The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-18

postlnasters from the factory. The govern
inent has no great storshouse for the keep
ing of pogtal cards or postage stamps, aud
all matter of this kind is sent out upon
requis;tion from the places where it is
MADE. The greatest care is taken in send
ing out postal supplies, in order that the
postmaster may not get moro than the act
ual needs of his Office, or an amount exceed
ing his bonded liability.
The ordinary postage stamps cost the
government q little more than cents a
thousand and these stamps are ali made
under contract and by private firms. The
stamped envelope cost proportionately
much more, but the government endeavors
10 increase the sale OF these over the stamps
to as great an extent as possible. 1t sells
the envelopes at Gbout cost and you cannot
buy OF the stationers envelopes of an equal
quality at the cost Of the stamped envelopes
after deducting the face value of the post
age. The use OF the stamped envelopes OBJ
viates the danger Of the stamps falling off
IN the mails, and it lessons the number of
letters which come to the dead letter
Office. The paper of which they are
made has water mark which effectually
prevents counterfeiting aud there II no dan.
ger OF any one trying to wash the ink off a
stamped envelope and thereby use it sec.
ond time for postage. The first stamped
envelopes were issued IN 1858, of the two
determinations of and cents, and il was
not until two years later that the 10-cent
envelope was added. In 1860 there was q
new series, including and Accent stamp,
and as soon as the war broke out new set
OF designs had to be got out
1868, we put out 2cent
stamped envelope, and the next year we
bad stamped envelopes Of the denominations
OF /, :, 8, d, 8, 10, -, IS, 20. "A. 80 and 40
cents. The envelopes containing printed
request for return on their outsdes unless
delivered within certain number OF DAYS,
were first issued II 1865, and they were
very popular. IN 1870 there was a new
series which left out the 40-cent stamp and
included 90-cent stamp. These envelopes
are now in use with the exception of the 10
and 24-cent stamped envelopes, which have
been discontinued. The government now
Issues seven different sizes of stamped en-
velopes and of three different qualities of
paper.
TIE stamped newspaper wrapper was
first adopted in 1851. AID the department
sold 100000 Of these during the first three
months following their issue. They were
first made bearing cent stamp, and III
Oct Der, 1870, tho l-cent stamp was added.
The increase Of newspaper wrappers and
stamped envelopes had been steady since
their reduction, and last year 451 900, COO Of
the two we're issued OF these, 220, 600 600
OF the envelopes bore 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 pos; age stamps.
There is an art IL 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 the stamps. The stamp
collectors OF the world now number huu-
dreds or thousands, and every stamp is
scrutlnized In Its mlnutest details. Our
stamps are sent abroad in large numbers,
and rnany people know America as much
by its postage stamps as by anything else
In engraving a stamp the work is largely
done in accordance with the colors in
which the stamp is to be printed Ii the
stamp Is to be Of a dark green it will need
a different sort Of engraving from what it
would receive were the color to be brown
or red. This can be easily seen by looking
at different stamps and by noting the bad
effects which have bee produced when a
color has been changed from the enc which
was originally adopted wien the engraving
was made.
This, it seems to me, was the trouble with
the green st mp which has just gone out of
USE The engraving was not adapted to the
color. The green scent stamp was q work
of fine art, aad il you viii take the old
green 3 and compare it with the late green
=, you will see what l mean by en-
craving in accordance with color. In the
green 3.cent stamp the background of
the oval is heavily shaded, and the head
stands out in strong relief. In the
2-cent stamp the background is lighter
and this gives the stamp q lack of strong
contrast and makes it look fat and tame.
The engraving upon stamp is necessarily
tho work or she est artists, and to look at
the new stamps you would not imagine the
amount of lime and thought which is spent
upon them. The new stamps are smaller
than the old ones They are in better
proportion and / doubt not they will be
very popular with the people.
A. D. HAZEN.