Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1873-12-05


amount the current year.
OUR PENSIONERS.
AT the close of the fiscal year there
were on the pension rolls w ,ea ,Sv3 invalid
military pensioners and lly,Voo widows,
orphans and dependent reia.iyeso Of de.
ceased soldiers, making to,a. VI That
class Of 2l1 ,S92; 1s, 2G0 sury,Vuns ,rs o. tie
war of 1872 and 50,053 widows OF sol.
Tiera of that war pensioned under tho
act of Congress- OF February IA, ISL,
makipp a total of that class OF 23l ,94;
l,43O Invalid navy pensioners and 40
widows and orphans and debendent
relatives of deceased officers, sailors aud
marines of the navy, making total Of
navv pensioners of 8 1900, and grand
total Of pensioners of all classes OF 23S,.
All, showing q net increase during the
last fiscal year of 6,1S1. During the last
wear the names of 16, ,405 pensioners were
added to the rolls and 10, 223 names were
dropped therefrom for various causes.
The system adopted for the detection .
of frauds against the Governmentl IN the T,
matter of pensions has been productive
of satisfactory results, but Legislation ia
needed to provide II possible against the
perpetration of such frauds in the fu.
ture.
EDUCATION.
The evidently increasing interest in
the cause of education is most encour-
aging feature in the general progress
and prosperity Of the country, and the
Bureau of Education i5 earnest In its
efforts to give proper direction to the
new appliances and the increased fac.li.
ties which are being offered to aid the
educators of the country in their great
work.
THE CENSUS BUREAU.
The ninth census has been completed
and the report thereof published and
distributed, and the working force of
the bureau disbanded. The Secretary
of the Interior renews his recommend
alton for census to be taken in 1875,
to which subject the attention Of Con-
| gress is invited. Tho original augges.
| ton in that behalf has met with the
general approval of the country, and
| even If it be deemed not advisable ct
present to provide for a regular qup.
| tennial census, q census taken in 1870
| the report of which could be complete
and published before the one hundredth
anniversary of our independence would
he especially interesting and valuable,
as showing the progress of the country
during the first century of our national
existence.
1t is believed, however, that q regular
census every five years would be OF cub
stantial benefit to the country, inas.
much as our growth hitherto has been
80 rapid that the results of the decennial
census are necessarily unreliable as q
basis of estimates for the latter years Of
decennial period.
| THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
Under the very efficient management
Of the Government and the Board Of
Public Works of this district, the city
of Washington is rapidly assuming thg
appearance of capital of which the
nation may well be proud. From being
most unsightly place, three years sgo,
disagreeable to pass through in summer
in consequence of the dust arising from
unpaved streets, and almost impossible
from the mud, it is now one of them0st
slightly cities III the country, ana can
boast of being the best paved.
The work has been systematiCa the
plans, grades, location of sewers, water
and gas mains being determined upon
before the work was commenced, thus
securing permanency when completed.
question whether so much has ever
been accomplished before in any other
city for the same expenditure. The
Government has large reservation in
the city, and the nation at large having
an interest in their capital, recon-.
mend large policy towards the District
of Columbia, and that the Government
should bear its just share of the expense
of these improvements.
Every citizen visiting the capital feels
foo S,ae q pat{ IN {tts 6%gR59eF %gR59eF tagd aRgd S9 that he
made. Here i would suggest q tHSShis TGms
gress the propriety of promoting tie e5-
tablishment, in this district, OF an in.
stitution of learning or university OF
the highest class by the donation OF the
lands. There is no place better suited
for such an institution than the NJ.
tional Capital. There is no place in
which every citizen is so directly inter.
ested.
POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT.
A complete exhibit is presented in the
accompanying report of the Postmaster
General OF the operations of the Post.
office Department during theyear IAe
ordinary postal revenues for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1878. amounted tC
SIS, 1896, ,74l 81, and the expenditures o.
all kinds to 500 ,0S4 ,9i5 G7. The increase
of revenues over 1872 was 81 ,0Sl,3l5 -
, and the increase of expenditures s., 42j,
75S So. Independent OF the payment
made from special appropriatiOns 70
mail steamship lines, the amount draw
, from the general treasury to meet def
cienc!es was S., ,265, ,475.
: The constant and varied extension o
| our postal service, particularly upo!
!, railways, and the improved faCilitie
, for the collection, Transmission, dis
. tribution and delivery of the mai!
, which are constantly being provided
| an0Apnf for tho innraaonA
of this popular branch of the publ
service. The total number OF pOstol
Q fees in operation on the 18th of June
= 1878, was 3,244, a net increase Of l,5,
o over the number reported the precedn
q year. The number of Presidents
offices was 1868, an increase OF IL
during the year. The totallength Otrai
n road mail routes at the close OF the yes
!. was 81, ,457 miles, an increase Of i,jl
n miles over the year 1872. Fitty-nln
: railway postoflice lines were in opers
: ton on the 18th of June, 1873, ,extendin
4 over ,666 miles of railroad routes, en-
q performing an aggregate service Of ST.
;. 925 miles daily.
r The number of letters exclaimed wit
n foreign countries was 81, ,459, ,lS5-an il
a crease of S,096,GS over the preyiou
a year and the postage thereon amoun
4 ed to 81, OBJ $40 Sc. The total weight {
3 correspondence exchanged in tie ms
with European countries exceeded u
\ tons-an increase of 90 tons over tl
: previous year. The total cost Of I'll
a United States ocean mail steamship SCI
a vice, including S725 900 paid from eIei
n ial appropriations to subsidized lines
r mail steamers, was 81 ,047, ,27l So,
!. New or additional postal convention
y have been concluded with SWadan No
:. way, Belgium, Germany, Canal, Ne
"a Foundland and Japan, reducing ii
:" postal rates on correspondence exchanl