The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-07-29
A GREAT MAIL SERVICE.
UNCLE SANS POSTAL BUSINESS IS
THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.


Needs of the Country's Postofiices Some
of the Big Items in the List of Annual
Supplies-A GIutton for Rubber Binds.
The delegates to the international
postal congress at Washington have all
been amazed at the magnitude of our
American postal service. They had
heard good deal about it and knew
the statistics which indicated its enor-
nous extent, but they had not been
impressed by it ut long range, as they
have been since they have had an OPP
portunity to see it with their own eyes.
1t is something to the credit of the
people of the United States that this
young nation has the greatest postof-
flee system in the world. AS chance
would have it, Just as the foreign dele
gates met here our postoffice depart
ment issued its annual proposals for
supplies for the ensuing year. Copies
of this advertisement fell under the no.
tice of the delegates, and they did a
good deal of talking about the vast
quantity of stuff it takes to run our
postal system during a twelvemonth.
The first thing that attracted the at
tention of the delegates was request
for bids on $3.50 reams of paper. This
paper, all for the use of the postoffice
department, averages in weight about
25 pounds to the ream, and the
weight of the whole, therefore, is APP
proximately 35 tons. Then there Is
the blotting paper. In his postal oper-
ations Uncle Sam must do great
deal of blotting, for the quantity asked
for is about 25 tons. The paper and
the blotting stuff are only beginning.
He wants 1900 dozen scr y blocks.
each of 100 leaves, and he-, very par
ticular as to the manner in which they
shall be made. Then he asks for
500, 900 blank examination cards,
each about by II inches. Also 3d.
600 sheets of cardboard % by %
inches, the total weight being about
80 tons.
One of the biggest items in his list
is 250,0oO,O00 facing slips each
about 10 by inches. These are
used by the railway postal clerks, and
by clerks in postotfices in tying up
lunches of letters There are many
other things in the card line which
| Uncle Sam has to have in his business,
but it would take too much space to
enumerate them ALL A surprising
number of packing boxes, made Of
wood, are used in the postal service
in the course of year. No fewer than
II. n a
average size is IA inches wide, IA
inches deep and 25 inches long. The
department requires that these boxes
shall be manufactured in Washington.
The postal service is glutton for
rubber bands. Four thousand four
hundred and twenty-five gross OF rub
Der bands of various sizes are asked
| for of the larger sizes, OF the smaller
bands 5000 pounds are wanted. A
small item of rubber goods is 400
| pounds of bevel erasers, and combined
pencil and ink erasers. An order OF
1925 gross of steel pens indicates that
the employees of the postal service do
vast amount of writing, especially
when we remember that this speciti-
cation is supplemented by the follow
ing: 500 gross ofpenholders, ,275 dozen
of penholders, $50 dozen ofpenholders,
| 12,2 200 dozen of black lead pencils,
1900 dozen of colored pencils, 20
dozen of automatic colored pencils,
200 boxes of lead for automatic col
ored pencils, 900 dozen of indelible
automatic pencils, 5000 boxes OF lead
for the same, and 1900 dozen of colored
pencils of another sort.
OF inks and mucilage Uncle Sam S
postal boys use enormous quantities,
as witness the following items: 12l0
dozen of black inks, 100 dozen of car
mine inks, 700 dozen quarts OF muci-
lage, to be put up in 10 or 20 gallon
vessels. The list of glass goods and
steel articles is formidable enough
to suit even the contractors. Ink
stands are wanted to the number OF
500 dozen, and an equal number OF
steel erasers are asked for. Carbon
paper, hektograph paper, rubber
stamps and stamp pads, facsimiles OF
signatures, press copy books and such
things are listed by the carload.
Thirty-fve thousand reams of wrap
ping paper, weighing % pounds to the
ream, is one item; l, 400, 000pounds OF
twine is another, 5000 letter balances
and 2000 letter scales are in the sched-
ules, as well as so grocers' scales and
100 larger ones. The specifications
for postmarking and rating stamps run
up to the scores of thousands, and the
amount of canceling ink needed for
the simple purpose of spelling the
nice stamps which we put on our let
ters is 20, 900 pounds. These figures
have greatly impressed our foreign
visitors.
Little Deforinities.