Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-03-17
POSTAGE STAMPS.
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERN.
ING THEIR MANUFACTURE.
It ID Astonishing to Contemplate tn,
Proportions to Which This De-
partment OF Uncle Sans
Business Has Grown.

NCLE SAMUEL Is monopo
list of the first order. TIL,
~ three great industries which
he has taken over to his own
exclusive control anil behoof are
The levy and collection of imposts,
otherwise known as the tariff: til.
coinage and issue of money, and the
issue and sale of postage stamps.
In each Of these three great lines OF
business he is absolutely without COM
petition. But it is in his little stamp
business that our thrifty relative has
his greatest monopoly. Postage
stamps cost him only few cents per
thousand to print, and he sells hun.
dreds and hundreds of millions OF
them every year at prices ranging
from $40 up to $1,000 or more pei
thousand.
That, however, is only one way OF
looking At it. The printing and sale
of the stamps is only one-hnlf Of the
Transaction, and by the time Uncle
Sam redeems them By performing the
service which they call for, he seldom
has any profit left, and it frequently
happens that he must draw upon his
bank account to make up a deficit.
There is considerable profit in trans
porting letters by the ton and the car
load between large cities at two cents
apiece, but it is the carrying of the
light mails over the thousands of "sta,
routes" all ovei the country that alb
serbs the profits.
1t costs more to carry a handful OF
letters by mule back to Bitter Root,
or Dog Tooth, or Goose Creek, than
it does to carry a whole bag full from
New York to Chicago.
Il is seldom that Uncle Sam in.
dulges in anything like sentiment, but
the old gentleman did SO in the recent
matter Of the Columbian stamps, anG
now he finds it didn't pay. He con.
tracted to have 5000 millions Of these
made at cost of seventeen cents pei
thousand, or q little over half million
| Of cool cash dollars for the mere item
of printing alone.
There was quite a rush for the new
series when they were first put OF
sale about a ysar ago, but the novelty
soon wore off, and it became only toe
apparent that the public preferred tn,
| old styles.
Here was quandary. Seventy fou
| dollars and thirty cents per mIllior
for printing the old style which The
public wanted, ms against Sl70 <pel
million for printing the new. which
they evidently did not want. How
ever. the contractors generously re
leased the Government from one-thir,
Of the contract, and he now addressed
himself to the task of working off tn
remainder Of The 1000 millions tha
were printed and delivered.
And just here shows up one Of th
beauties of doing business which i
ON absolute monopoly.
When, at the closing mp Of the yea
Just ended, Uncle Sam found himse!
With s165, 900. 900 Of the undesusbl
and unstable "columbias" still o
hand, he simply prorated the entir
stock among the three thousand an
odd Presidential postoffices in th
country, and sent them ont with IN
structions 10 the postmasters 70 Civ
the public nothing else until this stoc
shall be worked of.
| Cncle Sam is thinking OF pr,ntiu
his stamps himself instead o. letsin
out the job by contract. and the,
would seem to be no good reason vi
,,e should not do 80. He can prob
bly, have it done As chesplv and as ~e
| . his own bureau o. engraving &c
printing as j. il now done by con:ys,
and there are may reasons Why
would be beneficial 20 the public Sc
vice.
Under the cont.sc. svsten II
stamps are made by ooe arn il Ne
York, the envelopes are furnished /
another sr1 ,c Connecticut. rt.
still third a-- supple. &c. pos.
cards
The Gorerarea, 5 under the nece
atty OF maintaining al ager. With a
s.ssants II each O. :aes<. places. AZ