The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-04-30


proposed before congress
and shown how its adoption would
greatly facilitate mail order business
by enabling money in small sums to be
sent cheaply and safely through the
mails.
Before Il committee of United States
treasury and postal officials last week
of Detroit, presented an interesting
argument for its adoption. The incon-
vcnences which newspaper publishers
and merchants experience In convert
ing postage stamps and small checks
into money We're pointed out by Mr..
Post. and he explained that under the
proposed post check system all the
small bills circulated by the govern
ment may be used in making remit
tanceS at Il much less cost and with
much less trouble than is involved in
securing money orders. Mr.. Post stated
that from statistics secured by writing
to many of the large catalogue houses,
publishers and manufacturers who do a
large mail order business, he has been
able to compute the amount of money
transmitted through the mails in small
sums and finds that fully $1,000 600, 600
pass through the mails annually under
the present inconvenient method. If the
post check system We're in use remit
tances would be largely increased. 1t
was urged that the government would
receive greater revenue from the
stamps cancelled on post checks than it
now derives from money orders. and
that. the new system would be much
more convenient for all persons who re-
nit and receive money in small sums
through the mails. The former prob
ably and the latter certainly is true.
AT present." as Mr.. Post pointed out
"when a farmer or farmers wife de-
sres some small article from the store
or to subscribe for the local paper or to
transact any item of business requiring
the expenditure of Il small sum of
money, he or she is estopped until such
time as Il journey can be made either
to personally perform the duty or to
secure q money order to safely convey
the money. The conditions are parallel
with the period antedating the trolley
car, telephone and rural free delivery
OF mail, when the transaction of any
business away from home meant travel,
expense, time and frequently hardship.
The modern rule of practice is to tele-
phone and not to travel: to send and
receive and not personally so and come.
Public servants are doing the errands
of the people, and doing them more per-
fectly and economically than was done
in the old way. The perfection of the
service rendered by the post
office department is matter of ma
tional pride. There are, however, two |
features of the postal service that never
have been entirely satisfactory to the |
officials nor to the people, and which |
never can be made satisfactory until |
the assistance of the United States |
treasury department is invoked. | refer
to the inability TO prevent robbery of |
letters containing money and stamps,
and to the failure to supply the public
With convenient and safe money to send
through the mails. No form of money
effort to obtain will ever meet the de-
mand of the people,"
The bills now pending provide for
the one, two and five dollar
notes, and suitable denominations of
fractional currency, with bank spaces
n order that the holder may at once
urn his money into Il check or money
order by writing Il payee's name and
address in the blank spaces A fee Is
>aid to the government by afiiXiix and
Il two-cent stamp on the
arge bills and Il one-cent stamp on the
fractional pieces. These fees will, 1t is
'stimated, pay for reprinting the bills
md yield the government Il larger
aggregate income than the present
nohey order system. while the con-
inual fresh issue to replace the can
'elled bills will insure the long desired
lean currency.