Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-11
GRIEVE, BISSET G HOLLAND
A NEW POSTAL CARD.
Printed in Delicate Blue and Bears
 Picture of General Grant,

Picture of General Grant.
 l Washington, D. C.. Aug 11-A new form of postal card, nearly square, and printed in delicate blue, is beginning to make its appearance. It bears an excellent likeness of President Grant. In form and ap- Ipearance it is decided improvement over the card now in general use.
 For several years the postofflce de- partment has noted that there has been a general falling of in the use of the ordinary postal card. A strong disinclination has been manifested by the people to the use of the postal card for personal communications or even for such business communica- tions as it might bessupposed to be desirable. In other words, it is not fad to employ postal cards for any sort of communication by mail When a business house desires to write communication, it writes a letter and puts on it a 2-cent stamp. Among people, generally, it Is not fashionable to use postal cards even for the most ordinary of communica- tions.
 This idea does not appeal to the officials of the postofilce department. To carry postal cards in the mail is a profitable enterprise for the govern ment. Such cards net to the govern ment more than a dollar a pound. and it is hoped by the department officials that the people may be in- duced to employ more of the cards in communicating with their friends. Among business and personal friends it Is scarcely regarded as good form to employ postal cards, al- though it is evident that the great bulk of business communications, consisting. as they do consist, of ac- Acknowledgements or the making of en- agreements or similar transactions, could be put on postal cards. It has been noted at the postofflce depart ment, however. that business con- cerns, as a rule, have ceased to use the cards in any way and the sale of them has dropped of to such an ex- tent as to cause some concern in the department.
 | It finally was determined to issue a smaller card of a more fashionable appearance in the hope that the peo- ! pie might be induced more generally to use 1t. Of course, the profit to the government in carrying these small CT cards will be even greater than 1t has been on the larger cards.
 The chances that the new card will be used more generally than the old is not regarded as likely by many of those who have studied the situa- tion. The American people will not economize in matters of that kind. They would rather use a sealed en- velope and a 2-cent stamp and be assured that nobody will see their communications than to spend sim ply 1 cent for a postal card. with a realization that anybody might read what they have written. It is not a question so much of money as it is of pride. Tn France and in other countries. folding post card Is used. That protects the communication as ab- solutely. as an envelope, but Is not quite so expensive as a letter.
 Postmaster-General Cortelyou has had his attention called to a project for the quick delivery of special com munications, particularly in large cities, at a cost considerably less than the present cost of the delivery of 'speci1l delivery" letters. It is re- garded by postal officials as probable that In a few years some such plan will be adopted. The plan-or a sim liar one-is nov in use fin Paris. where one may send a special letter to any point in the city and be prac- tically assured that it will be deliv- cred ss quickly as a telegram would be. perhaps more quickly. and at minimum of expense. The expense to the government of such a system Is not great. in vieE of the use of pneumatic tubes. and where such means Of mail transportation are Tn use in this country 1t Is quite likely that the scheme viII be adopted.