Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-25
Gardner Advertisements

W. ''SySV
much credit we may take to the people
on this side of the Atlantic.
one leading proposition before the
present Congress. however, should be a
matter of first concern TO us and that
is the proposed abolition of transit fees.
At present we pay for mails carried for
us by foreign countries In transit TO
the country of destination. In return
we receive pay for foreign mails which
we carry across this country on foreign
account. as for instance. on a British
letter from London To Yokohoma. we
should charge for transit from New
York To the Pacific coast. in case IL
came this way. These accounts are
onerous and comparatively petty. Last
year the balance was against US. If
the transit Pacific service were anything
like the matchiess service on the At
lantic, the balance would probably be
in our favor. In any event these tran
sit dues are a small matter: they i'm
pede the service than requires the ut
most speed: and the highest and most
liberal postal intelligence of the world
ttitNtS hiiekA bhts NiA'hiN VI 'F'''.7AiN'
Except, perhaps. in few exceptional
cnses) because the postal service is es-
scntially reciprocal. In the long run.
we shall receive from England about
the same amount of transit service
which she gets from US. Germany
holds central position geographically.
with n large transit service. but she
leads in demanding the repeal of these
dues. 1t is a matter of some regret
that the United States have not seen
III to take a positive stand in this par
ticular, especially since we inaugurated
the basal principle in our old conven
ton with Canada.
Austria is recommending very strong
ly the adoption of standard coiors for
postage stamps, green for one-cent
stamp red for the two-cent piece and
blue for the five-cent and their foreign
equivalents. Stamped envelopes would.
of course. bear the same colors. This
is comparatively small matter. yet
one of great practical Importance. 1t
has been estimated that such an ar
rangement would save half the time of
foreign mail clerks in settling the ques-
ton what amount of postage had been
The home public would also find stand
ard colors helpful, and incidentally, the
Improvement might help check the
constant changes in postage stamps.
Postal students do not look with favor
upon the issuance of new series of
stamps by government to crafty the
whim of a postmaster general or to
make money out of the stamp collect
ors. The standard colors would con-
tribute to the practice of standard
stamps.
Some of our reformers suggest the
pleasing fancy of an international
postage stamp. This is believed to be i'm
practicable. The world has not produced
an international gold coin which any
body could test.and the question may be
raised whether the postoffice could pro-
Guce stamp which none but few ex-
perts could test and every forger might
produce. The postmaster at Kalamazoo
might have some difficulty on passing
Judgment on a Siamese universal post
age stamp. At any rate, the univer-
sal stamp idea has been abandoned for
this Congress, and it is likely to go over
for the day of the universal coin and
the universal ltSdl teHuel.
Most of the other questions before the
Postal Congress are purely technical
and of interest only topersons studying
the mechanism and technicality of
transportation. The most that the larg
er public cares for in these matters is
that justice be done, and that the rates
established for different things between
the nations shall be fair. The exam
pie, however, of an arrangement among
sovereign nations all over the globe, for
transacting amicably so great a bust
ness, is not without value. If the
whole world can agree, it will become
possible for the railroad corporations OF
one country like our own to agree on
freight tariffs and a proper system of
bookkeeping. The postal union has
been source of tremendous saving to
us. In 1896 our foreign mail service
cost about 81 500, 900: in 1855 the appro-
priation for the corresponding service
exceeded $4,000. 900. and yet in the mean
time business had increased fivefold.
An arrangement which will reduce ex
penses eighty per cent is certainly de-
serving of our favor.
No question is more forcibly sugges-
ted by discussion of the doings of a
postal congress than the comparative
efficiency of our own domestic postal
system. Do we have the best postofiice in
the world? Are there not some things,
in this particular, which we might
learn from the nations on the other
side? Perhaps anyone who entertains
such doubts as these would be ranked
as one Of the American ''populace." ac-
cording to a recent definition Of that
term. But as financial institution. we