The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-18


they can make no money at these rates.
The weight Of the paper, tue character of
the engraving and the texture OF tue card
are fixed by contract, and the cards are
supplied to the postmasters from the fac
tory. The government has no great store
house for the keeping Of postal CARDS or
postage stamps, and all matter of this kind
is sent out upon requisition from the places
where it is made. The greatest care is
taken in sending out postal supplies, IN
order that the postmaster may not get more
than the actual needs of his Office, or an
amount exceeding his bonded liability.
The ordinary postage stamps cost the
government q little more than seven cents
thousand and these stamps are all made
under contract and by private firms. The
stamped envelopes cost proport onately
much more, but the government endeavors
to increase the sale of these over the stamps
to as great an extent as possible. 1t sells
the envelopes at about cost and you cannot
buy of the statloners envelopes of an equal
quality at the cost of the stamped envel-
opes after deducting the face value Of the
postage. The use of stamped envelopes
obviates the danger of the stamps falling
off 10 the mails, and it lessons the number
OF letters which come TO the dead letter Of
fee. The paper of which they are made
has water mark which effectually pre-
vents counterfeiting, and there is no dan
ger Of anyone trying to wash the ink off of
stamped envelope and thereby use it q
second time for postage.
THE FIRST STAMPED ENVELOPES
were issued in 1858, of the two denomina-
tions of three and six cents, and it was not
until two years later that the ten cent en-
velope was added. In 1860 there was q new
series, including a one and q four cent
stamp, and as soon as the war broke out a
set of designs had to be gotten out and new
envelopes made. In June, 1868, we put out
two-csnt stamped envelope and the next
year we had stamped envelopes of the de-
nominations of l, ,, 3, 6, 9, 10, II, IS, 20 "a,
so and 40 cents. The envelopes containing
printed request for return on their out
sides unless delivered within a certain num-
Der of days, were first issued in 1865, and
they were very popular. In 1870 there was
| a new series which left out the forty cent
stamp and included ninety-cent stamp.
| These envelopes are now in use with the
exception of the twelve and twenty-four-
cent stamped envelopes, which have been
discontinued. The government now issues
seven different sizes of stamped envelopes
and of three different qualities of paper.
THE STAMPED NEWSPAPER
wrapper was first adopted in 1861, and the
department sold one million of these during
the first three months following their issue.
They were first made bearing a two cent
stamp and ID October, 1870, the one-cent
stamp was added. The increase of news
paper wrappers and stamped envelopes
has been steady since their reduction, and,
last year 451, 600, 600 OF the two were issued.
/ OF these 22O, 000, 900 of the envelopes bore a
request for return to the writer in case they
were not called for.
There is not the same scope for the en-
graver in the making of the stamped on
! veiopes as there Is in the postage stamps.
| There is an art in postage stamps and the
United States has stood high among the en-
gravers of the world for years as to the
beauty and finish Of its stamps. The stamp
collectors OF the world now number hun
dreds of thousands and every stamp IS
scrutinized in its minutest details Our
stamps are sent abroad in large numbers,
and many people know America as much
by its postage stamps as by anything else.
In engraving stamp the work is largely
done in accordance with The colors In which
the stamp is to be printed. If the stamp is
to be of dark green 1t will need different
sort OF engraving from what II would re-
ceive were the color to be brown or red
This can be easily seen by looking at differ
ent stamps and by noting the bad effects
which have been produced when color
has been changed from the one which was
originally adopted when the engraving was
made
his III soeIQS 10 Ile was tue IrOuDlo Will
the green stamp which has just gone out Of
use. The engraving was not adapted to the
color. The green three-cent stamp was
work of fine art, and if you will take the
old green three and compare il with thu
late green two, you will see what l NEAR
by engraving in accordance with color. Ir
the green three cent stamp the background
of the oval is heavily shaded and the heat
stands outin strong relief. In the two cen
stamp the background is lighter and THU
gives the stamp u lack Of strong contras
aud makes il look fat and tame. The en-
craving upon q stamp is necessarily tn
work of the best artists, and to look at tht
new stamps you would not imagine tn
amount of time and thought which is spen
upon them. The new stamps are smalle
, than the old ones. They are in better pro
portion and I doubt not they will be yer,
popular with the people.
A. d. HAzEN.