The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-10-08
ABOUT POSTAGE STAMPS.
Billions Of Thorn Used AnnuAlly-Ths 80
cinl Delivery Feature.

Billions Of Them Used AnnuAlly-The spe'
cinl Delivery Feature.
It is barely fifty years since this con-
venience was introduced into the United
States. The stamp is little older In
England. When first introduced post
age stamps were sold in solid sheets.
OF course great many were wasted In
the effort to tear them apart when
there were no perforations. Indeed.
the loss and inconvenience was so great
that the government offered liberal
reward for patent which would over
come the difficulty. The first machine
submitted was one which cut the
stamps nearly but not entirely apart
While the postofice department was
considering this machine the idea OF
perforating the sheets In rows eacn
way was offered and promptly accepted.
Nothing better has ever been sought
There was q time when better paper
and mucilage was used, and when the
printing was an improvement upon the
present stamps, but since we nave
learned that damp spongue u fully as
good as the tongue in preparing the
stamps for adhesion the quality OF the
materials used becomes OF less mPor-
lance.
The number Of postage stamps used in
. year is something enormous For
instance, the ordinary postal revenue
for the year ending June 80, 1891, ex-
elusive Of the money order business,
was s65, Ok, 2eS. 81. OF this al, 4s2, 49,
so came from letter postage. The bulk
of this il, of course, in 2-cent stamps,
and it il safe to put the whole number
| of this denomination used At more than
two billions per annum. The issuing
of postage stamps, stamped en-
velopes and newspaper wrappers
all belong to one of the divisions under
the care Of the third assistant postmas
ter general. There is another division
1 of the same bureau which looks aftel
the Registered letters, and still anothe'
which attends to the system Tor I'M
special delivery of letters The classi
fication of mail matter belongs to thiI
bureau, and it is with the third assist
ant postmaster general or his clerk
that newspapers and periodicals hav'
to quarrel over their rights to officia
entry as second-class matter.
i A ten-cent special delivery stamp Of
q letter is supposed to keep It in con
slant motion from the time the letter
deposited in the main or branch pos
Office until it is delivered to the ad
dressee. There Is likely to be Iii
tie delay in the starting OF
letter when it is deposited in
J letter box instead of post office, bu
everything must make way for specia
delivery letters after they once get int
the vicinity of . mailbag. The cler
; hustles them out with the first ma
leaving the Office, and puts them on tn
J outside of packages or in bundle b
themselves, SO that the next official ca
see them At once. If the special-d'
; livery stamp is put on package OF se
: ond, third or fourth-elass matter, 1t III
, to be treated in first-class manner
that is, it goes into . pouch instead
: . sack, and Is pushed through just
4 rapidly as a letter bearing the san
. stamp. Last year there were over tw
E and . half millions Of pieces sent
e special delivery. and it is interesting
note that the average time consume
: in the delivery of each parcel after
f reached the post Office of the address
/ was only twenty minutes-Kate Field
? Washington.