The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-12

the postman will seem to him like a friend
bringing newspaper fran crowded
mart to the secluded home among the
hills.
Mr.. Wanamaker deserves great praise
Tor having suggested this reform, which,
he informs us, has been successfully tried
In nearly fifty communities.
do not agree, however. with one sug-
gestion that has been made by the present
postmaster general. He says that Ga o00,-
600 of people are taxing themselves today
to the amount of $70,000,00 to maintain
the postoffice plant, and are denied the
right TO utilize the magnificent machinery
OF the telephone and the telegraph. | am
not In favor Of the proposition sometimes
made that the government should own
either of these agencies of communication.
think all such enterprises can be carried
on better by private enterprise. Nor do |
believe that the rates for telegraphing can
ever be so reduced as to bring that system
OF correspondence into general use.
The pneumatic tube system will doubt
less soon be introduced into the service
and will prove of great use in expediting
the mails, especially between contiguous
cities like New York and BROOKLYN. An
old official in the New York postotfice very
properly states that the postal revenue
might be increased and the expense of
transfer lessened if the wagons now used
office in New York to the various stations
We're superseded by system OF pneumatic
tubes to each branch office.
lie would also establish branch Offices at
the Grand Central railroad station and
Jersey City depot. connecting their rail-
way offices by pneumatic tubes with the
various branches and the general post
Office. The company having the wagons
referred to has enjoyed the contract for
many years at very liberal figure, and
the substitution of tubes for wagons would
result IN large saving of money. With
out doubt this suggestion is applicable. in
general way, to many of our large cities.
pneumatic tube connects Paris with
Berlin. 1t is used for postal purposes. and
makes it possible for letter mailed in
Paris to be delivered in Berlin in thirty
hve minutes. Some one has wittily said
that if the tube could be enlarged suffi-
GENTLY it might be used by either France
or Germany to surprise the other with an
army, and so settle the quarrel that has
existed between the two nations for so
many years.
am strongly in favor of a reduction of
the rate OF ocean postage from cents to 2.
1t seems to me that this reform is more
urgently needed than many Others
that have been suggested in connection
with the domestic service. We have
large and growing foreign population who
naturally desire to keep in communication
with the countries from which they have
emigrated. Most of them are poor, and
the postal rate of cents letter is consid-
cred quite tax by such people. 1t is also
quite an item to business men whose deal.
lngs with foreign countries are becoming
larger every year.
This reform has been the subject of earn
est discussion for some time past in Eng
land. its principal champion being Mr.. ].
Henniker Heaton, NJ. p. who has such
faith in the success of the scheme that not
long ago he. with two friends, offered to
guarantee the British government against
all loss II q penny postage should be es-
tablished between the English speaking
peoples of the British empire and the
United States.
In comparison with the postal rates
paid on land, both in England and Amer.
lea, between long distances, the charge for
the ocean service Is much too high, and,
in my opinion, it will not be long before
the reform referred to will be brought
about.
Assistant Postmaster Gaylor saws that
the number of letters sent abroad from
New York and received in this city from
foreign countries has more than doubled
since 1880. In that year the number sent
was Il, 1S9, 321; the number received was
l., lbs, 30. In 1890 the numbers were re-
spectlyely, q ,516, 9i5 and 23047.094 This
does not include the newspapers, books
and small packages of merchandise sent
by mail.
According to calculation recently made
by a painstaking statistician the average
number OF letters each year written per
head OF the population is: England and
Wales, 40; Scotland, so; Ireland. IS:
United States, 2l: France, Is; Germany.
II. and Italy Z.
1t will be many years before we can ex-
pect penny postal rate for the whole
country. Before that change can be
brought about the country will have TO be
more thickly settled, more railroads must
be built and the expense of the govern
ment IN various directions in the postal
service will have 10 be reduced At the
present 2-cent rate our charge is lower
for the same service than it is in foreign
countries.
We charge but cents to carry letter
from New York to Oregon, but while the
English postal rate is the same there are
no such distances between any points in
Great Britain as there are in the United
States.
1t has been argued, however. that a
penny rate could be successfully intro
duced in the large cities. II is asked if
the government can carry postal card
from New York TO California for 1 cent
why could it not carry a sealed letter in a
city for the same price? 1t must be re.
membered that the profit accruing to the
postal department from letter postage
which at the present time Is in the neigh.