Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 December 1890 — THE POSTAL SERVICE. [ARTICLE]

THE POSTAL SERVICE.

Mr. Wnumoker'i Report and Reeom■nendationsi J- —*' ' --v ' " In his annual report Postmaster General Wanamaker claims a great improvement has been made in the postal service, and that a great saving has been, made in the expenditure for printing; also that the inspection service has been greatly im-> proved. The measures for the prevention of frauds have been more effective than usual, and a new and simpler system of accounts ha? been adopted. , The gross revenue is nearly >5,003,000 larger than it ever was before. About 5,030 new postofflees more than in any ono year befora have been established. A decreasing limit for the extension of the free delivery has permitted'the employment of lettercarriers in over fifty towns. Three times as many sub stations and stamp agencies were established as during the previous year. Over 5,000 miles of railroad postoffice service, where traveling postofflees distribute the mails for instant dispatch, have been put on. The 5,000 transportation schedules have been examined and adjusted or extended where it has been possible. Thirty-six per cent, more of city mails have been distributed on the trains for instant dispatch than during the previous year. The star route mileage has increased 0ver5,000,000 miles and the rail, road mileage over 11,000,090. The railway postal clerks hava reduced the number of J pieces usually sent to the dead letter offlee’by 2,000,000. “The plan proposed for a postal telegraph is familiar to the public. TherS would be no outlaj’ of money, no**appointments of clerks and no financial liability. The persistent mis-statement of the facts at the outset led to some misunderstandings on the part of a small portion of the public. The actual plan is surely entitled to a just statement and a fair consideration. If there is a better one, it will be quickly discovered and adopted.” Under the head, “A new plan for postal savings banks,” the report says: “I recommend that the postblilce department be authorized to establish postal savingsbanks under regulations formulated by the Postmaster General; that the said hanks be located as follows: (I) In States having no laws regulating savings banks; (2) in any other States upon petition of a considerable number of residents of any onelocality-, and (3) not more numerously than one postoflice for every ten miles of area: that the interest to be paid depositors shall be fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury at the beginning of each year, and to be 1 per cent, less than the average rate paid to depositors by private banks; that all postal savings received within a State shall be placed .on deposit with the National Banks of that State on application, in such amounts and at such interest as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, and that all such deposits be declared, by special enactment, preferred claims against the banks holding them.” Tne next question considered is that of “Lotteries and the Mails.” Tho subject is treated briefly, as follows: l “The new act of Congress concerning lotteries accorded with the recommendations of my last annual report: The lottery companies can not but see that there is to be no triflingjbr evasion in dealing with them. Tho press has aided the department by its very general approval and the public at large has seconded its efforts to make the law effective.” It appears from the report f that 14,073 postmasters were removed during the past two years and 26,680 appointed in the same time. The appointments for the past year numbered 14,465 and the removals, 6,274. The number of postoflices at the close of tho fiscal year, 30th of Juno, 1890, was 62,401. Tho number of new offices estab lished in 1890 was 4,236. Tho number of offices enlarged to free delivery offices in 1890 was fifty-three. The Postmaster General hopes that the way may soon be clear to connect the executive department and the Senate and the House with the Washington City office by pneumatic system and that it may then bo extended to the sub-stations and post offices of larger cities. He would especial ly like to see a pneumatic system working perfectly in Chicago by tho time the World’s Fair is in progress so that the postal exhibit there would really show this high development of the service. He favors, wherever practicable one story in expensive buildings for postoffices, and says that to move out of a six hundred-dol-lar rented room, safe and ample for the postal business, into a one-hundred-thou-aand-dollar building, where the janitor alone gets more salary than the whole of the rent in the former place, can not tie justified on any business principles. If the postal revenue arising from letter postage could be set aside for its proper uses the millions of letter-writers of this country might quickly be permitted to enjoy a reduced taxation on letter-writing. In point of fact, there is a clear gain of nearly thirty million dollars from letter postage. This large profit, with the annual deficit (which last year amounted to |5,768,300), appropriated out of tne general treasury, is all swallowed up by the losses on other classes of mail matter car ried at less than the cost of distribution and handling. There need be no conjecture a? to the principal item of cost in trying to drop to the one-cent rate. The amount-received from letter postage last year was something over >38,000,000. This sum would be cut exactly in half, and we would, therefore, get but a little over >19,003,000. The deficiency for tho current’ year is likely to be >4,500,000, which would make the total deficiency $23,500,001 and more. This large deficiency under a one cent rate would be reduced (1) by the natural increase of business, (2) by the stimulus of a low rate of postage and (3) by the completion of pending legislation to collect proper postage from sample copies of so called newspapers and from paper-covered books. It is estimated that by the sample copy business over >I,OOO - 000 is annually lost to the revenue, and in the transportation of paper-covered books considerably more than >1,000,000 is kept out of the postal income for the benefit of book publishers. The deficiency under a one-cent rate might be still further reduced by the adoption of improved devices irom time to time, which would save time and money. The most formidable item presented for consideration is the eight million dollars’ worth of postal work performed annually without pay for the executive departments. If each of the departments had paid its posting, the revenue of this department would have been >8,000,000 more annually than it is now. The report touches upon the question of tho civil service law as applied to the postoffice department in the following words: “The examinations for the inspector force and for the railway mail service ought lo bemade more difficult,, so that the candidates for places will better stand the tert than actual work. I wish that some schej.e might bo devised by which the degartmental force and all parts and branches of the postal service, classified or to be classic Tied, might be encouraged into new exertions by some just, general and certain plan of promotions. I think it would I e impossible to find an appointing officer who has not been glad to take advantage of stringent examinations to keep awav< the mere political place seekers.” The revenues of the department for t! e fiscal year, the report sows, were >30,855 - 783. The expenditures ana U abilities were

Complying With the Election Law. i New York Herald- ’ * ,\ Andrew J. Perry, who led the Republican forlorn hope, in the Fourth Congressional Dsstrict against John M. Clancy and was buried under 7,000 plurality, files the following unique sworn statement of his expenses in the campaign: “To an agent of the Brooklyn City Railroad Company, the sum of 5 cents !n payment for the transportation dr carriage of myself on the road and in one of the cars df Said company from the intersection of First Place and Court street to the intersection of Fulton street and High street, both within said district and on a continuous line thereon. I am unmindful that the law requires me to give the name of the person who received the money, •with knowledge of the penalty prescribed in .said chapter 94 of the laws of 1890. I confess to the people of the State of New York and before all its magistrates and officers that I am unable to do so,and I confess further, that my inability results from neglect to use the proper means and at the proper time unable me to ascertain the required fact But in making such confession I couple it with the protest that such neglect was not with any criminal intent, and was not for any purpose for evading or violating said law.”