The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-07-14
Facts About Postage Stamps.

from Kate Fields Washington:
Il is barely fifty years since this conve
nlence was introduced into the Unite,
states. The stamp is q little older il
England. When first introduced DOS
tage stamps were sold in solid sheets
VI course a great many were wasted ir
the effort to tear them apart when there
were no perforations. Indeed, the los.
ana inconvenience was so great that the
government offered liberal reward TO,
patent which would overcome the diff
ficulty.
Inc first machine submitted was one
which cut the stamps nearly but not en-
'lrely apart. While the Postotfice De-
partment was considering this machine
the idea of perforating the sheets in
rows each way was offered and prompts
ly accepted. Nothing better has ever
| been sought,
There was time when better paper
and mucflage were used, and when the
| printing was an improvement upon the
present stamps, but since we have
learned that damp sponge Is fully as
good as the tongue in preparing the
stamps for adhesisn, the quality of the
materials used becomes of less impor-
lance.
The number of postage stamps used in
year is something enormous For in
stance the ordinary postal revenue for
the year ending June so, 1891, exclusive
of the money order business, was $65,
0G5, 293. 81. OF this $4l 1882, 1880 came
from letter postage. The bulk of this is
of course in two cent stamps, and it is
safe to put the whole number of this de-
nomination used at more than two bill
lions per annum.
The issuing of postage stamps,
stamped envelopes and newspaper wrap
pers all belong to one of the divisions
under the care of the Third Assistant
Postmaster General. There is another
division of the same bureau which looks
after registered letters, and still another !
which attends to the system for the spe-
cial delivery of letters. The classified
tion of mail matter belongs to this bu- |
reau, and it ia with the Third Assistant I
Postmaster or his clerks that newspapers |
and periodicals have to quarrel over their
rights to official entry as second class
matter.
A ten cent special delivery stamp on a
letter is supposed to keep it in constant |
motion from the time the letter is de-
posted in the main or branch postofflce
until it is delivered to the addressee. /
There Is liable to be little delay in the
starting OF a letter when it is deposited
in a letter-box instead of post>office,
but everything must make way for spe-
cial delivery letters after they once get
into the vicinity of a mail bag The |
clerk hustles them out with the first
mail leaving the Office and puts them on
the outside Of packages, or in bundle
by themselves, so that the next official
can see them at once, 1t the special de-
livery stamp is put on a package of sec
ond, third or fourth>class matter it has
to be treated in first class manner
that is, it goes into a pouch instead of
sack, and is pushed through just as rap
idly as a letter bearing the same stamp
Last year there were over two and
half millions of pieces sent by special
delivery. and 1t is interesting to note
delivery of each parcel after it reached
the postofllce of the addressee was only
twenty minutes.