Evening star., 1920-04-04
FIND "SHORT POSTAGE"
LOSES FOREIGN TRADE
CONTINUED from First Page.)

that the post Office at Buenos. Aires
was holding several thousand letters
from American firms to Argentina
business concerns. because the letters
did not carry enough postage. The
same information has come from Rio
de Janeiro. and. in fact. from prac-
ttcally every Important South Ameri-
can city.
How" ask officials of the foreign
mails section Of the Post Office De-
partment, "can American firms hope
ever to capture any appreciable share
of South American trade as long as
they are so careless in this small de-
tail?" And American consular off,
GERS echo, "How?"
One United States consul wrote:
america is the only country that
exacts this penalty from prospective
customers, and 1t certainly Is not
factor in securing competitive busi-
ness.
I'VE cry America first and send
out circulars or posters with this slo-
gan, put insufficient postage on the
envelope and mail o to our foreign
correspondents, but when they. receive
1t they don't say. America first
Typical American Trnit.
officials of the department say the
fault can be traced to the typically
tails.
Costly stationery is provided" said
one official, letters are well prepared
and typed. often-though not so often
as they should be-in the language of
the prospective customer; the letters
are properly addressed and inclosed
in handsome and attractive envelopes
and then the mail is given to the new
est errand boy in the office to stamp
and mail.
THE boy has a supply of 2-cent
stamps. Probably he never heard of
a scent stamp or one of higher de-
nomination. He doesn't know but
what La Plata is the next railroad
stop to Jersey City He runs through
the mail. sticks 2-cent stamps on all
of the letters. dumps them into the
chute or the mailbag. and his duty is
done, as far as he knows. 1t is only
when the firm receives notice from
the post office calling attention to the
number OF short-paid foreign letters
In it's mail. or seeks to learn why a
profitable foreign order was not land
ed. that it finds out about the short
postage. and then it is too late.
Nothing aggravates the average
business man as much as to receive
half dozen or more letters in his
mornings mail bearing the postage
due stamp. Eut. strange. to say, he
never seems to think that his foreign
correspondents may feel the same way
about it,
p. o. Department Instructions.
Recently the Post Office Department
distributed broadcast a circular call
ing attention to the "short-paid" for
eign mail evil. In part. the circular
said:
From time to time. this depart
ment has employed different methods
to call the attention of senders to
the fact that their letters. for foreign
countries were dispatched. in most
cases, short paid. One method en-
ployed to correct this inadvertence
was the Withholding of short paid let
ters. not long enough to miss steam
ship dispatch, however, and the noti-
flying of the senders Of the amount
Of deficiency due. in order that the
senders might be given an opportunity
to see what employees were at fault.
after this method was employed
without effect, it was decided to dis
patch the short-paid mail and send
card notices to the senders stating
the amount of deficiency and request
ing instructions be issued to prevent
the mailing of shoft-paid matter in
future. This procedure was found
productive Of little result. however.
"At last an investigation was made
at New York and. in cooperation with
banking institutions, corporations and
Arms, different methods were employ
ed by the senders to provide that the
proper amount Of postage be affixed
on letters and covers of mail articles
for foreign countries
"In one large banking institution.
where there were 400 typists en-
ployed, instructions were issued pro-
viding that the envelopes of all for