Evening star., 1898-11-01


ing mail matter for the merchants and resi-
| dents quite regularly from Havana, Glen
fuegos, Manzanillo, Guantanamo, Santo Do
mngo, Caracas, Haiti and Jamaica. The
mails were also dispatched to these places
| at regular intervals.
Use of Money Orders.
Mr.. Kempner says the system of issuing
and paying money orders will prove to be
an excellent medium of exchange, and busi-
| ness men soon recognize it. During the
| month Of August there were issued 1,02S
| money orders, mostly to soldiers. In Sep
| tember !, 1O3 money orders were issued 400
| of which were purchased by merchants.
The figures for October will show a still
| larger percentage of orders sold to mer-
| chants. The sale of stamps during Sep
tember amounted to $1129.75, but, though
| this is small, when it is taken into con-
sideration that not one sale amounted to
| s. it is very simple matter to figure out
the number of transactions necessary to
sell this amount. Mr.. Kempner says he
has tried to compare our business with
| the business done under Spanish rule, but
without success, for the reason that un-
der the Spanish system the post office does
| not control the revenues of the postal ser
vice; in otner words, postage stamps were
| not sold at the post offices. but by store
keepers who obtained them from the treas
| ury department, and for the sale of which
| they received a profit of one per cent on
| all sales.
Upon careful investigation. he says, he
| finds the postal system as administered by
| Spain in Cuba lacking in many important
| details. There is no free delivery. Let
ter carriers are employed in the large cities,
and receive their pay by collecting from
| 3 to cents fer each piece of mail deliv-
cred In Santiago this system was at once
stopped, and the United States free de-
livery inaugurated.
Two Letter Carriers.
At the present time there are but two
letter carriers (natives of Santiago), who
, make four deliveries daily in the business
district. Il is his purpose to extend the
service to the residents as well. Seaport
towns have been enjoying the advantages
Of the postal service. but the towns in the
interior have had comparatively no SER
vice whatever. Carriers on horseback were
employed at several points to deliver mail
| in the interior, but they collected such ex-
orbitant prices from the people for the
delivery that they are but little employed.
The merchants, when they desire to COM
municate with persons in the interior, in
variably send special messenger. Mr..
Kempner calls attention to the allowance
made for post office employees, and points
out that the military authorities class them
with civilians and will not permit them to
enjoy the cost price of useful and import
ant commodities sold by the war depart
ment to the officers and men connected
| with the army. He urges that first
| CLASS set OI clerkS De sent 70 SuDd, all 10
be well paid for their services. and induce
| them to remain as long as the United
States maintains military control Of the
| island
Various Post Ohices in Cuba.
| Considerable space is given to a descrip-
tion of the various post offices visited in
| Cuba. Concerning the one at Havana, he
| says he believes the services of about two-
| thirds of the present force Of employees can
| be dispensed with when the United States
| takes possession of the office. About twenty
clerks from the United States will be re-
quired in order to properly equip the Of.