Evening star., 1938-07-10
Meter Machine Saves
Time for Postal
Service.
By Mary Fisher.
HE death knell Of the postage
stamp is not being sounded just

yet. but
i An eficient, little-publicized
postal system, which had its inception
II years ago and is now soaring to the
heights Of a million-d dollar business for
Uncle Sam, eliminates the necessity
for stamps and may some day reduce
their use to a minimum. About one
quarter of the mail posted in the
United States today is part OF the
meter system-a money and time
saving plan lauded by postal authorl-
ties in Washington.
Oficials of the Post ONCE Depart
ment here say that the new system will
probably never supplant the old en-
tirely, and there will always be need
for the little colored squares over which
philatelists hold discussions, mutual
admiration meets. and pitched battles.
However, this years intake from me-
tered mail was many millions OF dol
lars in excess of that for the year be-
fore. and each year since 1920
steady increase has been noted In
the number of meter users.
There's one of the little machines In
the Benjamin Franklin Post ONCE In
the Department Building,
A clerk, patting it almost with affec-
tionate enthusiasm. will tell you: We
wouldn't take anything for it. Why,
this gadget cuts down our work to
about half-and if you're ever clerk
during rush periods, particularly
around holidays, you'll learn what that
means"
This meter machine is one OF four
being tried out by Uncle Sam in pub
lie post Offices. The others are located
in Chicago, New York and Brooklyn.
These are used at parcel post win
dows, and before long may be IA
miliar sight everywhere.
This gives some idea of the growth
Of the meter system, which not long
ago observed its seventeenth anniver-
sary. In 1920, postal authorities stood
up and gave their official blessing to
the first postage meter in the United
States, setting" it at Stamford. Conn.
RUT what, exactly. is the meter sys-
tenn. and to what type Of mail does
1t chiefly apply?
The appearance Of the mail itself Is
familiar to nearly every one. Your
postman has handed you many an en-
velope or package with indicia in the
upper right-hand corner. These, TAX
ing the place of stamps, signify that
the United States has received from q
purchaser the amount Of postage
necessary for mailing. The meter
machine itself bears a device to print
the indicia and has recording
mechanism to be setsby the postmaster
for given number Of impressions or
amount of postage paid for at the time
of setting"
This is not to be confused with the
non-meter machine in use for about
30 years, similar to the other In that
it prints indicia. But 1t does not have
the recording device.
Applications to send out metered
mail must be obtained by individuals
and business concerns from the Fed
eral Government. The system Is un-
der the aegis Of Nelson, b. Wentzel,
superintendent of the Division Of Clas-
sification in the Post Once Depart
ment, which in turn falls under the
supervision Of Ramsey s. Black, Third
Assistant Postmaster General.
Permits are sought chiefly by busi-
ness institutions with large daily
outgoing volume of mail, either letters
or parcek-great packing houses,
newspapers. banks and the like. When
a business concern wants to obtain a
meter machine. 1t buys the machine
base outright from the manufacturer,
then leases the meter itself for IS or
$40 q month.
The meter Is then taken to the local
postmaster and "set" by him amid .
bit Of ceremony. The concerns. rep
resentative informs the postmaster