The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-18

ChTO6 maQe IOr UulrGy-uV6 CcuGh u tuOubluuS
or at the rate of thirty for a cent, and the
contractors are complaining that they can
make no money at these rates. The weight
of tho paper, the character of the engraving
and the texture of the card are fixed by
contract, and the cards are supplied to the
postmasters from the factory. The govern
ment has no great store-house for the keep
ing Of postal cards or postage stamps, and
all matter of this kind Ia sent out upon
requisition from the places where it il
made. The greatest care ia taken in send
ing out the postal supplies. in order that
the postmaster may not get more than the
actual needs of his Office, or an amount ex-
ceedinR his bonded liability.
The ordinary postage STAMPS cost the
government a little more than seven cents a
thousand and these stamps are all made
under contract and by private firms. Inc
stamped envelopes cost proportionately
much more. but the government endeavors
to increase the sale of these over the stamps
to as great an extent as possible. It sells
the envelopes at about cost and you can
not buy of the s%tationers envelopes of an
equal quality at the cost of the stamped
envelopes after deductinR the face value
of the postage. The use of slammed envel-
falling off in the mails, and 1T lessons the
number of letters which come to the dead
letter Office. The paper OF which they are
made has a water mark which etfectually
prevents counterfeitinR, and there is no
danger Of any one trying to wash the ink Oft
of 4 stamped envelope and thereby use it a
second time for postage. The first stamped
envelopes were issued in 1853, OF the two
denominations OF three six cents, n
it was not until two years later that the
ten-cent envelope was added. In 1860
there was a new series. including a one and
a four cent stamp, and as soon as the war
broke out a new set of designs had to be
gotten out and new envelopes made. In
June, 1863, we put out a tWo-cent stamped
envelope, and the next year we had stamped
envelopes of the denominations OF I, 2. 3,
g., 8, 10, IL, IS, 20, "a, 30 and 40 cents. The
envelopes containing a printed request for
return on their outsides unless delivered
within a certain number of days, were
first issued in 1866, and they wero very pop
ular. In 1870 there was a new series which
left out the forty-cent stamp and included
a 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 gov
eminent 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 q two-cent stamp and In
October, 1870, the n cent stamp was
added. The increase of newspaper wrap
pers and stamped envelopes had been steady
since their reduction, and last year 451 ,000,-
600 Of the two were issued. or these 22O,
600, COO 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 en-
velopes as there is in the postage stamps.
There is an art in postage stamps and the
United States has stood high among the en-
pravers 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 the 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 a stamp the work is largely
lone in accordance with the colors in which
| the stamp is to be printed. If the stamp is
| to be of q dark green it will need a differ
ent sort of engraving from what 1t would
receive 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 a color
has been changed from the one which was
originally adopted when the engraving was
made.
This, it seems to me, was the trouble
with the green stamp which has lust gone
out of use. The engraving was not adapted
to the color The green three.cent stamp
was a work of fine art, and il you will take
the old green three and compare it with the
late green two, you will see hat l mean by
engraving in accordance with color. In the
green three-oent stamp the background Of
the oval is heavily shaded and tho head
stands out in strong relief. In the
two-cent stamp the background is lighter.
and that gives the stamp a lack Of strong
contrast and makes it look fiat and tame.
The engraving upon q stamp is necessarily
the work of the best artists, and to look at
the new stamps you would not imagine the
amount of time and thought which is spent
upon them. The new stamps are smaller
than the old ones. They are in better pro-
portion, and + doubt not they will be vary
popular with the people. A. D. HAzEN.
fN,,utrEA# . F-.- "LN"L' -