Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1849-12-27
OPERATIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.

OPERATIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
As our country expands in dimensions
and our settlements extend in area-as our
population increases in density and business,
in activity, the service OF the mail must
have corresponding advancement; end it
follows unavodaby that The business and
labor within the Department are every year
rapidly augmenting, demanding from time 10
time addition Of force for their performance.
ln 1886, the Department. was recognized.
and by law much less number OF clerks
provided for than had heretofore been used.
In putting tina! organization into operation /.
was Immediately found impossible to pro-
coed with such reduced force only, and tenn
porary clerks to the number OF eight were
employed in 1887. These were continued
BY the temporary appropriations until 1912,
when by law they became permanent. bu.
no provision has been made for any addition.
al clerks since 1887. Such in the mean
time has been The progress Of the service, and
such the increase OF business. tina, the press.
ure on the clerks has become so great and
delays so unavoidable as absolutely require
new additional force or the public service
must suffer. The pressure is on all the bu'
reaus OF the Department.
In the contract office, W ere the care and
arrangement Of the mail service is extending
in daily demand and where the extent OF
correspondence is permanently the greatest.
In the appointment office business increases
with the increase OF The number OF Offices.
In the financial bureau. under the third as.
sistant, the labor is much increased, as 10
| that branch falls the care OF the dead letter
Office, and the receipt and charge Of the
quarterly returns. In the last year there
were received 100000 dead letters; all
which have been opened and examined. or
these 1864 contained money 10 the amount
OF $32 ,069, have been sent out for delivery
10 the owners, ond 99S letters containing
other enclosures OF value. The inspection
office, whose dnlies include all matters rela.
ling to the performance or failure OF mail
service, all depredations on the mails, and
also the supply OF mail bags, locks and
keys, is branch increasing in direct ratio
with the general service. In this Office
alone during the past year, there were re-
ceived l34,436 commune atoms. The num-
Der Of supposed depredations reported was
1926. which were supposed to include S169,.
lO7 Twenty nine depreciation, were arrests
ed, and the amount Of money reclaimed, or
otherwise accounted for, was S7I779.
To show the great increase Of service, and
the consequent demand for the increase of
the force in the Department, the following
comparative statements is made:
In 1887, the number Of post offices were
l1,767-now II, l64-417 having been es
tablshed since June last. Number OF dead
letters in 1887, 0,0OO-now 100000
number OF gu artery returns in 1887, $1,000
- now $4,000. Number OF mail contrac.
Tors in 1887, 16s2-now AGO. Length OF
routes in 1887. 141, 242--now l67,7o3.
Annual mail trans portalion 10 1887, 80 ,59I>
926-now Dc, 544, 069.
The number OF communications received
at the department annually cannot be less
than $4,000.
To perform this service the present force
is inadequate, and it has been found sbso.
lutely necessary 10 employ temporary clerk
service. compensation for which should be
made, and which necessity it is hoped will
be prevented by some permanent provision
for supply, that the public service may not
suffer.
AUDITOR.
mos! important branch OF the Post Oh
fee Department is, BY the organization Of
1886, committed 10 the Auditor; not only
that OF auditing all claims for service, bu,
more particularly that OF keeping the &C.
counts and collecting all moneys derived
from postage or Otherwise. The manner in
which this has been performed, as appears
by his report, is satisfactory evidence as we'll
Of the efficiency Of the system as OF energy
. and success in its execution. .....