Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1883 — THE POSTOFFICE. [ARTICLE]

THE POSTOFFICE.

Postmaster General Gresham’s Report. The report of the Postmaster General is very full and comprehensive. He estimates the revenue of the department for the fiscal year ending June 30,1885, at $17,104,078, and its expenditures at $50,062,189, leaving a deficiency to be supplied out of the Treasury of $2,958,111. This deficiency will be caused, it is thought, by the reduction of postage, but the report suggests that figures are purely conjectural. The free delivery system has been largely ex - tended during the year, and is now in operation at 154 offices. The total appropriation for this service was $3,200,000, including a special appropriation of $200,000 to carry out the provisions of the act of Aug. 2,1882, an increase of $575,000 over that of the preceding year. The total cost of the service was $3,173,336.51, leaving an unexpended balance of $26,663.49. The increase of the cost over the preceding year was $550,073.77. The present status ot the Star service shows for 1883 a cost of $4,739,478, with 77,998,782 miles of annual transportation, against a cost of $7,321,499, with 76,070,995 miles of annual transportation in 1880, being an increasei from 1880 of 1,927,787 miles of transportation and $2,582,021 decrease in cost. This service is now all performed under contracts made upon proposals submitted in response to advertisements. An interesting statement, snowing the development and cost of the railroad service from its commencement until June 30, 1883, is nresented. It is the general opinion that the rates of pay have been greatly increased of late years; the fact is otherwise. The cost per mile of transportation in 1854 was 11,4 cents; in 1883, notwithstanding the enormous increase in weight of mails and the superior facilities provided for distribution, the cost is 10.75 cents per mile. On the 30th of last June there were 5,927 mon-ey-order offices in operation, whose transactions during the year, of domestic orders issued, amounted to $117,329,409.31, and of domestic orders paid and repaid to $117,344,281.78; of internationalorders issued to $7,717,822.11, and of international orders paid and repaid to $3,063,187.05; a grand total in issues of $125,047,328.42, and in payments and repayments of $120,407,468.83. The fees received in domestic orders issued aggregated $1,101,821.80, and on international orders $170,238.80—a total Of $1,272,060.90. The gains were, in domestic transactions, about 3& per cent., and in International transactions from 1.85 to over 56 per cent.; in domestic fees about 4J6 per cent., and in international fees from .56 to over .54 per cent. The Postmaster General opposes the proposed reduction of postage on drop letters from 2 cents to 1, on the ground tjat it would increase the cost of the carriers’ service and lead to a clamor for its extension, but he is in favor of increasing the single rate limit on all letters from a half ounce to an ounce. He also recommends that the rate of postage on transient newspapers and periodicals be fixed at 1 cent for every three ounces, instead of 1 cent for every two ounces as now. On the subject of postal telegraphy, the Postmaster General is diffuse. He says: “From the best consideration which I have been enabled to bestow upon the subject, I have reached the conclusion that Congress has the constitutional power in providing for the postal service of the country to avail itself of all the facilities devised by the inventive genius of modern times for transmitting messages and Intelligence, and that it has full authority to adopt either of the first two plans which I have mentioned. “The establishment and operation of a postal telegraph as a monopoly, or in competition with private companies, would, it is insisted, reduce rates which are now exorbitant and protect the public against the abuses and evils deemed to be inseparable from the service as it exists. In either event an enormous expense must be incurred. But without dwelling upon that consideration, it is clear that an efficient execution of either plan will necessarily Involve the employment of a multitude of operators, messengers, mechanics, and laborers, and thus largely add to the patronge of the Government. An increase of that patronage beyond what is indispensable to the public service is to be deprecated and avoided, and it is one of the dangers which threaten the purity and duration of our institutions. In Europe the telegraph is under the control of the public authorities. With us, the administration is the Government in action, and may, for the time being and for all practical purposes, be considered the Government itself. In seasons of political excitement, and, to some extent at other times, is there not ground for serious apprehension that the telegraph, under the exclusive control of the dominant party, might be abused to promote partisan purposes and perpetuate the power of the administration? But if it could be kept entirely free from such influence, I should hesitate to sanction a measure providing that the United States shall become the proprietor of telegraph lines, and operate them by its officers ana agents.”