Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-01-20
UP TO HIS TRICKS
ALMOST A "CoN" GAME
How The Government WIN Psots by tne
Issue OF the colembsan Postage
Stamps.

Uncle Sam is working a confidence
game on his dear. conisding nephe.s
aud nieees with some OF those Co
lumbar stamps Of his: a regular gold
brick, green goods, sheil-gatne--a sort
Of ''come down To the lake front and
SEQ the people killed by that big explo-
sion" business.
According u the Chicago Tribune.
there IL no practical use ~ which those
big stamps of higher denomination
can be put The ~. 81, 81, and Is
stamps showing Columbus in the vari-
ous stirring scenes of his life will look
nice in stamp album. The e. stamp
with Columbus In chains. the 81 stamp
with Columbus describing his third
voyage, the a. stamp with portraits Ct
Isabella and Columbus, and the t5
stamp with the terra Gotta portrait of
Columbus tthe same az used on the
souvenir half dollar viii show up well
on white background and hidden be-
tween red leather covers. but people
who buy them can never use them for
sending matter through the United
States mail and get the worth of their
money. True the post Office will re-
ccive mail with these stamps affixed and
the clerks will mar the classic features
of the discoverer OF America with
equanimity and a marking pad. but
whenever they are used the government
will be gamer in sums ranging from
400 down to smaller amounts
Under the postal laws no package in
excess of four pounds can be sent
through the mails except books, one of
which may be mailed whatever the
weight may be- Take as an example of
what a man may spend for the trans
portation of mail matter a letter of
huge dimensions which reaches the full
limit of weight allowed-four pounds.
The rate for first-class matter is two
cents an ounce. Four pounds would
equal sixty-four ounces; at two cents
an ounce this would equal s1.2s Then
add eight cents for registering and that
would amount to $l.36. A special de-
livery stamp could be added, but it
would require the special stamp, so
that no figuring could bring the sum to
a greater figure than $l.36 which could
be covered by the stamps in the new
series.
Books are third-class matter, and the
rate of postage is two ounces for one
cent A book weighing twenty pounds
would require only sl.60 in stamps, and
there are few books weighing that
amount. To use IS stamp book
weighing sixty-two pounds and eight
ounces would be needed to get full
return for the money, and there are
not many of those books printed.
The sender of mail cannot double up
and make sixty-two pounds of third
class matter by punching Dickens
works or any other set of works. When
the package exceeds four pounds it
must consist of but one publication.
Heretofore the largest denomination
represented in stamps sold the public
has been 90 cents. These will not be
printed during the year 1898 and it is
doubtful If they will be put on sale
again as the demand for them is next to
nothing.
Periodical or newspaper stamps for
sums as high as 500 are in constant use
in post offices but they are not for sale.
Newspaper publishers make deposits
with the cashier or pay for each issue
sent through the mails Receipts are
given for the amount of the postage and
stamps aggregating the amount are
pasted on the stub of the receipt, can
celed by punching holes through them.
and these stubs are sent to the post Of
fee department in Washington. The
department is very particular not to let
these stamps get out Of its possession,
and stamp collectors have been known
to resort to all sorts of tricks TO secure
possession of them.
The Columbian stamps, or s'jubilee"
stamps, as Postmaster General Wanna
maker denominates them, cannot be
used for second-class matter, which is
sent through the mails for one cent a
pound The denominations of the news
paper stamps are /, ., s, 4. ), G. S. 10. -,
"a. SO. 4s, 60, 70, 81 and 90 cents. and
sI.93 81. SC, 50. $40, sa4, $50, s4s and $50.
Columbian stamps of the denomina-
tions named. 81. IS. 81 and g, can be
used only for stamp collections. or a
purchaser may have them exchanged
for stamps of smaller denomination.
providing the stamp clerk will make