The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-08-17

ACAAAAAA9N pL me L8llSQEA sAdAAlRs 1A4S with the edged tool of his art makes the incisions for the head Another dOSS some of the ornamental scroll work, and third completes what is left to be done. At this stage of it's manufacture the stamp Is called a die. The process by which this die is trans formed to a plate of metal on which 1t is stamped four hundred times. and from which the sheet of stamps is printed is matter not for the compre- hension of the average unscientific mind. But, at any rate. this transfor- nation occurs, and it is this that re- quires the two-days' work. There is method in this subdivision of the work besides that of letting each man have his speciality. No employe becomes proficient in the complete manufacture of stamp. and thus he cannot work overtime at home making them for his own use or for a little industry of his own on the side. -.- .....
 When these plates are taken from the engravers, the real work of printing the stamps begins. It takes one inani- mate and three human machines to op- crate four of these plates. A woman is feeder, She takes the plate that has been carefully polished by man who stands at her left and lays over this the specially prepared paper upon which the stamps are to be printed. She pushes the plate under roller that by it's pressure transfers the pat | tern of the stamp on the plate to the paper. She is then ready for the sec and plate. The girl directly opposite her, who can sit down at her work, takes the sheet of stamps from the plate and pushes the latter under an- other roller of the machine, where it is ! reinked for another impression. This \ work goes from eight o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon, and the machinery is generally hot. In a room above the sheets of stamps re- ceive their coating of glue on the back. There are eight electric machines to do this work, and each of these requires the assistance of three young women. One feeds the machine, sending the sheet under the roller with It's printed side downward, that the smooth backs may be exposed to the dripping of the lglue that falls from metal receptacle tjust over the roller.
 | Continually moving machinery car Tries the sheet on into the drying box. l This is fifty feet long and filled with hot air. Across the ceiling of this room lis a big aluminium pipe which connects with these boxes by means of perpen- dicular pipes. This is some sort of an apparatus by which all the moisture in these boxes is drawn out. On an ordi- lnarily cool summer day the atnos-
 phere of this room Is one hundred de grees Fahrenheit. Oh, it's just lovely, By the time you have followed this idryi11g process the length of these fifty fleet you reach the other end of the lroom, where the two other women as lsistants are at work. One of these takes the sheets from the machine and lthe other makes a neat pile of them | At table in one corner of this room sit 1.-the counters, who inspect all work be- fore 1t is allowed to go out into the next Iroom, where 1t is perforated. Each ma. chine in the perforating-room requires 1.-two girls for it's operation One of them Iworks the machine with her foot
 When she sends a sheet through the llnacfine 1t is perforated and cut in two lsections. In another machine these halves are cut in two, thus quartering lthe original sheet. These quarters oi the original sheet are put up into pack lages of from one hundred to five hun dred sheets, or from one to five thou. Isand stamps, and sent direct to post.
 offices all over the country.
 l Before the days of rural delivery lseventy-seven thousand post-offices were served daily But this improve linent in the mail service has cut the humber down to seventy-four thousand
 The number of stamps sent out daily i: lfifteen million. When you hold up tc Ithe light sheet of paper on which tht I stamps are printed, 1t shows water mark consisting of the letters "U. lP. S" Over each of these letters {
 stamp is printed. It is sometimes sait
 that the young woman who holds { tgovernment position knows nothing o really hard work when she labors onl!
 from nine to half-past four, has
 months vacation with pay in the sum
 mer time, and Is allowed one montl
 during the course of the year in whicl
 to remain at home on account of illness
 In contrast to her, the stenographer il l a private institution or the clerk in ; store is cited, the latter having to worl imuch longer hours, and, as a genera
 thing, receiving a lower salary.