Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1887 — VILAS’ ANNUAL REPORT. [ARTICLE]

VILAS’ ANNUAL REPORT.

Work of th© Pastoffice Department Reviewed by the Postmaster General The Deficiency Arising from the Reduction of Letter Postage Steadily Growing Less. Postmaster General Vilas, in his annual report of the operations of his department, expresses the “belief that the time is not far distant when the postage upon letters can be lowered to 1 cent an ounce, with a further possibility of a diminution of the existing rates upon merchandise and other matter. The taxation for the maintenance of the postal service by the imposition of postage is regarded as the justeet form of assessment Low rates conceded to newspapers and periodicals are amply justified by the return in increased intelligence to the people. The profit arising from firstclass matter makes good the losses sustained in the lower classes. On June 30 there were 1,864 third-class postoffices in the country. Of presidential offices there were 2,381, the highest number in the history of the department. The compensation of presidential postmasters for the year was $3,880,300, or an average of over 5 per cent, upon the previous year. There were 52,821 fourthclass offices on July 1, an increase for the year of 1,543. The increase was made up by the establishment of 3,043 new offices and the discontinuance of 1,500. The new offices established were 439 less than the previous year. On July 1 the total number of postoffices of all classes was 55,157, besides which there were 613 branch offices or stations. The total number of appointments amounted to 13,079, of which 6,863 were to fill vacancies by expiration of commissions or by resignations, 2,584 were to fill vacancies by removal or suspension, 589 by death, and 3,043 to establish new offices. There were 145 fourth-class offices raised to the presidential class.

The free delivery service was, during the last fiscal year, extended to eight additional cities which had reached the limits then required by law of $21,000 gross receipts or 20,00 j population, and were thus within the discretionary consideration of the department, Their addition left the total number of places within the privileges of this system to be 189 at the end of the year. The average cost per carrier fell still below that of last year, from $889.15 to 1867.67, or $21.48 to each, 2.41 per cent. This was due to the larger proportion of offices in towns which have but two grades of carriers, and to the considerable number of carriers in the lowest grade by new appointments The money-order service continued to increase in volume during the past year, the amount in the aggregate of domestic orders issued reaching $113,462,660.89, and of international order $9,035,530.31; 3.2 per centum of increase over the preceding year in domestic orders, and 25.86 per cent, in foreign. The aggregate of postal notes issued was $11,768,824.81, an increase of but $51,814.76. The special-delivery service does not appear to have commanded much increase of patronage during the year. The revenue of the past year enjoyed its chief increase from the sale of stamps and stamped paper, in which the gain was $4,2'3,887.96 — more than 10 per cent. There was a gain of nearly 15 per cent, in the sale of newspaper and periodical stamps—over 4 per cent, better than the general rate of increase. The expenditures show an apparently rising percentage of 3.4, which, although but one-half the average of the six years ended June 30,1885, which was 6.8 per cent., yet exceeds the ratio of increase in 1886, which was but 2.6 per cent.