The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-26
HAD 81 LETTERS PER
CAPITA DURING YEAR
Figures Show Uncle Sans
Enormous Postal Business
MAIL IN ALABAMA
The State Has % Daily Newspapers
Against "a in Georgia-Birming-
ham Had 59,270 Paid
Registrations
By c. e. STEWARD

By C. e. STEWART
Washington, March 25.-tSpeciaD-rh
report of the third assistant postmaster
general which deals with the financial
end of the postoffice department, conse-
quently with issuance of stamps, postal
cards, money orders, wrappers and other
sources of revenue to the department in
it's dealings through the 52,s15 postofices
in the United States, and the IL, 2ss inter-
national postoffices, with the public is
an interesting document and gives to the
uninitiated citizen, whose comprehension
of the vastness of the business conducted
by the department must necessarily be
rather vague, just little more definite
knowledge and appreciation of this branch
of the government service
One of the principal items of interest
to the public, the parcel post is, of course
neglected in this report, which is of
June 30, 1912, prior to the approval of
the act creating this branch of the postal
service.
No Substitutes for Stamps
The department declares that it has
received many suggestions of substitutes
for the postage stamp as a means of col
lecting the postal revenues, but thus far
nothing has developed which embodies
all the very practical and direct advan-
tages of the stamp. Possibly. they say,
a substitute will some day be found,
but at present the tendency seems to be
to extend the stamp system rather than
to curtai 1t. The department issues
total of 124 varieties and denominations
of stamps. The ordinary postage due
special delivery, registry postal savings
and postal savings official, to which
should be added the Panama Pacific, the
parcel post and the parcel post due
stamp. These issues together with the
stamped envelopes, newspaper wrappers,
postal cards, international reply coupons,
and postal savings official stamped en-
velopes, comprise the ia different var1e-
ties
Altogether the department did not is
sue as many stamps in the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1912, and they did the
previous year, but the value was greater
The total aggregate of postage stamps
and stamped paper issued in for the
year 1912. was II, 635 562, ,593, while for 1911
the total was 12,7S1, ,490,652, but the value
for 1912 was 1927, ,593, 7O4.10, and for 1911
was 1927 OPS, SO, gain for 1912 of $685.
4U9.H. The increase in value is accounted
for by the increase in the number of
postal savings cards and stamps issued
which at 10 cents each are considerably
above the average unit of value.
Sale of 2 Cent Stamps
The l0o,oooo0o people in the United
states carry on a pretty big correspon-
dence as is evidenced by the sale of 2
cent stamps, which of course is the one
single biggest item in the sale of stamps.
The aggregate number of cent stamps
sold in 1912, including coils and books
was 5,532, 396,955, which is a little over
90 letters for every man, woman and
child in the country per annum, to say
nothing of postal cards and other mail
matter sent where different denomna-
tions of stamps are used. Neither does
this provide for the 2 cent stamped en-
velopes, of which something like $50 co.,
900 were used.
Alabama's Mail Business
AS a transmitter of valuable matter
through the means of registered letters
and parcels Uncle Sam also does big
business. Alabama In 1912 patronized him
to the extent of 314, i92 registered letters,
and 1,099 registered parcels Intended for
persons in the United States, and sent
abroad 9345 registered letters and 1884
registered parcels.
OF these Birmingham had total of 3d.
go paid registrations This was an in
crease for Birmingham over 1911 of 2127.
Birmingham, however. received more
registered matter than she sent out, the
| total number of registered letters and
| parcels received for delivery being 49,
| $50. In addition to this Birmingham han
died 1898 transit packages, jacket
| pouches, and sacks.
In the handling of second class publica-
tions Alabama gave the government busi-
ness to the extent of 2S daily papers, s
semi-weekly, 20S weekly, s semi-monthly,
43 monthly, bimonthly. and 10 quarterly,
making a total of $40. In dailies Alabama
exceeded Georgia, that state having only
"a against our %, but in weekly papers
Georgia leads, having 262 against our
| 20s. In a total of all second class publi-
cations, Georgia has 423, against Ala
| bamas $40.
| Alabama paid a cent a pound on her
publications to the government for $780,
| III pounds, while she had free in coun-
| try rates on 512,749 pounds. Assuming
| that the circulation Of Alabama's publ
cations which went out of the state was
| offset by publication printed in other
states which came in, each man, woman
and child, white and black, in the state
! should have had as its share something
| like 2A pounds Of good reading matter
during the year 1912.