Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-11-27

SSuuSTS pdIQ 10 the SONeTHmeuI ci6AI
cents on each letter, besides the post
age. Nevertheless they will get not
one cent of compensation for their loss.
No wonder that the registry business
of the postoffice department is steadily
diminishing. The people are losing
confidence in the system as a means Of
insurance. Though the fee has been
reduced from ten to eight cents, the
number of letters and parcels regis
tered during the last fiscal year was
less than 100000. Four years ago
the number exceeded IL, OOO, 900 annual
~. What is wanted is safety, and the
system does not give it, says New York
World.
Wnen mail car or a postoffice is
ROBBED, it is always the registered mat
ter, advertised on it's face as valuable,
tnat Is taken. In 1860 the Postmaster
General Of the United States advocated
the abandonment of registration on the
ground that it was fruitful only of
danger to what it was designed to pro-
tect.
Inc remedy is very simple. The gov
eminent ought to grant compensation
Tor registered letters lost or destroyed.
Nearly all foreign countries give such
insurance. In Great Britain, for ex-
ample, the registration fee is only 4
cents, and if the letter is not safely
delivered to the addressee an indemnity
OF $40 is paid to the loser. A graduated
series of fees is so arranged that the
sender Of parcel can insure it up to
$3.50, this maximum guarantee reQuir-
ing the payment of % cents. The par
eel must be marked with it's value.
1t is stated in the postal regulations
OF the United Kingdom, rather quaint
iy, that payment of such insurance will
De made by the Postmaster-G General,
not in consequence of legal reliability,
but voluntarily and as an act of grace"
Registration of money or jewelry is
compulsory; such articles are not per-
mltted to be sent in the ordinary mails.
AT the same time, parcels addressed
TO foreign parts cannot be registered,
though for India they may be insured.
The British government pays up to $40
for the value Of any ordinary unregis-
tered package that is lost in it's mail
service. This applies only in the Unit
ed Kingdom, and it does not govern at
all if the parcel is Improperly wrapped
or contains eggs, liquids or very fragile
articles.
Nearly all foreign countries insure
letters and packages up to $40 in their
domestic service without extra fee. On
the other hand, no indemnity is paid
even for registered mail matter by the
United States, Brazil, Bolivia, Para
quay, Uruguay, Chilli, British India, ia
pan and Congo. These are the only ex-
ceptions to the general rule. The Third
Assistant Postmaster-General of the
United States in his last two annual re-
ports has recommended to Congress the
granting of an indemnity on registered
letters and packages not to exceed $40.
This is sure to be done sooner or later.
Turning to the regulations of the In
ternational Postal Union, one finds that
the sender of registered package to a
foreign country is entitled to $40 in
case Of loss, unless the latter has been
occasioned by force majeure'-mean-
ing war. This indemnity must be paid
by the government that dispatches the
package. However, that government
may recover the amount from the gov
eminent in whose territory the loss
was incurred.
The adoption by Uncle Sam of an in
demnity limited to $40 would increase
the confidence of the public at very
little cost. During the last fiscal year
654 pieces of registered matter were
lost Surprising the maximum pay
ment to be granted in each instance
the entire expense of such insurance
would be $3.50 for the twelvemonth
This is a trifie compared with the
money gained that would accrue to the
government from the increase in the
registry business that would follow the
acceptance of the indemnity plan. The
latter would take from the ordinary
mails a vast number of money letters
and would make the transmission Of
such letters much more safe.