The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-10
REPLY CARD SCHEMES
THREE no BE TRIED BY POST
OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
Commercial Interests Of the Country
Insists on Adoption of Some
System Which Will Aid
Mail Order Business

washington. Aug. 9.-(Special. 1.-The
Postoff1ce Department has to try three
different plans for system of reply cards
and envelopes. The subject has been
before the department for several years.
the commercial interests of the country
-persistently asking for the adoption of
some system that would facilitate mail
order business. Several plans have
already been tried. but none have proved
satisfactory, owing to the expense in
volved.
The aim has been to secure the adoption
of some plan that would enable the mer-
camille houses to carry on their mail
order business without having to stand
the loss due to the failure of customers
to return reply cards upon which the
postage had already been paid.
The vast increase Of the mail order bust
ness of department stores and other mer-
camille houses in all the large cities has
made the matter urgent, and the depart
ment has given much attention to it, Last
spring the Postmaster GENERAL appointed
the various Assistant Postmaster Cen
erals and the Auditor of the department
Captain Castle, a commission to hear
all propositions in regard to reply en-
velopes and report on them. The COM
mission has had several meetings. and
has made its first report. Four schemes
were reported presented to the commits
sion. The first proposes that the Return
Postage Clearing Company shall be allow
quantities of stamped envelopes and
postal cards bearing special styles OF
postage stamps to distinguish them from
other mailed matter This matter is to
be purchased, not at the face value of the
stamps. but at the manufacturing cost,
plus 20 per cent.
The company is then to sell these cards
and envelopes to its patrons at a fixed
price. Prior to sale the company will
print upon the address side Of the en-
velopes and cards, in bold type. its own
name as the addressee, to whom such
matter is to be returned in the mails. and
in small type. the name of the purchaser.
These envelopes and cards are to be dis
tributed by the purchasers. and, If i'll
The object is to secure from the persons
addressed reply or order for goods
Periodically these envelopes and cards.
having passed through the mails and
boxes, will be counted, and the actual
postage required for their transmission
paid to the postmaster at the office OF
delivery. The envelopes and cards are
then to be taken to the company's office
where they are to be redistributed and
afterwards delivered by the companys
private carriers to the persons who
originally purchased them from the COM
pany.
It Is proposed to place a sufficient de-
post in the hands of the postmaster in
with the Postofflce Department. as
guaranty Of the payment of the postage
required to be collected on each days
deliveries to the company.
The second scheme presented, that of
the Reply Postal Company, Is essential
" the same as that of Che Return
Postage" Company. The third system
examined was known as the Cahill plan.
George F. CaIhiH has patented the device.
1t Is proposed under this system to have
reply cards and envelopes, with special
partment to individual purchasers. Every
100 or 1000 will be accompanied by
a card OF tablet bearing mum erals from
! to luO o: 1000 as the case may be-
The purchaser agrees to print his name
and address under the supervision of the
department. These cards and envelopes
are. of course, actually prepaid. as re-
CURED by law. When these envelopes
and cards reach the office of address,
they are separated to the boxes of the
addresses, and before delivery are to be
counted and the cards or tablets which
were sold with them are to have erased
therefrom numbers representing the
actual returns each day. When a fixed
period has expired, and it is presumed
that no more of such envelopes or cards
will be offered for mailing, the uncancel-
ed numbers upon the cards or tablets may,
be presented at the postoffice and will be
accepted for their value (Which is deter
mined by the number of cancellation
thereon lin the purchase of new supplies
of the same kind.
The commission has rejected the Gahill
plan. deciding that 1t presented oppor-
tunity for large customers to obtain Their
supplies at manufacturers cost.
The fourth plan was devised by Second
Assistant Postmaster General Shallen-
berger. and is in a degree a combination
of features in the other plans. Judge
Shallenberger proposes that stamped
envelopes and postal cards of special de-
sign he purchased by the individual or
company at the actual value OF the
stamps impressed thereon, plus the cost
of manufacture and handling. The en-
Velopes and cards would be manufactured
with coupons attached, which, at the Of
flee of address, would be clipped and
held until certain period of time had
elapsed, when the purchaser may have
reissued to him (proper deduction being
made for the cost thereof new stamped
envelopes and postal cards to the value
of those which have not been returned to
the mails, and which have become invalid.
If 100 such envelopes had been purchased,
and but fifty-coupons were in The posses
sion of the postotfice at the expiration of
the period for which they are valid for
postage, the purchaser would De entitled
to a reissue of fifty like envelopes less
the cost Of manufacture and otner ex-
penses This plan contemplates trans
acting the business wholly through one
individual or company in each city. and
would give bond for the faithful per-
Torrance of the contract and forfeit the
The commission recommends that the
first. second and fourth plans be tried
practically in not more than three cities
for a period of two years
The members of the commissi IN give at
length their views of the plans offered |
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General |
Bristow objects to the experiment Of the !
systems which farm out the supply of |
reply envelopes and cards, and insists |
that whatever is done should be entirely |
within the control of the department |
First Assistant Postmaster General |
Wynne urges that any scheme. whatever |
urivate or not that will save the excess |
sively wasteful use of the mails, should |
be tried, and says that under existing |
law there is apHaority for such expert
ments Captain Castle, the auditor for |
the department. suggests that, as the
Shalenberger plan has incorporated ideas
from the Cahill system, Mr.. Cahill should
be put in charge of the experiments.
Third Assistant Postmaster General Mad
den objects positively to putting the bust
ness in the hands of private parties. and
favors the experiment as suggested.