The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-05-06
good deal OF grumbling-tho complaint

good deal Of grumbling-tho complaint
belng that, from this fractional addi-
tion to the price, this was not "tho
penny postage" that had been promised
To the public. SO the pictorial envel-
oPo was soon superseded by the small
adhesive stamps, still in use.
| 1t WAS said, when this envclope was
issued, that Queen Victoria had herself
made the drawing, which Mr.. Mul.
ready, q royal academician OF great
aOlllty and high reputation, had work
! ed up. Ih1s may or may not have been
oifercd by tho oritish government for
the BEST design was awarded to Mr..
| Mulread y. Its object was to represent
brltannia distributing letters to ell
P"r1s Oh Inc world by means of the pen.
ny post.
Ia the summer OF 1910 a two pennv
stamp. for letters under one ounce in
weight, was first Issued. Since tbon
numerous Varieties of the adhesive
stamps have been introduced. n. we'll
, as ht 'mpcd blank covers for the trans
mission OF newspapers and periodicals j
through the mail.
In 1870, postal cards were first adopt
ed into use by England. At present,
under the extensive u nion Pos tale Uni
versellc, now generally adopted by the
nations, postal cards, at two cents each
are current among all civilized ma.
tions
ltmust be we'll remembered that as
recently as tho year 1910, when postal
reform was first adopted, and even
later. the postage on single letter
across the A,l,ntic was an English
shilling, almost equal to % cents. OF
late years this has been reduced to five
cents, and, last OF all, there is the =
cent postal card, under Union Postalc
Universcllr. This may be regard. d as
almost next door t. no postal charge at
all.
1t may be here observed that envol-
opes, now so general, werc little used
in correspondence by letter until they
were adopted under Rowland Hin's
postal reform. Up to that period they
were mainly used in the government
! offices, whose correspondence passed
free, by franks, through the post.
office
As the old rule vas tha, letter, in.
closed in an envelope, was SUBJECT to
double pHslaHc, the public at large
may be said not to have recognized the
envelope. Members Of both houses Of
parliament, who had the franking
privilege almost exclusively, employ
ed them. Now, and for many wears
Dtst the Manufacture Of envelopes has
b Gu an iml Ortant branch of produc-
tive Industry among The nations. Tho
much increased consumption of cards
is another branch OF trade that has
| been much augmented by the postal
| COnsu II DtiOn.
When the adhesive stamps were
about bring issued, to suprrSrdo the
Mulready envelopes, the po-ioflicc au-
'h"rltirs were pcrplrxrd at first, by Il
difficulty connected with the cumming
| nf | h,,
orc, the best medium in this case for
'.dh' sivcncss and clean Iiness, was very
costly, a. uuly the finest quality cou q
DC used. In this instance, the govern
m"ht 'il 4 handsome = ward to tn,.
person VINO could g,t them out of the
| =! hicully.
Ayoung clerk in the London stamp
"tlce remembered aud stated nov nl,
mother, in ireland, had been accustom-
~ 20 employ for domestic use. loG the
English starch mG>ic frOm wheat, but
substitute prcs:.'..: from potato,
which yields the purcst and lurrcst
supply, Carolina rice ranking next to
IT In this particu:ar.
From this Irish starch, thus intro
duced into postal employment, Il gum
IS mace, by manipulation with water
ana neat, which, being good as we'll a.
cheap, was pronounced to bu the best
vehicle Tor giving tnc required adbe
7lve quality to the postal stamp
have 20 reason to believe that anv
substltnte for this has been adopse ir
the English postctiicc.
1t may be a3kcd-wcre Rowland
Huns sanguino expectations from pos.
tai reform fulfilled The answer may
be brief: In 1889, before the penny
postage was instituted, the not annual
sum rralz"d for the British revenue
was $l2, 600, 900. This proportion OF
tie national income had reached $3l,-
oO0,t coo ia the year 1879. The author
OF This great change died at the ad-
vanced age Of 81.