The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-18
THE COUNTRY's STAMP SUPPLY.
How They Are Sent TO the Various
POstmasfers.
From the washington Star

Uncle sam wholesale ana retali stamp
business has taken a big squirt forwards
in the past two weeks until at present
the old gentleman has so much to attend
to that he threatens to be swamped with
thousands and thousands of the little coll
ored bits of sticky paper. The reason 10
that with the close of the fiscal year and
the commencement of another twelve
months, the various fourth-class post
masters over the country-and their num-
Der is thousands-forward to the home Of
flee here in Washington their acquisitions
for stamps to serve as stock for the en-
suing year. The month of June is the big.
gest month for the postal authorities in
this city and, in anticipation of the rush,
the department is already supplied with
hundreds of thousands of miniatures Of
George Washington and other celebrities,
past and present
The United States postoffice department
is not overrun with stamps, in fact. Only
in theory are the clerks of the postoffica
bothered with them for comparatively
few of the gum-stickers pass through the
hands of the department. The onerous
duty of counting and accounting for
these stamps falls to the lot of the bue
reau of engraving and printing, where the
stamps are made. The postoffice acts only
as a clearing house for the distribution Of
the stamps, simply directing the bureau
where to send the colored sheets A few
thousand stamps only ever get inside Of
the big stone building at Seventh and n
streets where the Postmaster General
does business. Those are sent out TO re-
place job lots, which have been returned
damaged, by postoffices for redemption,
But il the postoffice does not handle tha
stamps actually, it is the headquarters
u-hf he trfI 0r1a
If the postmaster at Sweet Briar, Va,
or Suncook, n. H., runs short of Uncle
Sans stickers, and foresees he will not
have enough of them TO last him through
the year, he sends in a request for the
number required. In urgent cases he can
forward his request any time during the
year, but, in order to facilitate the work,
the postmasters are requested to send in
their acquisitions at the beginning of tho
fiscal year. The application from Sweet
Brian is placed on file, and in the course
of time a clerk in the postoffice looks into
the financial credentials of Mr.. Postmas-
ter from Sweet Briar. If his bond Is
sufficient, and covers the value of the
stamps asked for, his application is o.
ID, provided he has not already over-
drawn his account Everything being
found right, the department sends an or
der to the bureau to send the desired
stamps to the postmaster at Sweet Briar,
and they are then forwarded by mail in
sheets of one hundred each. The whole
system Is like the credit scheme at the
stores. Payment for the stamps must be
forwarded within a reasonable time. OF
a postoffice inspector will be sent out to
investigate. In cast a postmaster ever
failed to make returns, his bond would
protect the government, since he can
never overdIaw.
1t costs the government now just cents
for 1000 stamps, delivered anywhere in
mo n
stamps are sold for $40. Ii will thus be-
seen that Uncle Sam has a trust worth
having, and that his profits are not TO ba
despised even by bloated bondholder In
fact, Uncle Sam is enVied so much by
other capitalists that frequently other par
ties start into the business of printing
stamps, without first securing a license
or even trying to get one. Sometimes thu
secret service officers catches the guilty
parties. but In case due discretion is exer-
cised the counterfeiting OF stamps is not
very difficult, as little close attention "a
bestowed upon them in the mails. But the
expense is so great, and the returns so
small. that the counterfeiters do not ling
er long at a stamp job.
During single year the bureau Of en-.
craving and printing prints about $50 10000
worth of stamps. This is over an average
of 81 per head for every inhabitant Of the
United States and indicate that we are
each person writes one letter a week. An
peop.e who write letters, however, are nos
thoughtful enough to prepay them. Soma
idea Of the number OF delinquent corres-
pondents who like to send their letters
postage due may be obtained from tho
fact that during the last fiscal year me
value Of the postage due stamps affixed
TO letters without sufficient postage ag-
gregated A50,65S, mostly In l and 2-eena
stamps.
Many people believe that the stamped
envelopes were already things OF the past,
since only business firms, and very few OF
them, use them any more. But In the oass
hscal year the total value OF such stamp
ed envelopes amounted to $l2.3si,@3 or
not quite one-seventh OF the total busl'
ness OF the postofnce department OF pos
tai cards G,305,O2s were used during mo
same period The bureau Of engraving
and printing does not make the stampei
envelopes or the postal cards, but con.
fines itself solely 10 the manufacture oi
stamps.
Formerly these stamps were made N
New York, but three years ago the SOW
eminent conceived the idea Of HAVING
them made az the bureau. BY changing
In this manner the government saved ~
cents thousand stamps and gets 81.
perior work. AZ first some difficulty "as
encountered, as the local employees "u'
new at the work. Every one remember!
NAANh AiiN hAaA STAMPS came hetf
scarcely two sheets OF the same color sn.
with mucllage that would not stick. A..s
three years practical operation, hoWtEts
the bureau is printing the stamps be""'
than they ever were done before
The pay OF a fourth-class postmasia
variable quantity, as II depends enu
~ on how much business he does duIus
the year. Fourth-class post0filcls s3
those whore the pay Is less than h5,
per year. All others are presidentiih
case the receipts for one year are
than 500 the postmaster has hrst ~
on the whole amount or everything "a
ditional, between 500 and $500, be gcs a
per cent. also. OF everything between Xxx
and &iio0 he gets 20 per cent 10 at'n
ton. OF all the balances he receive
per cent. There are nearly 5000 OF u,.
fourth-class postofices and Tho Nepa,
ment Is being overrun by application ~
them. and Is apt TO be bothered 10 ~
same way Tor the next month Of 30