Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-16


something about the work of the chief
Official of the postof1ce department.
Nearly every village aud hamlet in the
United States now has its postoffice, but
the system through which this conven-
fence has been brought about has been a
gradual growth. One improvement has
followed after another, until now we
have one of the finest postal services to
be found in the world. A few years ago
in some of our cities and in some sections
of our country private corporations, and
sometimes private individuals, carried
the mails. Now, however, it may be
said that the matter Of mail transporta-
ton is a government monopoly. The
government will not allow any interfer-
ence with its performance of these du-
ties, and why? Well, first, because the
revenues for the support of the service
might thereby be impaired. and second,
this exclusive assumption assures to all
the people the best postal advantages.
You would not be allowed, for instance,
to start an express wagon for the con-
veyance of letters over any route where
the mail is now regularly carried; nor
would person in u city be allowed to
take letters addressed to different parties
out of the postoffice, and deliver the
same IN place of the regular public car
rieT.
one Of the most beneficial develop
ments of the postal service has been that
which has had reference to the safe
transportation of money.
First, we have the system Of register
ing valuable letters. Instead of putting
your money in an ordinary envelope and
sending it with the usual amount of
postage you pay ten cents additional
postage, and, by q system of records
and receipts, the postonlce can keep
track of the letter through its various
officials after it has left your hands up
to the time il is given to the person to
whom it is addressed, and whose receipt
for its safe delivery you will finally re-
ceiye.
This plan worked so we'll that after
awhile the government gave us the
money order system. The amount of
money sent every day by thousands of
people from one part of the country to
the other is enormous, and the money
system grew out of the wonderful in
crease in our population and the immense
territory comprised in the United States
Then, too, We are a restless people.
Brothers, sons and daughters leave their
old homes III the East and West or
South TO better their business prospects,
or on account Of marriage. In the mer-
camille world small sums of money are
continually being sent from one part of
the country 10 the other. How con-
venient, then, TO have safe
and cheap method of transmitting
such sums? The money order system
has answered this purpose admirably.
You simply go to the postoffice, buy your
order, pay small fee for 1t, and send it
to the party who is to have the money.
For the small sum of five cents, for in
stance, you can safely send the sum of
So from your home TO the most distant
point IN the United States. You are
quite aware that we have large number
of emigrants arrive on our shores. One
of the recent improvements in this
money-order system was to extend the
system to the leading countries of Eu-
rope. For small sum the servant girl
and the day labOrer can now send poT-
tion of their earnings to their aged rela-
tiYes they left behind in the land of their
birth. Among the numerous improve
ments that have been made in the postal
system during recent years it seems to me
that the money -order system has been
one productive of the greatest amount of
convenience.
The facilities for the delivery of mail
matter by carriers IN large cities have
greatly increased of late and are doubt
less quite familiar TO you, for boys and
girls are sure to receive letters or pack
ages at some season of the year and to
know that the pOStman s ring may be
expected at just such minute, for he is
never known to fail. Emerson, our
great American philosopher, mentioned
in one of his essays as a proof that men
supposed TO be, the fact that thousands
of ordinary lettets can travel daily over
the country and be put safely in the
hands of their owners without having
been lost or tempered with by the numer-
GUS hands through which they have |
passed. The number of lost letters is |
growing smaller and smaller every year, !
and, and 1t may be said, nine times out |
of ten when letters are lost or miscarried |
it is through the carelessness of the send |
ers and not the postoffioe employees.
One OF the most important branches of |
the modern postal service is what is call /
ed the railway mail service. This !
branch is under the charge of general |
superintendent. ] is his duty to super
wise the distribution and dispatch of the /
mails on all railroads and inland steam
boat mail lines, the management of the |
ldllMdS pOSldi car SGINlCS anu iu6 SSH-
eTal direction of the mail service on rail-
roads and inland steamboats, after the
service has been contracted for under |
the law by the postmaster general.
Years ago it was found that much of
the work of sorting the mail between
stations far apart could be done on cars,
and. with that end in view, accommoda-
tions for such service were provided.
For this branch of the postoffice work the
country Is divided into nine divisions,
each division being in charge of divis-
ion superintendent. This work is very
arduous, and much of il has to be lone
at night, special detail of clerks being
for that purpose, who get their
sleep during the day and long after you
and have retired for the night.
Certain crimes, called sfpostal
Grimes have been developed IN the
growth of the postal service. Some of
these are the forgery or counterfeiting of
a postal money order, forging postage
stamps, injuriDg mailing matter or mail
ing boxes, stealing government property
and opening or destroying letters.
w NM unTrnu raadars