The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-12-04
SHIPMENT OF MONEY.


ern Danks have recently used the reg.
istered mail service for. the transmits.
sion OF currency to and from the hank.
Ing centers of the country has caused
considerable comment. The reason-is
found in the inability Of the banks "a
secure this year, through the treasury
OF the United States, the benefit of gov
eminent contract rates from the ex-
press companies. Prior to this year the
treasury gladly shipped currency TO
uanks at government rates, in return
ior gold. In the last contract with the
express company. however, clause was
Inserted by which such privileges should
be afforded to the banks only when the
treasury needed gold.
The secretary of the treasury having
decided that tSe treasury does not need
gold now, the banks cannot participate
IN the advantages of the government
contract and to save Transmission
charges country bankers have directed
Their city correspondents to make ship
ments intended for them by registered
mail.
The cashier of large national bank
which ships many thousands of dollars
every day to its correspondents all over
the country, in speaking about this mat
ter with q New York Evening Post re-
porter, said:
THE conservative banker still. prefers
Ia send money by the well-known ex-
press companies; but, to save expense,
since the government refuses to remit
Tor the banks any longer at government
contract rates. the country banks are
apparently willing to take the risk of
transmission by registered mail with
the guarantee of an insurance COM
pnny's policy for Its safe delivery. Not
withstanding, however, the registration
and insurance, the risks of sending
large sums of money by mail are very
great. A package of currency which IL
forwarded by the registered mail de-
partment of the postal service has no
distinctive mark indicating its value; q
pencil receipt is given for it just the
same as for any ordinary letter or pack
age of merchandise. The; package of
money il thrown In with packages of
merchandise of all sorts, and no more
care is taken Of it than is taken with
box OF shoes or package OF gloves.
The registry clerks receipt is not doc
ument that Is as well known or as salts
factory as the receipt of the receiving
clerk of an express company, and in case
of the loss of the package, the delay'in
the recovery Of the money is intermin'
able.
ION the other hand, the express COM
panies locate missing packages OF
money or make good the loss promptly,
without technicalities or delays. They
are responsible, and banks run no risk
in shipping by them. Their employees
are chosen solely on the ground of abil-
ity and trustworthiness, and they are
therefore more likely to be more nc
curate and prompt than postal en-
ployes, who owe their places, more or
less, to politics, notwithstanding the
civil service examination. While it is
true that by insuring money sent by '
registered mail there is some guarantee
against loss by non-delivery, it is equal- /
IL true that there Is considerable risk
OF loss il the insurance company stands
on technicalities. The slightest in
formality in the observance Of the terms
of an open policy issued BY an inssrabce
company renders the4o licy Invalid, and
would in. the xase Of missing package
cause the loss to fall on heconsignor.
The technicalities to be observed by a
remitting bank IN sending money by
registered ma1f when the delivery OF the
money II Insured by one ~ the LOCAL in
surance companies are yery great COM
pared with the simple but safe methods
of the express companies, and unless
some new regulations are made by the
postal authorities for sending regis
tered mail conservative New York banks
viii certainly prefer to ship by ex-
PRESS" tsN
The cost of postage and insurance,
says the Post, Is much less than the
usual express charges at what are
known a. bankers rates. Few New
York bankers, however, would remit
money in that way, unless they were
directed to do SO by their correspond
ents. They would rather ship it by ex-
press, even though 1t cost more to do so,
because they consider it the safer way.
walters First Dip.
Walter T. was six years OLD. He
never had seen the ocean. We were
10 spend the summer at the seaside,
and Walter had new bathing suit.
Every boy in the block was invited
into the house to see him try 1t on, and I
one day we discovered him in the bath 1
tub surrounded by an admiriDg group i
Of Juveniles, to whom he was discUurss +
Ing about how he would -1ive4sou fhes T
md of the iron pier when he reached i
he ocean. When the young man, how 4
.ver. saw the ocean with the great
waves rolling on the beach, he could +