New-York tribune., 1911-11-29
pOSTOFF|CE WONDER
TO FOREIGN VISITORS
Great Contrast Between Pneu-
matte Tubes Of To-day and
WheeibarroW OF 1841.
PARCELS POST TO BE TRIED
Postmaster Generals Plan, the
Growing Feature of System,
Admitted To Be Best of It's
Kind in the World.

There is an old employe in the New York
postofice who, In his reminiscent mood,
viii gladly talk about the early days Of
,hs postal service. way back in the DAYS
- his bovhood. around the year $40. His
delight is 10 recall the picture and 10 de-
scribe the great sight of Joe" Dodd, af-
forward known as Colonel Dodd, as he
cartcd tho Southern mails through the
streets of the metropolis. After padding
his ferry across the Hudson. Joe Dodd
would push his wheelbarrow through the
streets down TO tho main and only post
Office. room fifteen by twelve feet, in
tho uppermost oC tho two houses on
Broadway. opposite Beaver street
To-day pneumatic tubes have taken tho
place Of tho wheelbarrow in the handling
of first class mail. and as great as this
change has been in tho distribution OF
metropolitan mail so great have been the
changes i'm the whole system Of our postal
service Its growth has been as enormous
rs tho development Of the country, and the
methods employed to-day give prompt
and rapid service that is superior 10 any
mail service I'm the world. despite the huge
volume Of mail and the great distances
over which It has TO he carried
There can he no better proof of the mar
vclIous development of the postal service
~ the nation than comparison Of the
gross revenue derived by the Postoftice
Department then and now. In lS4o the
oerartment received A5l3.522 for the mail
,er,ice while In 1910 that fzure rose TO
S.2q.a77224 In lSG the postal law Of 1915
vas stil in force and the postage scale
vas arranged according 20 distances Gov
cred one piece Of paper, not going over
thirty miles cents. not over eighty miles,
70 cents. not over 15O miles, 12ie cents; not
over 40 miles 1854 cents and for greater
distances . cents. To-day all first class
mail is carried a. the rate of cents an
ounce for anv distance, and n reduction 10
Z cent per ounce Is contemplated by Post
master General Hitchcock.
There were 10 postage stamps in use IN
tho early 40s. England adopted postage
stamps in lS4o. hut the United States did
not follow the example until 1871. In that
YEAR stamps of the and 10 cent denomi-
nations. with the faces Of Franklin ana
Washington respectively. We're introduced
Previously the postage vas collected en-
trelv i'm money, Us prepayment being op-
tional ir all cases In 1851 stamps In de-
nominations of / and 3 cents were issued
and in 1853 tho first stamped envelope
made its appearance.
Sale Of Stamps Grew Rapidly.
wear after the introduction OF the
stamps their sale reached only 1.540,5i5, but
10 grew rapidly. and in 1856 the hundred
million mark was exceeded. In ISL over a
iillou of pieces we're sold, until nine billion
were required in 1910 10 cover the demand.
Postcards were introduced in 1879, and their
Use proved Immediately popular, as show1
in the fact that over 51.ooo.0o0 were sold in
the first year I'm 1910 their sale reached
threc-quarters Of a billion, besides the
many millions of picture cards sent
through the mails.
The registration system was brought into
existence i'm 1884 during the admnistra-
ton Of President Pierce. The first fee
was cents, but it was raised TO 20 cents
ir 1865. then reduced TO S cents and now II
is - cents
The first free delivery in cities was es-
tablished during the administration OF
President Lincoln on March 3, 1863. As
early as 1926 provision was made by Con
cre,s for the delivery Of letters by carriers
~ "a cost Of cents each TO the persons
receiving them. In 1896 this was further
amended by allowing newspapers and
pamphlets to be delivered at half a cent
each In 1863 Postmaster General Blair
introduced the free delivery system, be-
ginning the practice in cities Of popula-
ton Of fifty thousand. Receiving boxes
were also put up in convenient places and
deliveries were provided for as often as
seemed necessary TO expedite business.
The idea Of railway postoffice was first
brought officially to the notice Of the De-
uartment by Mr.. Hobbic. First Assistant
Postmaster General. who in 1S47, had been
in Europe. and i'm his report gave his i'm
prcssious of the travelling postoffce in
England Under Postmaster General Holt
iu J"Iy 1862. the frst railway postofiice
was introduced ir this country. In 1854 ,ne
IeaGiug railroads were induced 10 alter the
cars for the purpose Of the railway post
Office. and from that time this service mas
arown until now it is model institution
of its kind.
Few Errors in Distribution.