The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-01-03
RISE OF PICTURE POSTCARDS.
Mails of Europe and America Choked
with Picture Postals.

Three or four years ago al 1.-The fact,
about the picture postcard industr,
could have been related in a few words
In fact, so far as the United States was
concerned. there was practically no story
to tell. There may have been 100 shops
in the entire country where persons in
search Of picture postcards could find a
small stock from which 10 make a selec-
ton. Originating in Europe, these cards
continent. where they found somewhat
ready sale as inexpensive souvenirs, and
this had been the condition of affairs for
many years. Suddenly, however, the
tide turned. and where manufacturers
had hitherto been unable TO dispose OF
their stock, they now found ii impossible
to supply the demand-an imperative cry
for picture post cards coming from every
part of the world, from Asia and Africa,
as well as from America.
Millions upon millions them are
mailed during the year in mis- country.
In New York city alone the post-offce
handles no less than 100000 of these cards
every day, and il is the same story else
wherein Chicago, San Francisco, New
Orleans, Buffalo, and in all the large cities.
alone that these conditions exist In
Europe too. all the postal services are
actually inundated with postcards. II is
officially stated that no less than 500
million passed through the British post
office during 1906.
These are stnpendous figures, but-this
is the point at which the Imagination
baks. We can read the numerals, but
we cannot comprehend them. just think
of it. One hundred thousand postcards
a day enough, in a year if laid picture
side down, to extend from New York
city to a point somewhere between Salt
Lake. City and the Pacific coast. Five
hundred million-so many that one might
make a belt of postcards extending COM
pletely around the earth at the equator
without using more than two thirds of
them.
The enormous vogue of picture post |
cards means that the sale of one.cent |
stamps required to carry these cards must |
also have become enormous, and there is |
no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the |
that the post-office department |
Of this. as well as Of other countries, is
Ending ii difficult matter to deliver
them. This was especially true during
he summer months, when everybody who
went mentioning purchased these cards
)y the dozens to send them over seas and
% all parts of the land. Under those con
litions it is not strange that the mails
hould have become congested. 1t is not
that the letter carriers should
iave become so completely swamped be
leath the food of pictures that til " fell
ar behind in their deliveries. 1t not
lifiicult to believe that ..,e revenut from
his source should have become SO great
hat the postal authorities have abtut de-
ided to ask for more men to operate this
ranch of the service. Already these
ards have been made the subject of more
han one post-office department ruling, as
rhen the Introduction of the tinseled card
vas decided upon, because the isinglass
sed in giving the touch of realism to the {
Gene portrayed not only worked into the
lands of the postal clerks and made s
hem sore, but actually put the stamp
ancelihg machines out of order.-The Bo-
emian. II