The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-20
STAMP FAMINE IN ALASKA
PECULIAR RESULTS OF THE
GOLD STAMPEDE

Postr.asters at Small Offices Find 1t
Impossible 10 Keep Supplies on
Han.!-Measures Suggested for
RcIief-Chnnges in the Five and
Tv.O-Cent Stamps IN Accordance
with international Agreement.
WASHINGTON Bureau st. Paul Globe, !
Corcoran Building.
Special to The st. Paul Globe.
WASHINGTON, March 10. - Public
attention has been so fastened upon the
consideration of the poStoffice appro-
priation bill in the house that other
postal matters have been generally
overlooked, although a number of IN
terest have come to the front during
the last week. The first of these. from
q popular point Of view, have been
the issue of the blue scent stamp and
the deposit of 10000, 900 new small pos
tal cards with the subag encies of the
postoffice department. The blue stamp
retains the head of Grant and all the
other features of the old brown scent
STAMP. except the color This is the
second change made in accordance
with the resolution of the international
postal congress, which met here last
to green. with the 1-Cent stamp. Inc
public eye has become pretty will ac-
clstomed to it by this time. and the
department will wait till the blue scent
stamp has become equally famlnar
before making the changes rendered
necessary by the transfer of colors
from other denominations to |"e ones
and fives. None of these changes was
necessary under the resolution of the
postal congress till the beginning of
next year, but Postmaster General
Gary thought best to anticipate the
compulsory date as fast as new sup
plies had to be prepared.
The subagencieS at Cincinnati, st.
Louis. Washington, D. c., and Troy,
n. y, have received 100000 each or
the new small postal cards, for distri-
button to the postoffices in their sew
eral Jurisdictions as fast as the post
masters call for them. The calls Will
doubtless be limited to the larger cities,
as 4 rule. since these cards, somewhat
less than five inches by three in size,
are designed primarily for use in the
card catalogues of public libraries. LII
braries all over the country can now
procure as many as they need by APP
plying to their local postmasters and
stating the exact quantities desired
Stamp Famine.
me pOStO0lce department. IDS D-Ch
considerably stirred w by the news
which reaches it through official chan
nels, that at Skaguay, Dyea, and else
where in Alaska, the supplies of post
age stamps have run short, and that
Spectators have taken advantage of
thu scarcity to corner the market"
and demand as much as IS cents for
a 2-cent stamp. Under our postal laws
the necessity for prepayment of domes-
tic postage as q condition of prompt
forwarding. gives these spectators
great advantage. The present trouble
is uae of the familiar incidents OF such
Eudden shifts Qf reputation as occur
Of hitherto sparsely settled parts OF the
couriry. The pOstmasters in the min
irg camps Of Alaska begin, of course,
in the fourth class. and file bonds not
exec ding $4G0 or $500 This necessarily
limits the supply of stamps which the
government is willing to intrust to the
custody Of each. On the other hand,
in such a region the influx of popula-
ton is liable to reach 100000 souls in a
very brief period, and most of these
persons have left families and friends
behind them with whom frequent COM
munication by mail is necessary, to
say nothing of the large amount of
has to be carried on between the new
settlers ard the dealers in household
supplies in more civilized regions.
Sev, raj plans have been suggested
to the postmaster general for relieving
this district in Alaska. Some of the
uffic, rs Of the department who are COM
monty most conservative, have urged
that the department assume the risk OF
furnishing the pOstmasters with sup
plies considerably in excess of what
would be ordinarily warranted by their
bonds. Another plan has been to sug-
gest to the poStmaSters in the interior,
that they accept unstamped mail from
miners and settlers, and send it in their
own official penalty envelopes, register
ed, to the nearest good-siZed Office
which in the cases of Skaguay and
Dyea would be Juneau-and request
the postmaster at Juneau to attach
stamps, for which the money could be
forwarded in bulk in the same penalty
package with the mail. Still another
plan, which is most likely to be adopt
ed. is to constitute the pOStOffice at
Juneau a stamp supply depot for the
territory embracing the gold fields, and
keep a large quantity of stamps con-
stantly in stock there for distribution
to the interior offices on prepaid re-
QUESTION, in small or large quantities
as needed. This would bring the facii-
ll6S lOI lIlS HtCESSdly STAMP SuDplltS
within few days reach of the interior
points, and come as near as practicable
to keeping an abundant supply at these
places themselves. But meanwhile, the
department desires to convey to all in
tending travellers, Alaska-ward, the
suggestion that each person supply
himself before starting with postage
stamps enough to last him a good
while.
The trouble over stamps in Alaska
has been paralleled, though in a minor
degree, more than once in unsettled
regions suddenly opened to an influx
of population. But nothing quite COM
mensurate with the present situation Is
recalled since the war; when the SOL
diers in the field found such difficulty
In getting their letters home, that they
were obliged often to glue to the en-
velOpes the little silver Scent pieces
which were in circulation then, writing
around the coin the legend: paid, if
the id thing sticks" When the coins
did not stick, the government accepted
the daub Of glue as an evidence of good
faith, and forwarded the letters just
the same.