The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-08

The postmaster-general has completed his
report. An examination of this document
gives some interesting items, of which the
following are the most important; The
revenues of the year ending june 80, 1874,
were s24, SOC, SOS; and the expenditures s32,-
126, 4l4. The estimated expenditures for
the year ending June 80, 1876, are $50. 1884,,
034, and the total estimated revenues, S29,-
14s, 156, leaving a deficiency to be appropri-
ated out OF the treasury of s7,sl5,s7s.
A rapidly increasing use Is being made OF
the registered letter system. A gain has
been made in the time of transporting mails,
that from New York to San Francisco
having been shortened five hours and a
half. In the foreign service the postmaster
general says that its regularity and certain
ity were never in a better condition. The
number of p~ostohices in operation Tune 80,
1874, was 34,294. and the total number of APP
pointments during the year reach 9,424. The
good results predicted from the letter
carrier system are still continued, while
our money orders there has been a gain of
over thirty per cent. on the amount of fees
received. The exchanges OF money orders
with Great Britain and S witzerland have been
most marked, and there has been only one
erroneous payment out of 59,67 payments.
After referring to the new method of
postage collection to go into effect
on January /, the report remarks on
the efficiency of the money order
system. 1t is said to be rapidly growing
in favor and is evidently a great accom-
mediation to people remote from bank
ing facilities. AS at present con-
Quoted, this department, however, does
not pay its own proper expenses, and the
postmaster recommends that the fees be in
creased or some method adopted so as to
make it self-sustaining. The number and
length of the mail routes in the United
States throw into insignifcance the cost of
similar services in other countries. For the
year ending June 80, 1876, it is esti-
mated that the cost of this item
alone will amount to $1,000, 900, while
the portion to be paid to railroad will
amoun to Sl0,0 900. The postmaster
general at this point enters into a lengthy
discussion of the complicated question of the
transmission ofthe mails by the railroads and
by express companies. At present the matter
is represented as being in a very unsatisfac-
tory condition and some equitable mode of
adjustment is desired. On this point he re-
marks: 81 would sugguest that the time
has come, when a resolute effort should be
made to determine how far the postoffice
department can properly go in its efforts
to accommodate the public without tres
passing unwarrantably upon the sphere of
private enterprise. There must be
a limit to governmental interior
ence, and, happily, it better suits the
genius of the American people to help
themselves, than to depend on the State.
To communicate intelligence and dissent
nate information are the primary functions
of this department. Any divergence from
its legitimate sphere Of operations tends to |
disturb the just rule that, in the ordinary
business OF life, the recipient OF a benefit is
the proper party to pay for it, since there is
no escape from the universal law that every J
service must, in some way, be paid for by
some one"
The postmaster-general pays a high compli-
nent to his predecessor in attaining the ADOLF ]
of the ranking privilege, which he be-
ieves has also opened the way for other
of retrenchment. The def
,iency Of this department has varied !
If late years from Is to 20 per l
,ent. and for the year ending June 80, 1874 :
here will be, probably, a deficit of $780, |
100 and 20 % per cent. of the revenue OF I
he department. The postmaster general l
acknowledges the difficulties of adopting a 6
of economy which, while guarding a
he revenues of the department shall also l
i've to the new portions of the
ountry the mail facilities to which it L
) entitled by its energy and growth. In l
the practice of economy is empha- q
lied as follows: al deem it suitable to say o
here that 1 propose to guard, with strict u
vigilance, the expenditures of the depart q
ment, sanctioning no outlay which can be S
voide without detriment to the service, Z
and so to conduct its affairs generally that u
the interest of the public shall be para s
mount to those Of any individual, corpora a
ton, or party. u
While most farmers are now selling their {,
Orn and hogs for high prices and bling a
heir pockets with money, there are some q
Tho are suffering modification and chagrin a
their own indiscretion. The Senti-
II II - H. I'LL T.