The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-08

can be established, the departmental
 machinery will be adjusted to it. | The last report of the first assistant postmaster general shows that total
 of 296, ,559 letters containng losoe money, drafts stamps and money orders, were 1 handled in the dead letter office during | the last fiscal year, the division being l as follows: Containing money, 56,652
 containing drafts and money order, 42,-
 976; containing stamps, 19IO4l Anyone i accustomed to the receipt of small re-
 mittances by mail knows that Of the 1 letters containing drafts and money or 1 ders a very large majority contaln drafts, and probably not ten per cent contain money orders, In the regular run of business the pc cent9ga of money ! orders would not run so high, put IL IS possible that in the letters handled by
 the deal letter office the percentage or
 money orders to drafts might run ten
 per cent. Upon this estimate the statls- 1 tics would show 4,279 letters containing money orders out of 296,559 letters con- l taning remittance of money in some | form
 These statistics are the most accurate 1 QIlldlIldple anu NtIllt NllN PNl lNN''''A 1~ money orders is an estimate based upon l the experience of the business office sufficient information can be drawn to
 make clear the fact that the govern ment receives a fee upon but a small percentage of the remittancts that daily pass through the mails; and 1t also gives evidence of the risky, incon- venient and unnatural methods of re-
 hitting to which the public is sub
 jected
 The same report shows that only $50
 out of 1 ,000 money orders are for i've
 dollars or less This is but little more
 than one third, and clearly indicates
 that the people do mt patronize the money order service when making small
 remittances, but prefer to avoid the
 trouble and expense of procuring a money order and rather assume the risk of sending currency and stamps.
 The same report shows that out of
 76,945 post offices in the country but 30,529 are money order offices, leaving 46,416 offices without money order facili- ties. This is considerably more than half, and the result is that many thou sands of our people are unable to pro- cure eNell d ulOlitN blhtl'
 The demand for postal currency is universal among all classes of business interests farmers and the general pub ,fc, and the administration that Will supply this convenience to the people will earn and receive their gratitude.
 The bills now pending provide for printing the one two and five-dollar notes. and suitable denominations of fractional currency, with blank spaces in order that the holder may at once turn his money into check or money order by writing a payees name and address in the blank spaces, fee is paid to the government by af1ixing and cancelling a two-cent stamp on the large bills and a one-cent stamp on the fractional pieces These fees will pay for reprinting the bills and yield the government a larger aggregate income than the present money order system, it is estimated. and the continual fresh issue to replace the cancelled bills will insure the long desired clean cur rency
 So far as possible, the suggestions of the government officials have been in- in the system The friends of the measure hope to secure from the I experienced and honored officials com posing this committee such criticism and advice as may further perfect this proposed postal currency We have no interests to further and expect . no private gain of any sort The pat ants have been duly assigned to the government without charge,