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Stamp Cancellations at a Rural Post Office in the 1940’s
Erick Lee Erickson, Professor Department of Economics ericksoe@mscd.edu
SLIDE 2 Postmark Records of a 4th class PO
“As a check on the correctness and legibility of the postmarking, the postal regulations require the postmaster to make an impression of the postmark
- n an office record every time
any change is made in the die.”
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Fondis, Colo. 1895-1954
∙ Fondis
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Postmaster, 1915 – 34. Charles Newton Tripp, 1869 -1944.
SLIDE 10 Postmark records 1920’s, 1930’s
1920, #=6; 1921, #=22; 1931, #=5
SLIDE 11 Fondis
Railroad
To Denver
SLIDE 12 1953, #=16 1954, #= 5 1941, #=116 1942, #=230 1943, #=213 1944, #=263 1945, #=246
SLIDE 13 Fondis
Railroad
To Denver
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Stamps
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Change in postmarking stamp, 1941
SLIDE 17 Actual times
and dispatch
identity of carrier
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Mail carrier could not meet appointed rounds
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Problems with the arrival and departure of mail
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AM and PM postage (before and after mail dispatch)
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Cancelled postage
SLIDE 23 $0 $2 $4 $6 $8 J F M A M J J A S O N D
Daily Cancellations at Fondis, Colo. (pop = 380, households = 58)
1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
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Average Daily Revenue Standard Deviation 1941-45 .879 .634 December 1.712 1.337 Jan - Nov .777 .375
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Transactions
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SLIDE 28 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 $0.00 $0.20 $0.40 $0.60 $0.80 $1.00 $1.20 Number Cancelled 1941-45 Postage Paid
Postage Frequency at Fondis, Colo.
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SLIDE 30 Number of households Average distance to PO, miles Average round trip, miles Cost per mile Travel cost per transaction Transactions per day Travel cost per day 58 4.78 9.56 $.04 $.3824 2.7 $1.03
Average Travel Cost Per Transaction = $.3824 Average Travel Cost Per Day = $1.03
SLIDE 31 Demand for Postal Service $.31 2.7 Revenue = $.837 Consumers’ Surplus = $1.03 Price Quantity, Number Of Transactions Per Day Elasticity = .4
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Business on Holidays and during storms.
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Mail carrier notes
SLIDE 35 Personal letter discussing postal business.
Jesse (Tripp) drove extra mileage without extra pay, then when returned to regular, tried deducting pay for same milage, also he carried long while, months, I believe, before getting
Denver carriers time changed twice from contract, My scraps of paper, huh?
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