The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-25
WORRIED BY A SNOWFALL"

 An English Calculation of What A Chain
 Of Letters Would Cost in Postage
 The committee of the Prince of Wales's Hospital Fund have had to an- nounee that they have not authorized one of those worrying snowfall con- tributions" to aid their efforts Some misguided friends, it appears, started an anonymous snowfall contribution" which, take it, is the old "snoWball' dodge, With the difference that you fire off a couple of letters to friends but don't put your name to them. l was under the impression that the most absurd and wasteful method of collect tion ever invented had died natural death, but I find It still hicSers on among those good people who have evidently never multiplied to the pow CT of so. Only a few days ago 1 received a letter, the raison d'etre of which was
 "a desire to provide a new ward at Huntsville, Hayarth, Rochdale, near Sydney" 1 am informed that 'at pres ent the children can only be taken in the mems and womens wards, and this practice is obviously detrimental to the patients" Of course. A very terrible state of things, although one has never heard of Huntsville Hayarth, and cannot find it upon map.
 The lettersproceeds to inform me that "a kind friend has promised that if one million used stamps be sent him, he will ray for them at :. rate which, with Gov ernment endowment, will be sufficient to build such ward" All I am asked to do is to write three copies of the let ter and send them to friends who will do the same, returning the letter first received together with ten or more used stamps, Ito Miss Siffin, Thilyma Mill Street, Huntsville, U. s. A In the early part of the letter Huntsville is de- scribed as being near Sydney, but Syd- ney Is not in the United States. Siffin, by the way, is as curious name as Huntsville. More in sorrow than in anger, the letter points out that any one not wishing to perform this small act of charity should return the letter l to the lady of the curious name, and | although this may seem a small thing | to do, yet any one breaking the chain | will involve serious loss to the under | takers" I can quite imagine that. | With several 'snowballs' in full swing,
 the number of nervous folks who are | uOrY,ipl into thea bo nd pf "a 5a,@t taIy
 CTS must be very large indeed. On the other hand I cannot see how the form
 ation of the ward itself will not involve serious loss upon the local undertakers. This particular chain or "snoWball'' l was to proceed to the enormous extent of eighty progressions of three. Now, | if l were to multiply three by three 1 eighty times this page would not hold
 the figures in small type; and, besides,
 others have made similar calculations
 and have found that there would be three or four hospitals to every person on the face of the globe if one of these l chains" went on its way unbroken.
 need only point out that If merely a
 dozen progressions of three were made
 in this case there would be 1,594, 1928 per-
 sons concerned and if only the mini | mum of ten were sent, 15, 5,943230 used postage stamps would reach Miss Siffin. | The postal arrangements at Huntsville, Hayarth, whether 1t be in the United
 States or Australia, would be bound to
 break down under the strain of delivery.
 It would cost, at the least, 21ad. to send
 letter to Miss Siffiin, and taking only
 one dozen progressions. as before, it
 would cost 914.520 Ss. 11hd to forward
 the 1,594323 letters. In other words,
 that sum will be handed to the Post
 Office for no return whatever.-The St.
 James Budget.