The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-21
SALES AT STAMP COUNTER
kI..-.N...
Sl14,675.s3

Total................ Sl1467b.S3
Included in the list Of stamps are sums
paid for stamps which are never sold. That
is, there are stamps which are not sold In the
ordinary way by being handed over the
counter to the purchaser. These are the
newspaper stamps for which collectors
are willing to pay such big prices. These
are larger than the ordinary stamp and are
OF rather handsome design. They are issued
In denominations Of 1, 2, 4, 6. s, 10. r. "A, 36,
4S, 60, 81 and 90 cents and 81 90. $500, $500
and S12. Newspapers pay postage on their
issue at the rate Of / cent pound. These
papers are sent into the office, where they
are weighed. The proper amount In stamps
Is cancelled and then pasted In book kept
at the stamp counter and charged to the pub
fishers Of the papers. This amount Is set
tied at stated times. AS Uncle Sam does not
trust anybody. the papers are required TO
deposit with the postmaster sum sufficient
to cover the bill likely to be incurred for
there newspaper stamps. At the end Of
every quarter all cancelled stamps are sent
to Washington. and the department uses
them In settling Its account with the office
from which they were received. Another
kind Of stamp not sold over the counter Is
the postage due stamp. This is the stamp
which the postofice afixes TO letters bearing
insufficient postage. The proper amount Is
then collected from the persons to whom the
letters are addressed.
So 1t will be seen that the two young la
dies at the stamp window in the Portland
postoffice do big business. and are not em-
ployed merely 20 band out stamps and take
in, hnk nj hanR
clerks, too.
THE BANKING DEPARTMENT.
But the stamp clerks are not the only busy
persons In the postoffice building. BY their
side are the three ladies who conduct the
banking business which Uncle San does In
connection with the postOffice. Uncle Sam
uel has not yet established the postal savings
banks advocated by Postmaster Genera
Wanamaker, but will take your money and
see that 1t is promptly paid to your creditors
or friends ali over the world. For this pur-
pose. there are the old fashioned and still
popular money orders and the new postal
notes. Here again we find that tire Portland
postOffice does business extending ali over
the state. Every day. the money order offices
east Of Bangor, remit to the postofice In that
city DdDBOE IOllo inc
results of its own business, along TO Augusta.
Augusta adds wfat 1t has received at It's
own office and small Offices round about md
sends IL along to Portland. The pOstoftice
In this city, In like manner sends 10 Boston
and Boston sends to New York, where Is To-
| Gated the clearing house Of this government
system of exchange. In round numbers, the
transactions In the money order business at
| New York In the year 1890, reached Sll4, ,OO0,-
900. Now all this makes Just so much more
work for the money order clerks in the Port
land office, who have to handle this business
from outside as we'll as that originating here
The government does its business on a care
fully prepared system Of checks and counter.
checks to prevent loss by mistakes or wrong
doing. When person buys a money order
he Is required to write himself an applica-
tion on blank furnished for the purpose
This application is filed in the office Issuing
the order. The order Is given to the person
applying, who hands his application and the
money to the clerk. Then duplcate Oh tns
money order, called a letter of advice Is ior-
warded by the postofice issuing the oroer 70
the Office where 1t Is payable. The person 20
whom the order was issued sends it 10 the
person in whose favor IL was drawn ana, II
the letter of advice has arrived, and IL gen.
erally has. the money order clerk compares
| the two and makes the payment In addi-