Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-24

OINiI 11O1N Ote ODLlS 14NE OIe-
NATION.
The Post Office Department has
adopted a new form of domestic money
order, which will be introduced gradu-
ally, or as supplies of the old form be-
come exhausted, at the various post
offices throughout the country, after the
4th of September.
The new form is somewhat smaller
than the order now in use. Its dimen-
sions are about those of the ordinary
bank draft. 1t has two adjuncts-the
advice, or notification to be sent by
the issuing of the paying postmaster,
is a reproduction OF the order through
the use of carbonized paper (the mani
fold process), and a receipt for the
amount, to be furnished by the issuing
postmaster to the remitter
On the back of the order a separate
space has been provided for the stamps
of banks through which it may be pass
ed fOr CORRECTION.
In color the order is blue, having a
light blue ground, with fine, closely in
terlaced, tinted lines OF geometrical
lathe-work, of darker shade. In the
center is an escutcheon bearing the
words, Postal Money Order" in shad-
ed capital letters of the same two tints
of blue. The tint of the order and the
lathe-work will serve to prevent imita-
tons; but, as an additional safeguard
against counterfeiting, a horizontal
water mark, composed of the initials
U. S. NJ o. in broad, capital letters, has
been wrought into the paper on which
the new forms are printed.
Through the process mentioned (the
carbon, or manifold process), the order
and the adice are produced simultan
eously. By the same operation the es-
sential particulars of name of payee,
date, amount, and place of payment,
as written in the order, are duplicated,
or reproduced, and made to appear in
the advice precisely as in the order.
The liability to mistake is thus greatly
lessened, and a saving of time effected.
Discrepancies between order and adj
vice, which, by entailing additional
correspondence and causing depay in
payment, have heretofore been source
of annoyance to the Department and
postmasters, as well as to remitters and
payees, are prevented, and absolute I'M
iformity between the order and advice
insured The despatch of advices,
which hitherto have not been made out
until after issue of the orders, will also
be accelerated.
The receipt, which is to be furnished
by the issuing postmaster to the remit
ter, showing the number and date Of
the order and the amount for which
ton, by the carbon process, Of the
writing and stamping on the order,
hence must necessarily agree there
with. The adoption of a receipt has
not hitherto been practicable. 1t will
tend to popularize the postal money
order, supplying more than all else
what was needed to make it, in the
estimation of the public, a perfectly
satisfactory vehicle for the transmits
sion of small sums. Possession of the
receipt will give the remitter feeling
of security. On the back of it he may
make, for his own convenience,
memorandum of the name and address
of the person to whom the remittance
is made and the purpose for which it is
sent. Production of the receipt will
greatly facilitate reference to the rec
ords if it become necessary for the re-
mitter to make application for a dupli-
cate order or inquiry as to whether the
original has been paid; and here again
a saving of time will be effected.
In shape and size the new order is
deemed a decided Improvement over
any other form of money order hither-
to adopted by the department. Its di-
mansions being about those of the or
binary bank draft, it may be conven-
iently handled when mixed with diff
ferent kinds of commercial paper. 1t
is believed that the change made in
this respect will be heartily approved
by banks and business people gener-
ally
That the new order may win its
way to public favor by its simplicity,
clearness and adaptability, great care
has been taken to give it this character
by arrangement of its parts, by avoid
ing surplusage in the text or wording,
and by using plain type and excluding
whatever would be merely ornate de-
sign.
The postal money order system, from
small beginning in 1864, when the
number of money order postoffces es-
tablished in the United States was 419,
has grown to be one Of the great in
dispensable agencies of exchange