
San Francisco or Sacramento, without
trip to the postoffce, that is a
matter of impossibility, though the Gov
ernment makes a net profit of two cents
upon the use of each one and encourages
their sale. Indeed, in nearly all cases in
either city, where inquiry is made for
Stamps" the applicant is treated with
gruffness and evidences of weary sort of
annoyance that tells the tale of soured dis
positions among shopmen because of the
multiplicity of applications to purchase
postage stamps, which in itself proves how
much the public is inconvenience. Now
and then an accommodating stationer or
druggist is found in large city who keeps
postage stamps, postal cards and postal
letter sheets for sale. But these people are
rare, and when discovered are found to be
phenomenally sweet-tempered, amiabIe and
lovers Of the humankind in the broadest
sense. As such kindly creatures are few
the opportunities to procure Uncle Sans
public frank is very limited In day and
age of public conveniences, when we can
have the use of the telephone messenger
call, postal box, street car, the bootblack
and the ever present saloon at every dozen
or SO steps, it is rather singular that no
provision has been made to accommodate
the public with facilities for procuring
Government stamps at official stations well
distributed. As the custom now is, the en-
tire public of great city must visit the
postotfice, no matter how distant, to pro-
cure so small an article as a one-cent
stamp. 1t would be a public convenience
and positive blessing if the Postoffice
Department at Washington would estab-
lish official stations for the sale of stamps.
This 1t can do without the expenditure of
dollar. Let it simply make a small dis
count upon the sale of postal supplies of
the kind indicated to hotel-keepers, sta
tioners, druggists, and such other "people
of the counter" as it may on application
and assurance of business integrity desig-
nate as official sellers of postal supplies"
The percentage off should be sufficient to
cover the interest ard compensate for the
trouble involved. Under such regula-
ton the necessary number of shopmen
would engage in the business, since the
limitation of official designation would
give some character to the position. Ger
tainly something of this kind or in this
direction should be done to accommodate
the public, which is now seriously incon-
yenienced in sosmall matter--apparently
-as the procuring of postage stamps.