The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-12-25
THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
A~brIdgmCnt Of the Report OF che Post
master General.

The ordinary postal revenue for tho var
ended the 3Oth d.y o. June last was Sl6,-
202, 600. so, and the expenditures during
the same period, including service for
which special appropriations were made,
S22, 100, 592. GJ; showing an excess of cX-
peuditures of SG497, 001. IS.
The receipts from hostages, as compared
with the previous year, show I'M increase
of xix per contum, and the expenditures an
increase Of eighteen per centum.
The ordinary expenses, not including
mail transportation for which special APP
preparations were made, were S2l, 555,-
5D2' 60; and the receipts including the
amount drawn under the acts making 0p-
preparations for carrying "ireo mail matter, "
were $40. 092, GOO 80; showing an excess of
expenditures of 81 ,iG2, 09l. SO.
The receipts Of the department were,
from hostages SIG, 300, COO. 50; the amounts
drawn from the treasury under acts making
appropriations for carrying free matter, -
50, 800, 600; aud under the acts making
special appropriations for overland mail
and marine service between New York and
California" 81, l25, 900; steamship SER
vice between San Francisco, Japan and
China Sl25, 600; between the Omitted
States and Brazil, " $50, 600; for carrying
tue mail on routes established by acts
passed daring the first session of the 39th
Congress-" SiSG, $50; and ''ior preparing
aud publishing post route maps, SlO,OOO;
making tho receipts irom all sources $751;
$50, l2O.S q. The expenditures of all kinds
were, as above stated, S22, 73O, 502 .G5;
showing an excess of expenditures over
receipts of sal, lGG.8i, for which n special
appropriation will he required.
The free delivery system has been in OPP
,r,tf,, 1NYfnpr tla NuguW in ~ of tho N,pipat-
pal cities. 1t has continued to grow in
popular favor, and has, to u great extent,
supplnnted the general and box deliveries.
Ia Philadelphia, Chicago, st. Louis, Cleye-
hand, Louisville, aud other cities, the mum.
Der OF post-Oiiice boxes has been greatly
reduced, and the hope is confidently en-.
tertnned that this mode of delivery viii
ultimately superSedc all others. Its ne
cessity in large cities is illustrated by the
single example of New York, with its G, 00(
/ boxes. representing 80, 600 names, any on,
T of which each sorting clerk must be abb,
to recall and associate with the proper boz
on the instant, n work impossible to hl
. done without liability to error. This diili
d Guilty necessarily increases with the growtl
Q of the city, and finds no remedy (for tn
q reason stated in the multiplication O
a clerks.
> Inc only remedy lOI TINS CNh hhOMh y
u me is the delivery by carrier, which, aite
y years OF experience, has received the sauC
n ton of the principal postal departments q
Europe, and which, by inducing the hab.
Z of directing letters to street and number
renders the sorting comparatively simpl'
u and the delivery ccuTate and reliable.
Where the system has been judiciousl
and enorgeticnlly conducted, the poopI
have not been backward in acknowledge
" Its merits, and and a~yailing themselves
its benefits.
The experience acquired by carriers hi
a. greatly facilitated operations, and enable
r them TO perform an additional amount
n + york with less proportionato labor.
The whole number Of dead letters Of q
in classes received during the year ended Il
of 3Oth of June last, by actual count, was A
IL 1872, l44, showing n decrease Of Ia, 1854 lo
i. ters from tho number estimated 10 Ia,
an been received during the previous year.
ed Ofthere letters 3, 1895, 0G6 were domest
20 letters; 1877, 079 were foreign, aud were 4
nd turned unopened TO the countries who
at they originated.
,r The domestic letters received may
~ gtniad M follOwg,