Evening star., 1896-07-02
UNIVERSAL POSTAGE
A Great Worlds Congress to Meet
Here Next May.
IMPORTANT PROBLEMS TO Be SOLVED
All the Nations But Three Will
Be Represented by Delegates.
G. HI N A M A Y JOIN

Every civilized nation on the face Of the
globe Is directly interested in the delibera-
items Of the universal postal congress which
will meet in Washington next May. The
operations Of the vast postal system. which
already takes in all but three Of the or
ganized governments, and will probably
embrace them all before the congress
closes. will be reviewed by that body, and
action taken on matters of the greatest
commercial significance.
1t will form one of the most important
international gatherings ever held in this
country. In the neighborhood Of 100 dele
gates from the various countries making
up the big Universal Postal Union will as
semble, and the ladies who will accompany
them, and others drawn here by interest
in the occasion, will swell the number
Those who will make up the congress are
picked men Of the highest rank in the pos
tai service of the world, men who have sat
at brilliant official banquets elbow to elbow
with the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, the
King OF Portugal, the presidents of France
and the Swiss federation, and other foreign
notables. All official Washington will join,
In one way or another, in the entertain
Ment Of the visitors.
Secret Discussions in French.
Its sessions will be the most formal of
any convention of either national or inter-
national scope ever held here. The first
Wednesday in May is the fixed date for
opening, and for five or six weeks after
ward sessions will be held daily. The pro-
ceedings will be Of star chamber nature,
though they will be made public in due
time. Every word spoken officially from
the time the temporary president raps his
gavel to declare the congress open will be
IN the French tongue, the language Of the
worlds organized postal service. Every
document connected in any way with the
oel1berauons OF the congress will be print
ed or written in the same language.
The congress meets every six years. AS a
matter OF fact, 1t Is required to meet every
nVe years. This anomaly is due to the fact
that the treaty concluded by each congress
generally takes effect about a year later
ana ana u the congress meets five years after the
treaty goes into operation. There are fif-
ty-three countries embraced in the union
The Cape Of Good Hope, which entered at
the beginning of last year. was the last
Seuntry to join China, the Orange Free
state and perturbed Corea are the only i'm
pertant organized governments yet outside,
and these are expected soon to take steps
looking to this end. Each country is en-
utled TO one vote. though it may send as
many delegates it may see fit to do. In
former congresses the chief representative
has been the director general of posts or
chief executive of the postal service of the
ASRA SSSAldtlSc COuulTy.
American Representation.
The United States, however has never
been represented by it's Postmaster General,
and the first assistant postmaster general
has been the highest ranking officer to at
tend. This, however, was only in one case
that Of ex-Postmaster General Tyner who
was first assistant both before and after
holding the Postmaster Generals portfolio
whom I)nnn Il hot 1,a
started at the foot of the ladder, reached
the top and started back again.
Ever since the initiatory congress at
Berne. at the close of the Franco-Prussian
war, in 1873, when the organization was
perfected for the unifica ton Of all the great
powers into one postal territory, the super
intendent Of foreign mails here has been a
delegate on each occasion. This plan un-
doubtedly will be followed out next year,
but there also will be about half dozen
other high officials delegated by the Post
master General to attend.
In all probability the Postmaster General
Will open the congress- and it is more than
likely that the first assistant will preside
over the meetings, If sufficiently equipped
for the office. Mr.. Ed. Holm, the director
Of the international bureau of the Union
at Berne and one Of the highest authorities
On postal affairs in the world, will be the
secretary. Mr.. Holm will not be an entire
stranger to Washington, as he was here
last June and made a study of our mail
is now problematical. An effort will be
made to secure the use Of the Senate cham
Ter. This selection would be fitting trib-
ute to the type of the men who are coming
They have convened in the Senate chamber
in Berne, in the Bourbon palace in Paris
In the Portuguese supreme court hall in
Lisbon, and in the hall of the Imperial As
scciation of Horticulture in Vienna. And
the proposition will be urged as only rea-
sonable in view of the congressional recess
at that time, barring possible extra ses-
sions.
Entertaining the Delegates.
Every facility will be accorded the dele
gates. Each will be provided with a desk
whether the Senate chamber be chosen or
not, there will be a corps of temporary
employees, and for the general convenience
post office will be in running operation
on the spot. They will be royalty enter
tained if present expectations are realized
though it would prove difficult to surpass
the Viennese entertainment. Throughout
their stay there will be a brilliant dinner
reception or excursion once a week. The
initial dinner in their honor doubtless will
be given by the Postmaster General, and
probably Henry Clay Evans Of Tennessee
will be the host. A dinner by the President
will follow, and then one by the president
Of the congress. Then it is likely a recep-
ton will be rendered them by the District
Commissioners. The delegates will be
of the country at large.
The vital question before the great sex
tennial gathering will be that of payment
by one country for the transportation of
its mails across the domains of every
other. Every grain of weight of mail mat
ter sent by one country across land or
water of another is now scrupulously paid
for to its destination. The settlement of
the rates Of payment causes vast deal of
vexatious work. The payment is made on
the basis of statistics taken once in three
years, covering period of four weeks The
time selected Is in the middle year of the
three. Every country then weighs all
mails it dispatches to every point outside
it's limits and the countries to which the
mails are respectively addressed verify the
figures. Seldom are there material varia-
tions. These are easily adjusted, and when
any question arises the statement of the
receiving country is given the preference
No large variations in the figures suffi-
cient to justify reweighing have ever been
encountered. But the system gives rise
to many complications and endless trouble
in tracing the exact course Of some mails.
In mails for Turkey and for Asia generally
1t Is especially difficult to determine where
financial credit should be given unless the
course of the post through each inter-
mediate country is distinctly marked.
Curelessness of Steamer Lines.
Subsidized steamship lines, in which the
country subsidizing them are entitled to
pay for the carriage, are frequent sources