The times., 1900-12-30
POSTAL WORK OF NATIONS
America the Only Country Operat-
ing at a Loss.
The People Served With Their Mails
Notwithstanding the Expense-Ori-
gin of the Prepaid Stamp System.
The Profits of European COun-
tries From Their Letter Service.

It is stated on reliable authority that
the United States is the only important
country that does not regard its postal
service as a source of profit. In fact
when, as has been done lately, the post
office Department extends its routes and
improves its facilities it operates at q
small loss. Says a recent report Of the
office:
This service entails a heavy loss or
the Government. The mileage paid thai
company (the one to which was let the
Cuban and Mexican mail contracO for one
year, for 203,5 $50 statute miles Travelled
was s20S, $50; while the income from the
postage thereon was only 1880"
II is stated by person conversant with
the facts that the cause of the postal
deficit is not the great distances traversed
by the mail in this country, but the ex-
cessive charges extorted from the Gov
ernment by the private corporations to
which the contracts are let. An exami-
nation OF the tables given and of the
charges imposed discloses the signal fact
that, IL the United States Government
owned and controlled all postal cars, and
paid the railroads for traction and sta
tion storage. the saving would be fully
40 per cent, as compared with the cost per
mile at the present day, which is simply
outrageous.
Looking back over the history of postal
systems one is confronted with the rather
striking fact that England, Switzerland,
and Brazil were. in the order named, the
first countries to adopt the postal stamp
and up-to-date delivery.
The commencement of the system in
England is most interesting. In 1897.
Rowland Hill, schoolmaster printed
a pamphlet on postoffice reform, in which
he endeavored to demonstrate that the
expense of carrying the mails, even the
greatest distances. was nothing compared
with that of collecting the postage
Through his efforts a bill which, among
other reforms, proposed that letters
should be prepaid by means of stamped
envelopes, was introduced in the Bri ish
Parliament. The bill met with the ost
decided opposition from Statesman and
postSl officials. The Postmaster General
that day declared in the Hcuse OF Lords
that this was the most extraordinary
of all the wild and visionary schemes
ever conceived" However, thousands cf
petitions for the furtherance OF the prof.
ect poured in, and Parliament, in recogni-
tion Of the general manifestation, ap-
pointed commission to consider the plan.
After many strong debates, it was
adopted, and went into operation May 6,
1870
A prospectus was circulated far and
wide offering a reward of $500 for the
best design and plan for stamp. The
prospectus stated that the features chiefly
desired were simplicity and facility in
working. combined with such precautions
as should prove efectuai against for
gerry"
Almost a thousand different designs and
plans were sent in. among them the fa-
nous NulreadT envelope, which bore alli-
gorical representations of England attract
ing the commerce OF the world. These en-
veiopes, which embodied Mr. HIS idea of
stamped covers" had for few months a
phenomenal success and then fell into dis
use. None of the competitors in this con-
test offered anything SO simple as the
stamp which was finally chosen. 1t was in
vented and later manufactured by Lon
don citizen named Heath. Switzerland
adopted the postal stamp In 1s43, and Bra
I'll liz the same year.
In 1s42 postal service had been estab-
lished in the city of New York This,
however. was merely local. and did not
meet the requirements OF the country at
large. In 1874 the matter was brought to
the attehtion Of Congress. and an attempt
was made to pass law requiring the pre-
payment Of postage with stamps issued by
the Government, but 1t proved Intellectual
In 1s45 postage stamps were used in the
Ualted States for the first time. They
we're issued by the pos.masters In the
large cities, each city having its own spe-
cial design. In 1S47 this custom was pro-
hibited. Congress authorized the Post
master General thereafter to furnish all
Offices with stamps, provided by the Gov
erIment. and the use of any and all others
was declared unlawful
In 1s4S Russia adopted postage stamps,
and in the same year France made q third
attempt to Introduce them. A year later
their use was permanently established in
that country. as well as in Tuscany, Bel
GUM. Bavaria. Austria, and the German
principalities. Saxony, Spain, and Italy
issued them in 1850. In 1853 $4,000 was
paid to Henry Archer the inventor of the
machine used for punctlring interstices
between stamps. This device makes COM
plete circles. from which the discs of pa
per are clearly and sharply cut. 1t imme-
diately sprang into general use wherever
postage stamps were used In 1863 stamps
had been adopted by 130 countries, and
about 1.450 varieties of stamps, franks
ani postal labels were known 10 exist.
The British Government, which at first
doubted the efficacy Of the postal reforms
attempted by Rowland Hill, later show
cred abundant honors upon him. He was
knighted in 1850. and in 1864 was made